Green Claims Maiden Five-Fer On Topsy-Turvy Opening Day

By Richard Latham, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay.

Ben Green notched his maiden five-wicket haul in first class cricket as Leicestershire bowled out Gloucestershire for 252 on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Second Division match at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

The 27-year-old all-rounder, on loan from Somerset, exploited overcast conditions to claim five for 63 from 17 overs, while Ian Holland weighed in with three for 36. James Bracey’s unbeaten 93 helped the hosts to respectability from a perilous 88 for seven.

By the close, Leicestershire rebuilt to 91 for four in reply, having been 37 for four at one stage, Lewis Hill unbeaten on 38 and his side trailed by 161 runs.

It looked a good toss for visiting skipper Peter Handscomb to win as the game began under heavy clouds. Logan van Beek made the first breakthrough with the second ball of the fourth over, nipping a delivery back off the seam to bowl Gloucestershire skipper Cameron Bancroft between bat and pad.

Soon it was 14 for two as Holland beat Ollie Price’s forward defensive push to bowl him for one and the same bowler struck again with the total on 21, Ben Charlesworth edging a drive through to wicketkeeper Ben Cox.

Miles Hammond was dropped on three by Rehan Ahmed at third slip off van Beek, but the fielder quickly atoned for his error by accepting a similar chance in Green’s first over to make it 34 for four. That became 46 for five when Cameron Green was pinned lbw for four by a full delivery from Josh Hull.

Bracey and Graeme van Buuren then added 36 before the latter was undone by some fine bowling by Green. Having shaped a couple of deliveries away from the South African, Green produced the perfect in-ducker to bowl him for 25 shouldering arms.

At lunch, the scoreboard read 87 for six, a sorry tale for the home side, which continued soon after the break when Dom Goodman fell leg before to Holland with only a single added.

Zaman Akhter counter-attacked with a rapid 29 off 43 balls, with four fours, before looking to drive a wide delivery from Green and edging to Roman Walker at third slip. Bracey remained resolute at the other end and moved to a solid 89-ball half-century without looking in much trouble.

Josh Shaw provided excellent support throughout a ninth-wicket stand of 86 in 22.5 overs, producing seven cleanly- struck boundaries in moving to 45 off 91 balls. His resistance was ended by another Green inswinger that brought a successful lbw appeal.

Hopes of a deserved century for a defiant Bracey disappeared when last man Ajeet Singh Dale was bowled by Green attempting to drive a full ball. The Gloucestershire wicketkeeper was left high and dry, having faced 141 deliveries. But his efforts had secured Gloucestershire a batting point and soon their bowlers were finding conditions as much to their liking as the Leicestershire attack.

With only a single on the board, the visitors lost Rishi Patel, bowled playing no shot to a ball from Goodman that nipped back, and the tall seamer quickly struck again, having Rehan Ahmed well caught by the diving Price at first slip.

When Sol Budinger surrendered his wicket to a top-edged pull shot off Shaw, caught by Goodman at fine leg, Leicestershire were 23 for three. With just 14 runs added, Handscomb edged a back-foot defensive shot through to Bracey to give Akhter a wicket in his first over.

Hill did his best to stem Gloucestershire’s momentum with three fours off successive deliveries from Akhter and together with Holland saw his team to the close, their stand being worth 54 runs.