Match Reports

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire | LV= Insurance County Championship

DAY ONE

The first day between Derbyshire versus Gloucestershire was unable to start due to rain.

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DAY TWO

Gloucestershire seamer Matt Taylor impressed on his first appearance of the season against Derbyshire in the LV=Insurance County Championship match at Derby.

The 28-year-old exploited helpful conditions to take 2 for 18 from 10 overs as Derbyshire struggled on another day badly hit by the weather.

No play was possible until 14.00 because of a wet outfield and after Gloucestershire won the toss, Derbyshire reached 130 for 5 before bad light ended play early at 17.20.

Opener Harry Came held the innings together with an unbeaten 59 from 111 balls and Ajeet Singh Dale supported Taylor with 2 for 29 from 11 overs.

Gloucestershire’s decision to bowl first came as no surprise given the conditions which were overcast and Marchant De Lange almost struck with the second ball.

Came edged to third slip where Miles Hammond could not cling onto a very hard chance and the ball ran away to the third man boundary.

Came initially scored freely but with the floodlights on and the bowlers getting movement on a grassy pitch, batting was not easy and Gloucestershire did not have to wait long for the breakthrough.

Haider Ali played across a full length ball from Tom Price and Came survived another chance when he drove Taylor to gully but Marcus Harris was unable to take what would have been a good catch above his head.

Taylor and Singh Dale bowled accurately and the latter was rewarded when he moved one in late to knock out Brooke Guest’s off and middle stumps in the 16th over

Both were making the batters play in challenging conditions and Singh Dale picked up the big wicket of Wayne Madsen in his next over with enough late movement to take the edge and Ben Charlesworth took a good low catch at first slip.

Came walked off at tea one short of his fourth first-class fifty which he completed in the second over of the evening session but by then he had lost his skipper to the second ball after the resumption.

Taylor had been relentless in his line of just outside off stump and du Plooy was drawn into pushing at the left-armer and was caught behind to break a stand of 55 from 89 balls.

That brought in Mitch Wagstaff on his first-class debut and the 19-year-old struggled before he became another victim of Taylor’s accuracy.

He played and missed several times before the 27th ball he faced moved away to take the edge through to James Bracey.

By now the light had got worse and three overs later the umpires took the players off with just under 25 overs still to bowl.

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DAY THREE

Derbyshire opener Harry Came scored his maiden first-class century on the third day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Derby.

The 24-year-old made 108 from 192 balls out of 251 for 9 declared with Matt Taylor and Ajeet Singh Dale both taking three wickets.

In reply, Miles Hammond made 50 before Gloucestershire slipped to 103 for 4 in the face of quality seam bowling from Suranga Lakmal who took 1 for 12 from 13 overs and Luis Reece, 3 for 37 from 12.

But Ben Charlesworth, 58 not out, and James Bracey, 41, launched a recovery that took their side to 195 for 5 at the close.

Although conditions were again overcast for most of the morning, Gloucestershire’s bowlers did not get the same amount of movement as they had the previous day and that made batting easier for Came and Reece.

Came again showed good judgement in selecting which balls to attack and passed his previous highest score of 78 made against Durham at Derby last season with a clip through midwicket

Reece had also looked comfortable until he drove at Taylor and edged to Charlsworth at slip to end a stand of 66 in 24 overs.

Came had one anxious moment when his scoop at Zafar Gohar just cleared the wicketkeeper but he reached three figures in style by driving the left-arm spinner over mid on for his 12th four.

There had been little for the Gloucestershire attack to celebrate and although Gohar had Alex Thomson caught behind pushing forward before lunch, it had been a good morning for Derbyshire and Came who went in unbeaten on 106.

The opener’s excellent innings ended in the second over of the afternoon session when Henry Brookes called him through for a sharp single and he failed to beat Chris Dent’s throw from cover to Bracey.

When Sam Conners steered Singh Dale to second slip, Derbyshire were in danger of missing out on a batting point but Lakmal secured it with a couple through midwicket and then delivered his best spell of the season.

The Sri Lankan beat Marcus Harris and Dent several times and bowled six consecutive maidens to build pressure which eventually told on the Gloucestershire openers.

Dent, who had been missed at fourth slip off Conners on eight, tried to cut a ball from Lakmal that was too close to him and played on.

Reece had also given nothing away and Harris lost patience in the next over when he flashed at a ball he could have left and was caught at second slip.

Lakmal’s stranglehold was broken when Hammond drove him through the covers for four, the first runs he conceded for 39 balls, and he took his sweater with the outstanding figures of one for eight from eight overs.

Hammond and Charlesworth rebuilt the innings with the former reaching his 50 by launching Thomson over long on for six but the return of Reece plunged the visitors back into trouble.

A ball which lifted just enough to take Hammond’s outside edge flew to gully where Haider Ali took a fine catch plunging to his right and the next delivery moved away from Graeme Van Buuren who was caught behind.

Charlesworth and Bracey responded with a stand of 79 from 115 balls which was ended when Bracey was lbw pulling Henry Brookes but at stumps, Gloucestershire were only 56 behind.

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DAY FOUR

Derbyshire captain Leus du Plooy steered his side to safety with an unbeaten half-century on the final day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Derby.

Gloucestershire were in with a chance of victory when Derbyshire slipped to 28 for 3 but du Plooy’s 61 off 77 balls guided Derbyshire to 166 for 5 to secure the draw.

The visitors claimed their first batting points of the season before being bowled out for 383, a lead of 132, with Ben Charlesworth, Zahar Gohar and Matt Taylor scoring fifties.

Gohar and Taylor shared a ninth wicket stand of 99, a Gloucestershire record against Derbyshire, to set up the prospect of a tense finale but du Plooy stood firm. 

Any late drama looked unlikely at the start when Gloucestershire’s main objective was to secure batting points.

Charlesworth was also eying a maiden first-class century and with Tom Price, carried his side to within five runs of 250 when Derbyshire broke the partnership.

Price had already been dropped twice, at short midwicket off Suranga Lakmal and a caught and bowled chance to Alex Thomson, before he went for a big swing at the off-spinner and miscued to cover.

The pair had put on 63 from 129 balls and Charlesworth, who had passed his previous best score of 77 not out, secured the first point when he cut Henry Brookes over the slips for four.

Charlesworth was caught behind off a short ball from Brookes and Marchant De Lange’s attempts to hit the ball out of the Incora County Ground resulted in a broken bat before he edged Lakmal to second slip 

But that was the home side’s  last success for 18 overs as Taylor and Gohar eclipsed Gloucestershire’s highest ninth wicket stand against Derbyshire of 95 by Mark Hardinges and Carl Greenidge at Derby in 2007.

Taylor drove Luis Reece for six to bring up 300 and dispatched Brookes for another maximum on his way to a 60 ball 50.

Gohar drove Lakmal for six to reach his 50 from 65 balls and set the new ninth wicket record before he skied the Sri Lankan to mid off.

The innings ended in the next over but Gloucestershire now had a big enough lead and enough overs left to put the home side under pressure.

Any chance of the game meandering quietly to a conclusion vanished when Derbyshire lost three wickets in the space of 17 balls with the arrears still in three figures.

Harry Came held his team together in the first innings but this time he lasted only five overs before he got an edge onto his pad and was caught at gully.

Price struck in the next over with a full length ball that hit Haider Ali in front and alarm bells were ringing when Wayne Madsen went without scoring.

The veteran right hander had his off stump knocked back by a ball from Price that straightened to leave Derbyshire in trouble.

Du Plooy decided to be positive from the outset, dancing down the pitch to drive Taylor for six over long off, but he was close to being run out just before tea which was taken with Derbyshire 64 behind with 40 overs remaining.

Brooke Guest stayed with his skipper for 13 overs before pulling Ajeet Singh Dale to midwicket the over after du Plooy was dropped on 33 by Miles Hammond at slip off Gohar.

Mitch Wagstaff, in his second first-class innings, shared a stand of 43 from 70 balls although Gohar thought he had him caught and bowled on seven only for the umpires to rule the ball had not quite carried.

Wagstaff faced 48 balls before he fell cutting Gohar but Derbyshire were now in front and Luis Reece joined du Plooy to finally close the door on Gloucestershire.