Will Leads Team To Battling Draw Against Glamorgan
24 June 2014
Will Tavare spoke of the growing confidence of Gloucestershire's batsmen in their ability to save games after the LV=County Championship match with Glamorgan at the Bristol County Ground had ended in a draw.
After the visitors had gained a first inniings lead of 224, Gloucestershire slipped to 49-3 at lunch on the final day and were looking down the barrel of a defeat.
But Will, who had opened the innings, dug in to score 41 off 162 balls, batting for more than three and a half hours and sharing a key fourth-wicket stand of 44 in 32.1 overs with Ian Cockbain.
Will Gidman later contributed an unbeaten 47 and, while Gloucestershire's escape might not have been as exceptional as in the previous home Championship game against Surrey, it was still an excellent backs-to-the-wall effort.
They were 165-5 when the players shook hands and took nine points from the game to Glamorgan's 12.
Will Tavare told this website: "What we did to save the game against Surrey was a massive boost to confidence and very important as we set about getting a draw from this match.
"I couldn't believe Ian Cockbain's innings against Surrey and it showed us all what could be achieved with the right amount of application and concentration.
"Those qualities were needed again today and in the end the character of the team has again shone through."
At one point in the afternoon Will and Ian Cockbain played out 57 successive dot balls in their battle to survive at the crease.
Will added: "We were taking a bit of stick from the Glamorgan fielders and it's not easy to keep blocking when your natural instinct is to score runs.
"But we kept each other going and it's another step forwards in terms of building belief in ourselves as a batting unit."
Click here for a full match report against Glamorgan.
