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Rain restricts play on first day with Derbyshire

25 September 2017

A combination of rain and poor light saw only 26 overs play on the first day of Gloucestershire's final home Championship match of the season with Derbyshire at the Brightside Ground.

After four inspections, play finally started at 2 o'clock with Derbyshire giving up their option to field first, losing the toss and being asked to bat by Gloucestershire captain Phil Mustard.

The scheduled afternoon session was cut short by 15 minutes because of bad light, and things did not improve when umpires Ben Debenham and Neil Bainton returned with their light meters after the tea interval. Rain soon followed, and play was eventually called off for the day at 5.15 with Derbyshire 104-2 in their first innings.

Listen to Phil Mustard's thoughts on the day here :

As had been expected, Liam Norwell was unable to take his place in the attack after a hamstring injury curtailed his involvement at Cardiff last week.

Tom Smith's inclusion in place of Norwell was not a surprise, but when the captains handed over their team sheets to the umpires at 1.30pm after a damp morning delayed the start, Derbyshire's Gary Wilson became the first (and last) visiting skipper this summer to ask for the batting side be decided by spinning a coin. Wilson's call was incorrect, and his opposite number Phil Mustard immediately decided it was a day to bowl.

On a pitch which had produced over 600 runs in the ODI between England and the West Indies 24 hours earlier, Luis Reece and in particular Ben Slater weren't afraid to go for their shots, Slater working the ball to the mid wicket boundary twice in Payne's second over.

A third boundary came off a thick outside edge before Payne twice thought he had Reece caught close to the wicket. Neither appeal was upheld and even after changing ends Payne remained two wickets short of 200 in first class cricket.

Josh Shaw had shared the new ball with Payne - also without any joy - and it was Matt Taylor who dismissed both openers after an expensive opening over in which Slater played a cover drive which would have graced any text book. He'd made 45 out of 74 when his middle stump was knocked back by Taylor, who nine runs earlier had trapped Reece lbw for 13.

Taylor also had a big appeal for lbw against Alex Hughes turned down as Derbyshire, despite the slow outfield, found the boundary 16 times against attacking field settings which could have brought more than two wickets.

Hughes edged his second ball between wicket keeper Bracey and Noema-Barnett at first slip, and Madsen's boundary which pushed the Derbyshire score to exactly 100 in what turned out to be the last over of the day dropped just short of George Hankins at third slip.

Derbyshire's approach with the bat had been refreshingly positive, but play was halted just short of the scheduled tea interval and Gloucestershire will hope to make more of the chances they create on the second day.

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