Match Reports

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire

DAY 4

James Bracey hit an unbeaten century as Gloucestershire pulled off a thrilling run chase to beat Derbyshire by eight wickets and boost their promotion hopes.

Bracey scored 116, skipper Chris Dent made 62 and Gareth Roderick 48 from 34 balls as they overhauled a target of 263 from 49 overs to move to second in Division Two.

Derbyshire had declared on 481 for 6 with Tom Lace scoring 125 and Leus du Plooy 67 but Gloucestershire timed their chase to perfection to all but end the home side’s slim promotion ambitions.

All results were possible at the start of day four with Derbyshire 86 ahead with seven wickets intact and needing to strike a balance where they could get in a position to try and win the game without losing early wickets.

Gloucestershire’s bowlers had toiled with little reward for much of the previous day and it was another fruitless morning for them as Lace and du Plooy accumulated steadily on a pitch that was still a good one for batting.

The closest they came to breaking the stand before lunch came 50 minutes into the morning when Lace on 82 survived a hard, low chance to cover but that was a rare blemish in what was another impressive innings from the on-loan Middlesex batsman.

The 21-year-old had already scored centuries at Swansea and Kidderminster this season and his first at Derby came from 195 balls, reinforcing the impression that he is a player to watch.

Derbyshire’s need to press on after lunch resulted in him edging a swing at Ben Allison and du Plooy drove Tom Smith to mid off as the home side trod on the accelerator.

Harvey Hosein lofted Allison for three fours in an over and Ravi Rampaul hit two big sixes before the declaration came, challenging Gloucestershire to make their highest successful run chase against Derbyshire.

Dent and Bracey took no risks in the 12 overs up to tea although Bracey survived a fierce chance on 21 to Lace who injured his left hand and immediately left the field in considerable pain.

Derbyshire went with spin from both ends after tea and Dent and Bracey raised the tempo with Dent driving Matt Critchley for six to reach 50.

Gloucestershire went into the last 20 overs needing 143 but when Rampaul returned to the attack, Dent cut his second ball to point.

Bracey kept his side in the hunt with some improvised strokes and Gareth Roderick swept Critchley for six and reverse-swept two more fours to bring the target down to 60 from 10 overs.

Roderick drove Critchley to long off in the 42nd over but Ryan Higgins swept the leg-spinner for six as Gloucestershire sealed a 23 point haul with 11 balls to spare.

James Bracey revealed how he overcame illness to play his match-winning innings. "All week I've been a bit on-and-off with a bug and yesterday I was rock bottom and couldn't even field in the afternoon.

"I woke up a bit better this morning, had a better night's sleep and it was good to get through that innings.

"We didn't want to lose early wickets and give them a sniff but when me and Denty (Chris Dent) came off at tea having scored at four an over without doing much we knew it was possible.

"Rodders (Gareth Roderick) came in and changed the momentum of the innings which really helped us to time it well at the end."

DAY 3

Derbyshire’s batsmen fought back strongly to frustrate promotion-chasing Gloucestershire on the third day of the match at Derby.

Gloucestershire had an imposing lead of 219 after they were bowled out for 419 with Luis Reece taking 4 for 91 but by the close, the game was back in the balance with Derbyshire 305 for 3, a lead of 86.

Billy Godleman top scored with 86, Wayne Madsen made 69 and Tom Lace an unbeaten 69 to raise the home side’s hopes of pulling off an unlikely victory on the final day.

Gloucestershire had started holding all the cards but after their last three wickets added only 23, the bowlers lost line and length on a pitch which had flattened out.

The wicket did not appear so benign at the start when Reece again showed his quality as a seam and swing bowler by polishing off the tail in the space of four overs.

He nipped one back to defeat Jack Taylor’s defensive push and knock out middle stump and after Josh Shaw played across the line, more late movement bowled Ben Allison first ball.

Even so, Gloucestershire’s lead was still a formidable one but they were unable to put Derbyshire under pressure with a consistent line and by lunch, Godleman and Reece were established.

Ryan Higgins and David Payne, who had been struck on the helmet by Ravi Rampaul, could not reproduce the sustained discipline which had undermined Derbyshire on the first day and the ball was 20 overs old when Shaw broke through.

Reece missed an attempted pull and was lbw for 38 but another 106 runs were added before the next wicket fell as Godleman and Madsen ticked along at four an over.

Some of Gloucestershire’s fielding became scruffy and Derbyshire were close to clearing the arrears before Godleman lost concentration and edged a loose drive at Allison.

But Madsen was the wicket they wanted given his impressive record against Gloucestershire which included an unbeaten double century at Bristol in April.

He reached his 50 just before tea and with Lace, put Derbyshire in credit in the 65th over as Gloucestershire’s seamers continued to offer too much width.

Ben Charlsworth conceded four fours in his first two overs and Miles Hammond became the seventh bowler used as Gloucestershire became increasingly desperate for a wicket.

When it came, it was the result of a poor shot from Madsen who reached for a drive at Allison and spooned a catch to cover.

Gloucestershire should have had another but Tom Smith dropped Leus du Plooy on seven and when he spilled the same player on 22 off Payne with the new ball, Derbyshire sensed the momentum was now with them.

DAY 2

Centuries from Chris Dent and Ryan Higgins put promotion contenders Gloucestershire into a strong position on the second day against Derbyshire at Derby.

Dent scored 169, his fourth hundred of the season, and shared a Gloucestershire record sixth wicket stand against Derbyshire of 221 with Higgins who made 101 as the visitors closed on 396 for 7, a lead of 196.

New Zealand fast bowler Logan van Beek dismissed them both and Ravi Rampaul took two more wickets but it was a tough day for Derbyshire who will have to bat well to deny Gloucestershire victory.

Gloucestershire’s objective at the start was to bat all day and Dent led by example as he played watchfully throughout a tense morning session.

Derbyshire made him work hard for the 32 runs he scored before lunch as the seamers maintained a disciplined line with Fynn Hudson-Prentice opening with five consecutive maidens.

But Dent was prepared to play a waiting game with his only lapse in concentration coming when he miscued a pull at Rampaul that fell to safety.

Miles Hammond was not so fortunate when he wafted at a wide ball in Rampaul’s next over and was caught behind but that was Derbyshire’s only success before the interval.

Tom Smith was struck on the helmet by Rampaul but was able to continue and although Dent survived a difficult chance low to Wayne Madsen at first slip on 51, there were few false strokes as he batted his side into a strong position.

Derbyshire had a chance to deny Gloucestershire a sizeable lead when Smith played on to Matt Critchley and Ben Charlsworth was caught behind off Rampaul in the next over but Higgins was positive from the start, pulling Rampaul for six, as the visitors regained the initiative.

Dent celebrated his 18th first-class hundred when he glanced van Beek for his 10th four and although Madsen got his fingers to another tough chance on the stroke of tea, he had given the bowlers little encouragement.

Derbyshire took the new ball straight after the interval but after 10 overs, turned to the occasional left arm spin of Leus du Plooy, perhaps to try and induce a rash stroke, as a breakthrough looked increasingly unlikely.

Dent went to 150 by cutting Hudson-Prentice for his 17th four and after the 200 stand was posted in 46 overs, Higgins turned van Beek for a single to complete a century which had come off 129 balls.

Dent finally went to the next ball as he chased a wide one and in van Beek’s next over, Higgins played across the line and was lbw.

But with two days left in the match and the forecast good, Gloucestershire have a great chance of claiming the win that would take them closer to Division One. 

 

DAY 1

A five wicket haul from Ryan Higgins gave Gloucestershire the edge on the opening day of the match against Derbyshire at Derby.

Higgins bowled superbly to take 5 for 54 from 22 overs as Derbyshire were bowled out for 200 with Josh Shaw finishing with 3 for 50.

Higgins claims five wickets on opening day

18 August 2019

A five wicket haul from Ryan Higgins gave Gloucestershire the edge on the opening day of the match against Derbyshire at Derby.

Higgins bowled superbly to take 5 for 54 from 22 overs as Derbyshire were bowled out for 200 with Josh Shaw finishing with 3 for 50.

Gloucestershire’s decision to make first use of a grassy pitch brought immediate rewards as Derbyshire lost both openers with only five on the board.

David Payne found bounce and movement to have Billy Godleman caught behind without scoring before Higgins began his impressive pre-lunch shift by finding Luis Reece’s outside edge.

Higgins was rewarded for maintaining a full length and repeatedly making the batsmen play to leave the field with outstanding figures of 3 for 13 from nine overs, six of them maidens.

Wayne Madsen, who came into the match averaging nearly 50 against Gloucestershire, was bowled by one that swung in late to knock out middle stump and a similar ball trapped Tom Lace in front two overs before the interval.

In between, Leus du Plooy had edged a loose drive at Shaw to second slip and Gloucestershire’s domination continued after lunch as Harvey Hosein edged Higgins to first slip.

When Matt Critchley was struck in front by Ben Allison making his first-class debut on loan from Essex, Derbyshire were 95 for 7 but Hughes and the lower order carried the home side to an unlikely batting point.

Hughes faced 138 balls and batted for nearly three hours until he was beaten by another full length ball from Higgins that moved late to end a stand of 55 in 16 overs with Hudson-Prentice.

Shaw tempted Hudson-Prentice into fishing at a wide one but some muscular blows from van Beek, including a straight six off Payne, frustrated Gloucestershire until a smart slip catch removed Ravi Rampaul.

Gloucestershire had 19 overs to negotiate and after beating the bat several times, Reece had James Bracey caught behind for five in the 12th.

Rampaul then struck in the next over when Gareth Roderick could only edge a ball that left him late low to third slip where Critchley took a smart catch.