Foxes seamers leave Gloucs at 249-8

REPORT | By Dominic Toner

Gloucestershire still require 17 to avoid the follow-on after closing the third day of the LV=CC game on 249-8 at Grace Road.

Bad light brought the players off the field just after tea with the visitors at 232-6 but there was still time for another seven-and-a-half overs which saw the Foxes capitalise with two wickets with the new ball.

Rob Taylor produced an inspired spell in the afternoon session with three wickets in as many overs to bring the game alive. Taylor (13-1-41-3) managed to reduce the visitors from 172-2 to 186-5 and put the Foxes in the ascendancy.

There was also some well-deserved for Ben Raine as he collected his 50^th LV=County Championship wicket of the season.

Gloucestershire began the morning well and quickly reached 50 without loss from just 15 overs. In particular, William Tavare was looking extremely confident, hitting several boundaries and looking intent on playing his shots.

However Raine gave the team a boost with his landmark wicket , as the slightest of edges from Tavare (37) down the leg side went through to Niall O’Brien behind the stumps. 

Just two balls later Wayne White struck in some considerable fashion, taking the leg stump out of the ground and dismissing new man Gareth Roderick (1). That left the visitors at 52-2 with overseas batsman Peter Handscomb joining the opener Chris Dent at the crease.

The pair safely navigated their way to lunch at 100-2 with some cautious batting but still trailed by 315 runs. Dent had added 27 runs to his overnight score in the first session and was looking solid, enjoying a better time than in the reverse fixture where he scored five and 23.

Immediately after lunch Raine nearly had another when Dent, on 34, fiercely edged one to Angus Robson at first slip. Unfortunately after a couple of attempts he couldn’t hold on to what would have been a spectacular catch.

Dent capitalised and reached a deserved half-century from 151 balls, and he struck four boundaries in the milestone to show how hard he had to work for his runs.

In support Handscomb followed suit reaching his fifty from 99 balls as the pair were building a dangerous partnership that was now into three figures. 

Leicestershire’s bowling attack were still working hard for the breakthrough and it was Taylor who dismissed Handscomb (53) after he pulled a short ball straight to Rob Sayer at deep mid-wicket.

In his very next over Taylor picked up the equally important scalp of Dent (73), trapping him lbw to leave Gloucestershire at 179-4. Hamish Marshall (5) became Taylor’s third victim, also dismissed leg before, and the Foxes were now in control of the contest.

The momentum was with the bowlers and that was reiterated when Clint McKay took his first wicket of the match, finding the edge of Benny Howell (11) as O’Brien took a regulation catch.

The afternoon session had very much belonged to Taylor though with his wicket-taking spell and that meant the visitors entered tea at 207-6.

Kieran Noema-Barnett and Jack Taylor went about rebuilding the Gloucestershire innings after the interval with a mixture of defence and attack.

The pair got settled but play was interrupted with just five balls remaining until the new ball was due as the cloud cover intensified. The players did return to the field with 12 overs having been lost, so there were 11.5 overs scheduled to be bowled as the light considerably improved.

It gave Leicestershire’s bowling attack a late chance to take some vital wickets and McKay made the perfect start dismissing Taylor (10) after he drive firmly but uppishly to Dan Redfern at extra cover.

The new ball was working a treat for the seamers as in the next over Raine broke the defences of James Fuller (1) with a well-pitched up delivery.

Once again though the bad light returned bringing an early end to the day with a further 4.2 overs lost, with Noema-Barnett (27) and David Payne (5) at the crease unbeaten.