County Championship
Round 8
Yorkshire v Gloucestershire
Preview
After a disappointing, but not unexpected Blast campaign, it is back to Championship
action with Gloucestershire starting the run-in to the end of the season in 7th,
now 38 points behind the promotion places after consecutive defeats ended the
unbeaten run.
With promotion now looking extremely unlikely, barring an astonishing
run of form in the last six games, the main focus of the remaining games is to avoid
the wooden spoon. The Leicestershire game, last time out, was a severe reality
check, with a strong position lost in a volley of attacking shots and then the
bowling attack struggling to exercise any threat. It led to a defeat that had
seemed unthinkable with two sessions to play.
As in 2022, the injury crisis among the bowlers has been quite
astonishing. With the first-choice attack rarely, if ever, available over the
last three seasons and a squad that has less depth than most, even in Division
2, it is hard to carry players who are feeling their way back to form and fitness.
In the Leicestershire game it was obvious that Tom Price and Ajeet Dale were
not fully match fit, but they had to play anyway and that was a key factor in
defeat.
With David Payne still unavailable for red-ball cricket, Ajeet Dale
injured again, and Danny Lamb returned to Lancashire, one of Josh Shaw, Joe
Phillips and Grant Roelofsen will be in the final XI: probably Josh Shaw to
give a 4-man seam attack of Tom Price, Matt Taylor, Zaman Akhtar and Josh Shaw,
supported by Zafar Gohar, although this leaves the tail longer than one would
wish. The alternative relying on Ben Charlesworth as fourth seamer to fit in
Joe Phillips or Grant Rolofsen as the extra batsman looks less likely. However,
given that this campaign seems unlikely to supply the success that the club
hoped for pre-season, there is a strong argument for playing Joe Phillips
sooner rather than later.
Ahead is a Yorkshire side still struggling in the lower reaches of
Division 2 and desperately needing to string together a series of victories.
They won both games in 2012 when both sides were recently relegated to Division
2 (both games were close, though) and split the two games last season in
Division 1. A draw will suit neither side, so expect both to go all-out for the
win in what are likely to be hot and batsman-friendly conditions.
Day 1
Yorkshire won the Toss and, unsurprisingly,
elected to bat. Gloucestershire, decided to pick Grant Roelofsen to bat at 3, going
with three front-line seamers plus Zafar in the first game with the less
responsive Kookaburra ball. Yorkshire had a side with some unfamiliar names in
it, including the Surrey spinner, Dan Moriarty, at Headingley on loan.
Tom Price took the New Ball with Matt Taylor.
The pitch looking surprisingly green and, under scattered, high cloud and intermittent
sunshine, using the New Ball well looked to be critical. First impressions were
that Tom Price still looked down on pace, as he had against Leicestershire. He
went for six boundaries in his first three overs: the first a controlled edge
through the three Slips, followed by three Cover Drives that Sir Geoffrey himself
would have approved of. 33-0 from the first five overs and it was evident that
this was going to be a hard day.
In truth, there were far too many four-balls
waiting to be hit, something that went on all day: it was partly batsmen still
on T20 mode, but a lot of it was the bowling not being tight enough. 55x4 and
3x6 in the day was too many boundaries.
What no one expected after such an explosive
start was that Adam Lyth would half leave the first ball of Matt Taylor’s third
over and guide a gentle catch to Ollie Price who took it diving to his left: a
soft wicket and a gift to the bowler. He then pinned Shan Masood third ball,
without scoring. Suddenly it was 33-2 and Matt Taylor was on 2.4-1-8.2. It
could have been even worse for Torkshire. Dawid Malan edged his first ball
between 3rd Slip and Gulley: it went for four, but could have as
easily have gone to hand.
The relief was brief. Tom Price, whose first
three overs had gone for 25, was replaced by Zaman Akhtar. Rather than stopping
the scoring, he went for a brace of boundaries and four byes in his first over.
Matt Taylor also went for three boundaries, and, after 8 overs, the score was
61-2, a scoring rate more familiar in the Blast. Even though some quiet overs
followed, including consecutive maidens, the introduction of Zafar in the
sixteenth over was met gleefully by the delightfully named Finlay Bean, who swung
him for a six and a four. On came Ben Charlesworth to spell the front-line
seamers. He surely could barely believe how Dawid Malan glanced his first
delivery – not the best that he has bowled in his career – through to James
Bracey. 90-3 and Gloucestershire taking wickets despite the frantic pace of
scoring.
Graeme van Buuren was changing constantly the
bowlers in an attempt to make something happen, using six in the first session.
It did slow the scoring somewhat from its peak of 7.62 runs per over to 4.79
per over at Lunch, but it was Yorkshire’s session. Twenty-one year old Finlay
Bean, who has been playing in the 2nd XI in recent weeks, in just
his ninth First Class match since his debut at the end of last season, a
menacing 65*. 139-3 from 29 overs, with 24 fours and a six. Frenetic stuff, although
nothing like the mayhem at Leicester, where Durham were putting the hosts to
the sword.
Matt Taylor and Zaman Akhter in tandem after
Lunch as the clouds built and showers started to form around the area. It was
not long before Zafar was back into the attack, Miles Hammond with his new and
quite singular hairstyle (a crew-cut, dyed a pink that is now fading unevenly),
donning the shinpads and helmet at Short Forward Square Leg. Zafar could not
engineer the breakthrough and, although mostly he kept a lid on the scoring, an
expensive over including an under-edged cut between Wicket-keeper and Slip and
a six over Mid-wicket as George Hill danced down the wicket persuaded the
Captain to bring himself on as seventh bowler. Meanwhile, the Yorkshire fans
were the only ones laughing as Mr Bean moved smoothly into the 90s, while
George Hill brought up his own 50 and then the team’s 200, hooking Tom Price to
the boundary.
Finlay Bean clipped Ben Charlesworth for a
single to move onto 99 and, in the same over, pulled the bowler through Square
Leg to bring up his second First Class century from 140 balls. We saw a piece
of daft cricket immediately after. Bean advanced down the pitch, mistimed his
shot and, still out of his ground, but not attempting a run, Zafar threw
the ball back, apparently attempting the runout. The throw took Bracey completely
by surprise saw the ball run for, fortunately, only a single overthrow – which earned
Zafar a lecture from the umpire (you cannot be runout if not attempting a run).
However, this may just have unsettled the batsmen. Zamam Akhtar dropped one
short, Bean pulled, and Ben Charlesworth took a fine, tumbling catch on the
boundary. Finlay Bean out for 114, just short of his First Class best score of
118. 243-4 and the match still moving on like an express train.
Luck was not quite on the side of the
bowlers, though. George Hill edged Zafar inches short of Slip and Gloucestershire
were agonisingly close to making it 251-5 and starting to get some control.
Instead, Yorkshire started to build again. 273-4 at Tea, Hill 77*, Tattershall
25*.
Post-Tea, it was a matter of steady accumulation
and grinding down the bowlers. Up came the 300 and the second batting point. The
scoring slowed, but the landmarks came: the Tattershaw 50 with a somewhat ungainly
pull for four off Tom Price. Hill’s century followed soon after with a clip off
his legs to Ben Charlesworth on the Square Leg boundary (177 balls, 13x4, 2x6).
Yorkshire closing on the 350 as the second New Ball approached. Charlesworth
offered too much width and was cut to the boundary to bring up the 350, two
overs before the New Ball was due. With 1-59 from 9 overs, Charlesworth was
struggling in the fourth seamer role and presenting the captain with a problem
as he could use Charlesworth to block up an end and rest the main seamers. This
though was an opportunity for Ollie Price, who came back just before that
second New Ball. Hill edged him through to a jubilant James Bracey. 354-5. A
bonus wicket on what was proving to be a tough day and Ollie Price with two
excellent catches and a wicket to boot.
The second New Ball was taken immediately and
given to Zaman Akhtar, a sign of the struggles of Tom Price, who you would have
been expected to be offered it first. Fifth ball, he took the edge of Revis’
bat but, again, the ball dropped just short of Second Slip. However, the second
New Ball did bring a wicket as the admirably persistent Matt Taylor, who was
both economical and threatening, got the edge from Tattersall and Ollie Price
brought off yet another excellent catch at Second Slip: 368-6 and a second
bowling point.
The floodlights were beginning to shine more
and more brightly and, inevitably, 8.4 overs into the second New Ball, the
heavens opened and a the groundstaff scampered to protect the wicket. 388-6.
The shower was short and sharp, and after a
quick clean-up, the players came out for 2.2 overs and five more runs added.
393-6 at the Close, with the ground bathed in bright sunshine once again. Maybe not Gloucestershire’s worst day of the
season, but far from their best and a substantial score already for the batting
to chase and still three wickets to take with overs running out for full batting
points. Matt Taylor, with 17-7-43-3, by far the best of the bowlers.
Day 2
When I posted the Day 1 report on social media,
one loyal fan came straight back with “yes, it’s a season of struggle, isn’t
it?” Certainly, although not plumbing the depths of despair that the supporters
felt at this stage last season, it’s not what we had hoped for. Those promising
positions of early season in which you felt that only rain robbed the team of a
couple of wins have changed into positions where you hope that rain will come
back and save the team (stick with that thought: it could happen). At times
on Day 1 it looked like a battle between two sides short on confidence who were
desperate to attack at any cost. The attack at all costs theme continued, but
Gloucestershire were less successful at executing it than their hosts. Another
day, another fine mess… but hope of salvation is still there.
It's a truism in sport and, in particular, in
cricket, that eight players can carry three, but three players cannot carry
eight. Even the great West Indian side of the 1980s had players like Milton
Small and Larry Gomes who have been forgotten by 99% of fans, while even Allan Border
could not carry the Australian side of 1981. There are some fine players with (deserved)
international caps in this current Gloucestershire side, but three seasons of
constant injury crises causing an XI that chops and changes from match to match
in an attempt to paper over the cracks is no way of building confidence, or of nursing
players back to form.
Today’s problem was to take three wickets
quickly for full bowling points, limit the damage, hopefully to around 450 and
then bat well in what should be favourable conditions. Yorkshire had the fifth
batting point in sight. Bright sunshine. Matt Taylor with the still fairly new
ball.
Matthew Revis opened with three runs from a
ball guided to Third Man, but it took just two more deliveries for Matt Taylor
to induce an edge from Matt Fisher that James Bracey pocketed gleefully. A
wicket with the fifth ball of the morning! Unfortunately, Matthew Revis was
still there and built a handy partnership with Dom Leech. After a quiet start,
he warmed to his task with boundaries off Matt Taylor and Zafar then reached
his 50 (86 balls) with a single of Charlesworth. When Zafar strayed down leg, Revis
launched him far over Square Leg. That left 4 overs for bonus points, the score
442-7. Gloucestershire needed a miracle to get the third batting point, while
Yorkshire knew that they would get the final batting point just pushing for
singles. The talk now, given that rain was expected on Days 3 & 4, was more
about when the declaration might come. On came Ollie Price to try his luck. He
broke the stand – two balls after the 110 overs had ended – thanks to a
stupendous catch from Miles Hammond, who took a one-handed grab, diving to his
right. Meanwhile, in other news, the 50 partnership had come up and then the 450
with a slog from Leech that could have gone almost anywhere but ended up flying
over Mid-On. Was this the start of a push for a declaration? There was a flurry
of boundaries but then, again, the pace slowed as the 500 approached with Ollie
Price and Graeme van Buuren getting through overs rapidly in tandem.
Enough of this frivolity, decided Revis, who
carted GvB over Wide Mid-On for six and, next ball, sent a delicate dab down to
Third Man for a boundary. His point made, it was back to the singles to bring
up the 500 in the 117th over. From there, until Lunch, every scoring
shot but one off the bat was a single.
531-8 from 124 overs at the break. Matthew
Revis on a menacing 94* and the looming suspicion that, unless he falls soon,
Yorkshire would try to push on to 580-600 before declaring.
The afternoon started with the Gloucestershire
“Z-formation”: Zaman followed by Zafar. Once again, the session started well,
although it took eight deliveries, instead of the five of the morning session
to take a wicket. A quiet over from Zaman, then Mark Steketee danced down the
wicket to Zafar, was completely done in the air and James Bracey had the bails
off in a flash. 534-9.
Matthew Revis was way past his previous First
Class best and, on 99*, produced a sumptuous Cover Drive off Zafar to reach his
century from 162 balls. Dan Moriarty then got off the mark with a superb drive
all along the ground through Mid-Off to bring up the 550 and, finally, after
130 overs, the declaration came.
So, the pitch had dried out. The green tinge
had almost disappeared. Could Ben Charlesworth and Chris Dent make use of it?
Just six runs from the first five overs as
the batsmen started cautiously. Four Slips waiting hungrily. Chris Dent pulled Leech
through Square Leg and the cracked a very wide delivery through Point for two
boundaries in an over in the first signs of aggression. With Ben Charlesworth
acting as sheet anchor, Chris Dent went for his shots, outscoring his partner 3-to-1,
going hard at anything too wide. It was the wide ball that was his downfall: he
drove hard at Dom Leech and edged the ball straight into the midriff of Alex
Lees at Second Slip. 45-1, Dent 34 and another promising start cut short, taking
his season’s total to 315 runs at 26.3.
Fifty up in the 17th over. Could
Charlesworth and Roelofsen take advantage? Eleven from a Leech over as Ben
Charlesworth cut consecutive boundaries through Point, then hit a massive six
back over Dan Moriarty’s head. Moriarty has an unusual approach, running a few
steps, then stopping and walking before jogging into his delivery stride. He
was generating respect. Just two scoring shots – one of them that six – had come
from his first four overs. Roelofsen pressed forward against him, missed, and was
pinned right in front of middle. 80-2, Tea and some of the shine was coming off
the start.
In came Miles Hammond, a player who needed a
big score after a rather mediocre first half of the season.
Flat pitch. Men around the bat for Dan
Moriarty. What would Ben Charlesworth do? The answer was to jump down the pitch
and hammer the ball past the Silly Point, who must have felt the wind as it
passed. The next delivery was cut the other side of Silly Point, who was surely
thinking that there are better ways to pass an afternoon than be a coconut in a
coconut shy. Charlesworth, though, went for one shot too many and edged to Slip.
The batsman stood his ground, thinking that it was a bump ball. The umpires
consulted and Charlesworth was sent on his way. 93-3. Charlesworth 35 and
another nice start cut short.
The score continued to advance rapidly, if
not at quite such a pace as yesterday. Graeme van Buuren unleashed a straight
drive for four followed by a six over Cover as he tried to hit Moriarty off his
length. The theory was fine, the practice was something else: another big shot,
a thin edge, and a fumble from Tattersall, but the ball dropped back into his
glove. Moriarty with 3-33, 125-4 and Gloucestershire in familiar trouble. Runs
coming at 4-an-over, but wickets falling. Still the attack was taken to Moriarty.
Miles Hammond was the next to dance down the pitch and launch him back over his
head for six. Up came the 150 in the 37th over: just 301 more needed
to avoid the Follow-On. Another skip down the pitch and Miles Hammond launched
another big six back over Dan Moriarty to go to 39 and have top score in the
innings so far. You would have bet good money that if Miles Hammond got to his 50,
it would be with a six of Dan Moriarty. It was. Thumped over the Covers. Adam
Lyth came on to twiddle some occasional off-spin and Miles Hammond sent him
into the stands at Long-On to move to 64 from 70 balls. The 200 up in the 46th
over, with James Bracey batting nicely in support.
With Moriarty in front of him, could Sherlock
Hammond solve the case of the missing centuries? Eleven overs to the Close,
stand at 75. Don’t give it away now.
Eleven off an over from Leech, including a
boundary from a horrible misfield and Hammond had Lyth in his sights again. Whack
over Long On. Hammond on 74. If only someone would stay with him. James Bracey was batting so confidently but
was deceived by a bit of turn from Lyth and edged to Slip. 44 and yet another
batsman who could not make a start count. 221-5. Not what the team needed
shortly before the Close.
Miles Hammond reached 79 from 81 deliveries
with yet another boundary and could have reached his century by the Close, but
he and Price decided the discretion was the better part of valour and wisely slammed
on the brakes.
232-5. Hammond on 84*, Ollie Price 1*. And rain
forecast for the ‘morrow. For once, rain will be eagerly anticipated and
cheered.
If a lot of time is lost there is even an
intriguing prospect that Yorkshire could try to set up a chase of perhaps 350
on the last day.
Day 3
Heavy rain and the first session hit on its
head quite quickly. Everything depended now on how much rain fell and for how
long, but with three potential end-games:
·
Yorkshire go for the innings win. The last 5
wickets fall. Yorkshire enforce the Follow-On and try to bowl out
Gloucestershire again on the final day.
·
The captains agree to set something up. Gloucestershire
declare behind after obtaining 2/3 batting points. Yorkshire go for quick runs
to set up a chase.
·
Gloucestershire save the Follow-On and the
match fizzles out.
A 14:15 start. One session lost. 62 overs to
bowl. The light, gloomy.
Gloucestershire played positively from the
start. Miles Hammond was quickly into the 90s with a big six over Long Off from
the second delivery of the day, Dan Moriarty again the victim. That was his
seventh of the innings in addition to his 5x4. He then went for an eighth and
was caught just inside the Long On boundary. It was not the brightest cricket,
and the mystery of the missing Hammond centuries remains, but it was still an
excellent innings. However, at 246-6, 304 behind, Route 1 seemed to be the most
likely way to get a result. The business of obtaining any batting points, was again
falling to the tail and Yorkshire were anticipating a quick finish to the
innings. With the shadows of the floodlights dark and the umpires getting
twitchy, off came Matt Fisher and on came Adam Lyth. The message was obvious:
bowl your spinners or we go off.
Ollie Price must have been very close to
falling LBW to Lyth but then, next ball, received a filthy delivery that was very
wide indeed. Using his long reach, he just about got to it and flat-batted it
through the Covers to bring up the 250 and the first batting point. Soon after,
when Dan Moriarty gave him one in his zone, Ollie Price joined the “I’ve hit a
six off Dan” Club, the ball hammering into the advertising boards at Long Off.
The 50 stand came up with a reverse sweep by Ollie, who was batting really well
and in the same over, a single from Tom Price for a shot that almost went to
hand brought up the 300 and the second batting point. Shortly after that, the
players were off for bad light at 300-6.
It was to presage an afternoon of “on-off”
hokey-cokey.
The delay was not a long one and the sides were
back out rapidly. Immediately the Prices set about reducing the deficit. An on-drive
for three brought up Ollie’s 50. Sixteen from a Steketee over – three consecutive
boundaries and a ball sprayed down leg for four byes – took Ollie to 70 and helped
to bring the 350 closer and three boundaries in the following over from Matt
Fisher for Tom Price saw the third batting point come up and the deficit drop
under 200. A lovely drive just past the stumps brought four more to Tom Price.
Consecutive overs had gone now for 16, 12 and 14 runs. The hundred partnership came
up in a blaze of runs.
369-6 at Tea. 181 behind. The partnership
123. Ollie 75*. Tom 37*.
Back out after Tea, it wasn’t “Blazing
Saddles” with John Wayne, it was more blazing floodlights and blazing bats with
Tom and Ollie. And a tactical decision was coming up: the Follow-On looked certain
to be saved; should Gloucestershire try for the 5th batting point
and declare to force Yorkshire to try to score quick runs?
The batmen were seeing the ball well enough,
but out came the light meter and off they trooped once more. 384-6. Ollie 82*,
Tom 45*, 17 to avoid the Follow-On.
It looked terminal but, at 17:20, off came
the covers and back on came the players. Time, though, was running out to reach
450 and declare and get some overs in before the Close. The draw loomed
ever-larger. A Square Cut for a boundary took Ollie into the 90s, the score to
398, and brought up the 150 partnership. Successive straight drives had been
stopped by a diving Mid-On but, finally, Tom hit one a bit straighter, just out
of his grasp, to bring up his 50, the 400, save the Follow-On and add the 4th
batting point: good value for a single shot. The next delivery was hooked
imperiously into the stand at Square Leg. Tom then made a cross-batted swipe to
the next ball and had his stumps re-arranged to give a no-nonsense sequence of
4 6 W. 408-7.
Zafar did not last long. He ducked a bouncer “periscope
up” and glanced the ball to the ‘keeper. 413-8. 12 overs left, 17 remaining to
get 37 runs for a 5th batting point. Ollie had his First Class best score:
could he make it a century? A clip off his legs was stopped on the boundary and
took him to 96. Then a single. 97. Matt Taylor guided the ball through Third
Man for four, then was hit by the last ball of the over. That persuaded the
umpires to check the light again and off they went. 421-8, Ollie 97*. And that
was that.
With potentially only 92 overs left if there
are two changes of innings and a sleeping pitch, a draw now seems inevitable.
Gloucestershire will now surely bat on to try to see Ollie Price to his century
and to get the 5th batting point. It is hard to see how, without
declaration bowling, Yorkshire can get far enough ahead to set up a realistic
chase. Any declaration target would need to be something like 350 from 70
overs: it is hard to see it happening now.
Day 4
Had Gloucester been bowled out perhaps 180
behind we might have got an interesting finish with Yorkshire batting again to
chase quick runs and give their bowlers a rest. Gloucestershire’s success with
the bat has, ironically, removed their slight chance of a win in a last day
chase. The only realistic course now is to bat on for the 5th
batting point, if possible, with Yorkshire looking for a third bowling point
and to accept the draw. Even with declaration bowling, it is hard to see how a
target can be set and time enough left on a completely placid pitch to bowl a
side out. A declaration game can, realistically, only be won by Gloucestershire,
so there would be no incentive for Yorkshire to set one up.
Another grey day, although some blue sky was
visible and there was an on-time start. Ollie Price on strike and on 97. Four defensive
strokes, a ball down leg, a glance and the ball rocketed to the boundary to
bring up the century 145 balls (15x4, 1x6). What a find the Price brothers have
been.
First ball of the second over of the day Matt
Taylor gave a thick edge to 1st Slip and Yorkshire had their 3rd
bowling point. Gloucestershire were not showing the urgency that suggested that
something had been agreed but advancing steadily in search of 450. A lovely
straight drive from Zaman Akhtar took him to 11 and the score to 437-9. The
sight of a #11 batting comfortably was enough to suggest that no way would 10
wickets fall in the day, let alone 20!
A Cover Drive from Zaman Akhtar and up came
the 450 and maximum batting points in the 102nd over. Ollie Price
then edged the last ball of the over, just past Slip, for 3, Finlay Bean producing
a fine diving stop on the rope. This was the logical moment to pull out had the
captains agreed anything but dream on… they batted on. Seeing Zaman Akhtar make
his First Class best score with some ease showed that this pitch remained a
bowlers’ graveyard. Finally, Ollie Price played a swipe at Moriarty and lost his
leg stump. No red-inker for Ollie. 113 and the Shire 464ao. Dan Moriarty with
5-139.
To make a game of it, Yorkshire would need to
be bowled out for no more than 150. It was not going to happen.
Five overs were enough to show that the two
sides had agreed the draw. No rush from the batsmen at all. And no great encouragement
for the bowlers, although the ball was doing a little more in the overcast
conditions. Tom Price was looking livelier and went past the outside edge of
Bean’s bat, producing a huge shout that was turned down. At 29-0 from 10 overs,
the match was going nowhere. Zafar had loud appeals for bat-pad catches by
Miles Hammoind at Short Forward Square Leg (correctly) turned down from
consecutive Zafar deliveries, but really, there was little to get excited
about.
72-0 from 18 overs at Lunch and rain expected
later.
There was just enough in the pitch that if
Zafar could keep it very tight, he had a chance of something. Plenty of balls
were flying into the air off the pad and being appealed for enthusiastically.
Finally, just three balls into the afternoon session, one did take the edge. Bobby
Bracey juggled it and caught the rebound. Bean out for 38. 73-1. He almost got
a second when Shan Masood top-edged a reverse sweep and the ball dropped just
short of the diving Ben Charlesworth running in from the boundary. Adam Lyth
reached his 50 and then edged Zaman Akhtar low to Slip where Ollie Price took a
good, tumbling catch. In the next over Shan Masood tried and missed consecutive
reverse sweeps off Zafar: the second flattened middle stump. Zafar was
delighted, the score was 135-3 and the wilder optimists were wondering if this
was the start of a declaration charge. However, the skies were getting darker,
the floodlights were on, and the forecast rain seemed to be getting closer.
Finally, at 148-3, the umpires decided that
the light had got too bad, and the covers came on, followed shortly after by
rain and the large sheets. With just 50 overs to go and the lead 234, there
seemed to be little point in coming back on later.
Early Tea and a re-start at 15:40, with 43
overs to play. Gloucestershire searching for wickets to end on a positive note.
Ironically, now there was some real help for Zafar, who beat Dawid Malan all
ends up with a delivery that turned sharply: the ball slid through for four
byes, the ‘keeper unsighted. To the next ball, he swept and missed. The
three-card trick was completed by another sharply turning delivery that he
tried to cut, inside edged and Bracey caught after a little juggle. 160-4. Ben
Charlesworth came on and, first ball, Jonny Tattersall edged, and Ollie Price
took the catch at the second attempt. 161-5, 38.5 overs left, 247 the lead. Another
quick wicket and perhaps Yorkshire
might have got nervous. Hill and Revis had other ideas and brought up the 200. 31
overs left. Can we go home now? After handing over his glasses to the umpire, Chris
Dent came on to bowl, apparently seam-up. Third ball, George Hill edged, Ollie
Price caught. Hill sank to his knees in disbelief. Chris Dent held his face in
his hands. It was only missing a McEnroe-like cry of “you cannot be SERIOUS!”
This was Chris Dent’s first, First Class wicket for four years.
A few spots of rain came down. Had there been
anything hanging on the match they would have stayed on, but it gave Yorkshire the
chance to declare at 16:50, by which point the covers were off again. The
nominal target was 289 from 28 overs, but the captains had the good sense to shake
hands instead.
12 points for Gloucestershire and some confidence
from, again, holding the initiative at the end. A maiden century, two wickets
and five catches for Ollie Price. Another fifty for his brother. Signs that Gloucestershire
had a handy pair of all-rounders developing.
