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Spirited Gloucestershire fight back to end day two trailing by 41 runs

5 April 2025

Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen again left his mark on Gloucestershire with the 40th first-class century of his career on the second day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match at Derby.

The 41-year-old’s hundred was his sixth against Gloucestershire and put his side in a commanding position early on the second day with support from Harry Came who scored 83 and shared a third-wicket stand of 177.

Madsen also completed 16,000 first-class runs during his 118 and with Zak Chappell adding a breezy 61 from 67 balls, Derbyshire reached 391, a lead of 169.

Marchant de Lange with 3 for 31 was the pick of the bowlers for Gloucestershire who closed on 128 for 3, still 41 runs behind, with Ben Charlesworth unbeaten on 77. 

Gloucestershire went into day two well aware of the damage Madsen could do and under another cloudless sky, he made the most of excellent batting conditions.

Madsen welcomed Zaman Akhter by upper-cutting the seamer for six before Came reached his 50 which contained 9 fours from 80 balls.

Derbyshire cruised along serenely with 68 runs coming in the first hour with Madsen reaching an inevitable half-century and the 89th of his first-class career off 81 balls.

Gloucestershire’s miserable morning got worse when Came on 64 edged Matt Taylor to second slip where Ollie Price could not take a difficult one-handed chance

Price made amends with the penultimate ball of the session, trapping Came lbw as he went back to work the ball to leg but at lunch, Derbyshire were 49 ahead with Madsen eight away from another hundred.

Whatever was said in the visitors dressing room clearly made an impression because they had their best spell of the match after the interval.

De Lange quickly had Brooke Guest caught behind and in his next over tempted Luis Reeve into a drive which Ollie Price pouched at second slip.

When Anuj Dal was trapped on the crease by Tom Price, Derbyshire had lost four wickets in 26 balls for 10 runs and the Price brothers combined two overs later to remove Martin Andersson. 

As the wickets tumbled around him, Madsen went to his hundred, the 39th first-class for Derbyshire, from 144 balls, but was finally removed 18 runs later by Ollie Price who bowled the Derbyshire captain who failed to connect with a reverse sweep.

But Chappell crushed any hopes Gloucestershire entertained of wrapping up the innings quickly by dispatching two big sixes on his way to a 60-ball 50.

Taylor returned to bowl Chappell and have Jack Morley caught behind but Derbyshire had reasserted their authority leaving Gloucestershire with a lot of batting to do.

They started badly, losing Chris Dent cheaply when he got an inside edge into his stumps going half forward to Chappell in the seventh over.

But Ben Charlesworth and Ollie Price played with increasing authority to add 70 from 98 balls before Derbyshire set a trap which snared Price.

Pat Brown posted a leg gully for Price who turned a ball off his hip into the waiting hands of Andersson and Reece struck another blow when Miles Hammond moved across his stumps and was lbw.

The impressive Charlesworth and James Bracey negotiated the last five overs but they will need to bat for a long time tomorrow to keep Gloucestershire in the contest.

DAY TWO HIGHLIGHTS

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