LV= Insurance County Championship -

Gloucestershire won by 4 wickets

Venue: Bristol County Ground

Gloucestershire v Leicestershire

Day Four

Ian Cockbain's first County Championship century since 2014 and 97 from Tom Lace saw Gloucestershire chase 348 to beat Leicestershire by four wickets at Bristol.

Cockbain and Lace arrived just after lunch at 52 for 3 when winning the game was fanciful but they played calmly through to tea to leave 216 to win from 37 overs of the final session.

Their intent was immediate and they extended their stand to 224. Lace couldn't see the chase through and Cockbain fell for 117 so it was left to George Hankins to strike the winning runs.

It was the fourth-highest Championship run chase in Gloucestershire's history, a third victory to take them top of Group 2 and a remarkable turnaround having conceded a first-innings lead of 146.

Leicestershire were denied 22 overs on the third evening through bad light and rain and it denied them the chance to totally close the door on their hosts while giving them enough time to bowl them out again.

The Foxes left themselves 82 overs in the fourth innings and when the top three all fell cheaply, a first win of the season was possible.

But Lace and Cockbain batted through the afternoon to raise prospects of saving the game before having a dip in the final session.

Cockbain flicked Alex Evans to fine leg for four, pulled him over square leg for six and then pulled Chris Wright for four to raise a first first-class half-century since April 2016 - this being just his fifth game since then.

He skipped at Callum Parkinson's left-arm spin to lift him over deep midwicket for six and flat-batted Wright over long-off for another maximum to bring the target down to 100 from 17 overs before pulling Wright for two to raise his century in 166 balls with nine fours and three sixes. He finally fell skying a catch to mid-off but by then the game was effectively won.

Lace initially led the resistance after lunch. He straight-drove Wright for four to go to a second fifty of the season and was on the cusp of a maiden century for Gloucestershire before top-edging a pull from Parkinson to midwicket.

Leicestershire stumbled over their morning's work in being bowled out for 201 and, without the injured Dieter Klein, were powerless to stop the Glosters' evening charge.


Day Three

Chris Wright's career-best 7 for 53 gave Leicestershire a chance to press for a first victory of the season as they took a lead of 271 over Gloucestershire by the end of day three.

Wright almost single-handedly bowled the hosts out for 275 at Bristol, to take a first-innings lead of 146, before his side's batsmen made 125 for 3 by the close.

It was a 14th first-class five-for for Wright, who turns 36 later this summer and is in the final year of his contract. His four wickets on the second evening brought about a collapse of 5 for 22 that put Leicestershire on top and he added three more on the third day. But the resistance started by Tom Smith and George Hankins on day two continued as Gloucestershire lasted another 38 overs.

Resuming 176 for 6 needing another 96 to save the follow-on, Gloucestershire lost Hankins in the eighth over of the morning, lbw to Wright when he appeared to be outside the line of off stump. Hankins' slow trudge off suggested bat was involved too but he went for 37. The wicket gave Wright a third five-wicket bag for Leicestershire and ended a stand of 73 for the sixth wicket.

Wright thought he'd struck again almost immediately as he bowled Dan Worrall for 1 only to have overstepped. Worrall only made 10 more before lazily dragging a wide ball from Callum Parkinson into his stumps.

But Josh Shaw got together to form another stand with Smith. He struck Parkinson sweetly over mid-off for six and clipped Wright for three through midwicket to save the follow-on and he went on to make an unbeaten 41 - one shy of his career-best but a new high for Gloucestershire.

Smith survived, a little awkwardly at times, for 130 deliveries and his 47 that began on the second evening was a vital innings to give his second a second batting point and take more time out of the game. Rain delayed the start of the afternoon but Wright trapped Smith and No. 11 Dom Goodman to complete his haul and leave Leicestershire 53 overs to build their lead.

More rain and bad light took out some of those and they were 77 for 3 before Rishi Patel and Lewis Hill saw them to the close.


Day Two

Lewis Hill's second first-class century and four wickets from Chris Wright put Leicestershire firmly in command at Bristol as Gloucestershire closed day two 176 for 6 replying to 421.

Hill took his overnight 77 to 121 as Leicestershire ground out 144 overs with Ben Mike also making 54, his third first-class fifty, as the Foxes posted their second-highest total at Bristol.

Wright then helped plunge Gloucestershire from 99 for 1 to 121 for 6 in a calamitous half hour for the hosts that puts their unbeaten start to the season in serious jeopardy.

All was well with Gloucestershire's reply as Chris Dent made a fourth fifty of the summer. But he felt for one sent across him from Wright and edged behind for 53 after James Bracey, on 27, played across the line and was lbw to Callum Parkinson.

Ian Cockbain couldn't get his bat down in time to a full straight delivery from Wright and was lbw for a third-ball duck. Tom Lace, only 4, then nudged at Dieter Klein and edged low to third slip before Ryan Higgins was squared up by Wright and lbw for 5 struck on the back pad.

It was a wonderful final session to another excellent day for Leicestershire who resumed 264 for 4 and, though they were only able to claim one more batting point, built well through Hill.

When Hill made 126 against Surrey in just his second first-class match in 2015 his career was all before him. Since then only the 2017 season - 554 runs at 30 - has been remotely noteworthy. But talent has clearly never deserted him and he arrived with four half-centuries and a 47 in six innings this season and here reached a long-awaited hundred in 176 balls.

A flashing cover drive off Josh Shaw, to a delivery that was by no means a half-volley, was the stroke of the match so far but he fell just short of his career-best, driving at one from Higgins angled in that took out his off stump.

Mike passed fifty in exactly 100 balls but Leicestershire lost their last four wickets for 28 as Dan Worrall finished with 5 for 79 - an eighth five-for of his career and first for Gloucestershire.


Day One

Dan Worrall took all four wickets on day one as Leicestershire gained the upper hand against Gloucestershire at Bristol as they made 264 for 4 having been sent in.

Sam Evans, 23, born in Leicester and a Loughborough University graduate, followed up his 138 at The Oval in round two with 102 here. He and Lewis Hill, with 77 not out, steered Leicestershire from 129 for 3 into a strong position as Gloucestershire were left to rue their decision at the toss.

Bowling first can often be an advantage on pitches at Bristol that get increasingly benign but there was little to encourage the hosts' seamers as they endured a hard first day in the field for a second week running.

Evans was their chief adversary as he further grew his reputation with a century in 251 balls with 13 boundaries to continue to press the case of university cricket. The demise of universities' first-class status and the uncertain future of the centres of excellence begs the question of whether those like Evans who choose to read for a degree will have a route into professional cricket in the future.

He lost his opening partner Hassan Azad to the second ball of the day as Dan Worrall claimed his 200th first-class wicket, but led his side calmly through the morning session to reach 92 for 1 at lunch.

He drove Ryan Higgins for four through cover and Worrall straight down the ground. A flick to fine leg brought him within sight of a half-century before he drove keenly at Josh Shaw and edged at catchable height perfectly between the wicketkeeper and first slip who was standing quite wide. James Bracey dived right, Kraigg Brathwaite dived left and the ball whistled to the fence to give Evans fifty in 126 balls.

After lunch, he lost Marcus Harris, driving at Worrall and caught behind for 62 - the Australian's first half-century in county cricket - and Rishi Patel bowled for just 2, shouldering arms at Worrall.

The second new ball was taken with Evans 17 shy of a hundred and he inside-edged Higgins past his stumps for four and leaned out to drive the same bowler through cover before a flick to fine leg raised a century to be toasted in common-rooms around the country. But he couldn't see out the day, lifting Worrall to short square-leg.