Noema-Barnett and van Buuren lead bid for safety
11 June 2018
A century stand for the seventh wicket in Gloucestershire's first innings between Graeme van Buuren and Kieran Noema-Barnett soaked up 41 overs and helped Gloucestershire retain the chance of a draw from their Championship match with Kent at the Brightside Ground.
For van Buuren, his 83 was close to his best first class score at Bristol, falling just short of the 88 not out made against Nottinghamshire last season, while Noema-Barnett was left unbeaten on 73 when a tenth wicket stand of 36 with Matt Taylor which delayed tea was broken by Kent skipper Joe Denly.
Gloucestershire were finally dismissed for 240, and with 25 overs to negotiate after Kent enforced the follow-on, skipper Chris Dent and Benny Howell put together an unbroken stand of 73 to leave Gloucestershire 269 runs behind with one day remaining.
Watch Kieran Noema-Barnett's thoughts on the day here:
Kieran Noema-Barnett made an unbeaten 73 today in the first innings against @kentcricket and sharing in a century partnership with Graeme van Buuren (83). Here are his thoughts at the close with Glos 73-0, 269 behind pic.twitter.com/2EOUG9oMx5
— Gloucestershire CCC (@Gloscricket) 11 June 2018
It's fair to say Gloucestershire began the third day with a lot on their plate. A deficit of 538 looked to represent a full six sessions batting in order to save the match on a pitch where the potential of slow turn and occasionally unpredictable bounce were likely to be the batsmen's major problems. Moreover four first innings wickets had already gone, so Graeme van Buuren and Jack Taylor would have wanted to book in for a long stay.
Kent's threats with the new ball, Matt Henry and Darren Stevens, opened affairs in sunny conditions and within 45 minutes Henry had two further victims to his impressive seasonal tally. Jack Taylor had added nine to his overnight 24 not out when he dragged a ball into his leg stump, and Ryan Higgins (9) was bowled between bat and pad soon afterwards. At 82-6 and 500 runs behind, Kieran Noema-Barnett and Graeme van Buuren then joined forces to frustrate the Kent attack until the second new ball became due.
Neither batsman had previously made a century at the Brightside Ground, but this was an occasion that both embraced even though it felt counter intuitive to their natural game. Henry and Stevens gave way to Podmore and Thomas, whilst Riley's introduction half an hour before lunch marked the start of a long but ultimately fruitless spell for the off spinner as Gloucestershire's seventh wicket pair played watchfully together, although they tried to punish anything short off the back foot.
By lunch they had added 42 in 20 overs to restore some respectability to the Gloucesstershire card, and both men reached personal milestones in early afternoon, van Buuren making his first Championship fifty of the summer from 96 balls with six fours, and Noema-Barnett reaching 1000 first class runs for the club when he was 20 not out. Largely, of course, it was a day of defence but there was a drift to slightly more measured aggression as the afternoon wore on, both men gathering what they could against the old ball.
The partnership had reached 95 - with van Buuren's share 50 and Noema-Barnett's 41 - when the refreshed Henry was thrown a new one, and it didn't take long to make a difference.
After more than three and a half hours, van Buuren was caught in the slips by Kuhn for 83, Miles was lbw and Drissell edged his first ball to Crawley, also in the slips. Matt Taylor survived the hat trick, and also saw Noema-Barnett to his first Championship fifty since the game at Northampton last August, an innings that occupied 169 balls and included seven fours. The additonal 36 runs they collected delayed tea until Taylor was caught behind down the leg side, leaving 25 overs to bat in the final session once Kent - having dismissed Gloucestershire for 240 - had enforced the follow-on.
Matt Henry's figures of 6-58 represented his fourth five wicket haul of the season, but another destructive spell proved beyond him on the day as Benny Howell and skipper Chris Dent set about trimming a first innings deficit of 342.
With four slips at times in place, there were gaps for the Gloucestershire openers if width was offered and both played some pleasing shots, Howell working Stevens and Podmore neatly to the square leg boundary before the latter limped off just before the close after pulling out of his run up.
73-0 at stumps represented a good start in Gloucestershire's second innings, but saving the match remains a task which will take application and patience on the final day.
