Handscomb delighted to get going
7 April 2015
The sprinkling of spectators at the County Ground today saw in half an hour that Peter Handscomb will be a man to watch when he comes to the crease this summer.
Having observed Will Tavare and Chris Dent add 94 for the first wicket at a run a minute, Handscomb showed immediately that it was he who was going to dictate the pace of the play.
Aiming to score off virtually every ball, the Victorian right hander frequently used his feet in making a brisk 32 out of a stand of 49 with Tavare, aided by some sharp running between the wickets before clipping off spinner Rouse to short mid wicket in the penultimate over before lunch.
Skipper Geraint Jones lost the toss, but the Cardiff MCCU bowlers extracted minimal life from a docile Bristol wicket. All Gloucestershire's top six got starts, and while only three converted them into half centuries, it was a useful work out in sunny conditions.
Openers Tavare and Dent were untroubled in the first hour, the latter starting slowly but aided by two boundaries in one Griffiths over, he reached his fifty off 76 balls with nine fours before appearing to misjudge the line of a ball from the same bowler.
Tavare picked up his own innings after a lull when he was joined by Handscomb, and reached his own half century off 96 balls with eight boundaries.
Gloucestershire were 144-2 at lunch, and the serene progress continued after the resumption, Roderick, batting at number four, clearing the rope towards the pavilion during a long spell from off spinner Bull.
Tavare accumulated his runs steadily with only a solitary boundary and a six after lunch until, on 93, he played all round a good length ball from Leverock. His 133 ball stay at the crease was encouraging ahead of the new Championship season.
Tavare and Roderick added 65 and in the next over, Roderick also departed, Bull luring the wicketkeeper into a mistimed shot that saw him caught at short mid wicket.
The double breakthrough was little more than a blip, however, as skipper Geraint Jones - who revealed he would have bowled had he won the toss - joined Ian Cockbain and gradually eased themselves into scoring as comfortably as those before them.
Neither appeared in any trouble until ten minutes before tea when Cockbain, on 39, was given out caught down the leg side off medium pacer Griffiths, who had relieved Bull following a 16 over stint for the off spinner in the afternoon session.
Howell hit the first ball from Rous after tea over long on for 6 but was soon on his way, caught in the slips off Westphal in the over where the visitors took the new ball.
It was James Fuller who then added his own aggressive tone to proceedings, twice lofting Leverock over the sight screen and against the metal balconies of the flats beyond. He was heading towards the fastest fifty of the day before captain Geraint Jones, who had himself made an unbeaten 72 in 98 balls, decided he would like 45 minutes bowling at the visitors before the close, and it was Fuller who made the one breakthrough, removing Jake George with the aid of a catch at short leg by Will Tavare.
At stumps, Cardiff MCCU had reached 18-1 in reply to 377-6 declared.
Speaking exclusively to the website at the close, Peter Handscomb said "Getting to 30 today was a start but that's all it was. Ideally you want to make a big score but I was just pleased to be out there. The ground is in amazing nick and the ball races to the boundary so I'm going to look forward to playing games here."
"I like to try and use my feet to the spinners and hit through the field. I scored at about a run a ball as I didn't face the faster bowlers much but I'm not afraid to take my time either."
"This match is very useful to get used to English conditions, to meet everyone and have a game with the boys ahead of the Championship match at Northants."
"We wanted to be positive and score quickly, which we did, and then ideally have a bowl late in the day, which is exactly how it worked out. It would have been nice to get two or three wickets but we got one and hopefully we can get some quick wickets tomorrow."
Play will resume tomorrow at 11am, free entry at the Bristol County Ground.
