Rain restricts opening day against Oxford MCCU
5 April 2019
The first day's cricket of the 2019 season at the Bristol County Ground was restricted to just 27 overs, with Gloucestershire making 84-3 in their first innings after losing the toss and being asked to bat.
The three left handers at the top of the order - skipper Chris Dent, Miles Hammond and James Bracey - were all back in the pavilion with only 17 runs on the board, so it was left to the right handed pair of Gareth Roderick and George Hankins to bring some stability to proceedings before the rain intervened shortly before tea.
When the pair returned at 5.15pm, Gloucestershire were 51-3 and they added another 33 runs in 10 overs before the light became too gloomy to continue.
Play didn't start at all until 2.50pm, chiefly because of intermittent drizzle which came and went for much of the morning. After an early lunch was taken the weather cleared, but it was predictable that the successful captain at the toss would choose to field. Toby Pettman called correctly and decided his Oxford MCCU side would bowl against a Gloucestershire team that included Harry Hankins, younger brother of George, for the first time in a first XI fixture.
Pettman and Alex Wilkinson shared the new ball and it was left armer Wilkinson who enjoyed a productive first spell. In his second over Miles Hammond got underneath an attempted pull and lofted a chance high into the leg side which was safely taken by 'keeper Seward, and soon afterwards James Bracey dragged a ball into his stumps. Four slips were in place when Pettman bowled Dent with a ball that moved a long way off the seam.
The Oxford MCCU new ball pair bowled 11 overs between them, but the introduction of David Murphy brought two boundaries to George Hankins, the first past point and the second closer to extra cover, an area where he has scored heavily on warmer, sunnier days.
Drizzle was threatening once more when Hankins despatched a loosener from Ackter through the off side, and the players were forced off soon afterwards with Roderick and Hankins having added 34 for the fourth wicket.
The delay at that point was more than an hour, but the light lifted sufficiently to allow a resumption, George Hankins producing one of the crispest shots of the day to bring up the 50 partnership. Roderick, having scored a century against Worcestershire in a 50 over game on Monday, also had another useful 90 minutes in the middle and with the forecast better for day 2, both will want to capitialise on the starts they made in murky conditions.
