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    Specsavers County Championship - 16 July 2018

    Gloucestershire lost to Sussex by 28 runs

    Venue: Cheltenham College

    Gloucestershire v Sussex

    Day 4

    An innings of 87 by James Bracey, and a stand of 138 between Bracey and Gareth Roderick, who made 66, promised to bring Gloucestershire a second Championship win of the season before Sussex worked their way through the lower order to secure a tense win by 28 runs in an enthralling match at the Cheltenham Festival.

    Chasing 276 for victory, Gloucestershire began the day at 30-2, and perhaps predictably were soon four wickets down with the early departure of night watchmen George Drissell and Matt Taylor, but Bracey and Roderick stayed together for 38 overs, and the target was down to exactly 100 when Roderick was bowled by Danny Briggs.

    Only 34 runs were needed when Noema-Barnett was the eighth man out just before tea, but Olly Robinson removed Craig Miles and finally Bracey to decide a game which had kept the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout.

    Watch James Bracey's thoughts on the final day here:

    A match played almost exclusively under blue skies and on an excellent Cheltenham pitch had left Gloucestershire with a teasing final day target. 246 runs on a ground renowned for fast scoring promised little time pressure, although they had to be prepared for the potential early loss of night watchmen George Drissell and Matt Taylor without much progress on the scoreboard.

    Both were out within half an hour for the addition of only eight runs, Sussex wicket keeper Ben Brown taking his tally of catches in the innings to four off Robinson and Archer respectively. At 38-4, the true duel began.

    Bracey's two unbeaten centuries this season against Glamorgan and Middlesex had both come in the second innings whilst in defensive situations, so his potential reward here was different. Not that it changed his approach, the 21 year batting in his usual unflustered manner against a Sussex attack that struggled in the morning session to bowl a consistent line on one side of the wicket. When Wiese strayed well outside off stump, Bracey stylishly depatched him through the covers.

    Roderick's run of recent scores had included four ducks but having made an unbeaten half century in the first innings he looked in good touch, straight driving Jordan twice in the same over during a fifty partnership which took 81 balls.

    Spinners Briggs and Wells had fleeting spells before lunch - Bracey pulling the leg spinner behind square for four - and Sussex's concerns over the progress of Gloucestershire's fifth wicket pair was shown in that Archer was brought back with only one slip.

    95 runs had been added in the morning session without losing a main line batsman, and with an almost equal share of the strike it was Roderick who brought up the century partnership by working Wiese to square leg. His fifty, with eight fours, was only marginally slower than Bracey's, whose seven fours included some cover drives with impeccable timing.

    Sussex's increasingly optimistic appealing showed their desperation for a wicket as Gloucestershire passed 150, Roderick pulling Wiese towards the Members stand for six. Drinks were taken with 100 runs needed for victory, and only Roderick will know if the break disrupted his concentration.

    Briggs was brought back when play resumed and attempting a sweep, he was bowled behind his pads for 66. Graeme van Buuren edged the next ball close to Jordan at slip, and when the England one day international was thrown the ball shortly afterwards, he hurried van Buuren and Finch took a looping catch at slip.

    Even with an old ball, Sussex recalled Archer knowing that any further delay might be too late. Higgins became another victim of a leg side catch by 'keeper Brown to give Archer his 100th first class wicket, and in the last over before tea the bustling Robinson also had Noema-Barnett caught behind.

    It left Bracey to try and fashion the remaining 34 runs with Miles and Payne, only for Miles to be adjudged lbw to Robinson with only two runs chalked off, and the match was decided when Briggs dived forward to take a low catch after Bracey pulled Robinson's third delivery with the second new ball to deep square leg. He'd made 87 out of 247 in just over four hours, and the sporting way in which the Sussex players applauded him off suggested they knew he'd taken Gloucestershire close to a notable victory.

     

    Day 3

    Sussex batsman Harry Finch must have a love-hate affair with the College Ground. Three times he's made half centuries at Cheltenham, but in all of those innings a century has eluded him.

    In 2016 he was left unbeaten on 87 in a Royal London Cup game which Gloucestershire won. A Gloucestershire victory in this Championship match will depend on how they respond to a Sussex second innings in which Finch - who made 76 first time around - reached 98 before edging Craig Miles to 'keeper Roderick. Personally it was a chance missed, but for his team it was an essential contribution.

    His departure was typical of a day on which Gloucestershire repeatedly broke partnerships which threatened to put Sussex in tactical control. Their start was flaky - both openers had gone with the lead still in single figures - and the biggest stand, 81 between Finch and Wright, was ended in the first over after lunch.

    Useful contributions down the order took them well into the evening session, but four wickets for David Payne and two each for Ryan Higgins, Matt Taylor and Craig Miles - who also took an oustanding catch - left Gloucestershire with a victory target of 276. By the close they were 30-2, needing a further 246 to win on the final day.

    Watch David Payne's thoughts on the match position here:

    A day on which 14 wickets fell began with Gloucestershire 17 runs ahead, and their first innings was to last only a further 17 balls as Payne and Matt Taylor were bowled by Robinson and Archer respectively leaving Gareth Roderick 50 not out. Gloucestershire's lead was 20, but the last seven wickets had contributed only 11 runs.

    One supporter called for five Sussex wickets before lunch if Gloucestershire were to win, and early successes for Higgins and Payne, who shared the new ball, fuelled hope his wish might be granted. Salt was bowled playing inside a ball from Higgins, and Wells' edge to Roderick gave Payne his 200th first class wicket.

    It left the door open for someone to grasp the initiative, and until lunch Finch and Wright adopted an attacking strategy, Wright pulling Matt Taylor to square leg for six and scoring heavily down the ground between mid on and mid off. Finch, sketchy to begin with, survived a confident lbw appeal by Miles as Sussex ended the morning 83 runs in front.

    The match position created an attentive atmosphere from another good Festival crowd, and anyone late to their seats after lunch missed Wright's departure, caught at mid off by Higgins for 48 as he tried to force Payne's second delivery. Burgess also went cheaply and if Gloucestershire could have split the Finch-Brown stand early who knows what their target might have been.

    The pair added 61, Finch reaching his half century with ten fours and tightening up his technique as his score grew. He used his feet against Drissell and the Sussex lead was 160 when Matt Taylor caught Brown on the back foot to get an lbw decision against him.

    The tall figure of Wiese maintained Sussex's momentum and as the potential target grew Gloucestershire captain Chris Dent had to balance the need for wickets against containment. Finch edged through a vacant second slip on 92, only to misjudge another Miles delivery before tea and see Roderick hold the catch.

    It meant Gloucestershire had taken four wickets in the afternoon's play, and the last four added 55 runs during an evening session in which any thoughts of Sussex needing to declare disappeared. Miles' catch to dismiss Wiese for 40 was an excellent effort, retreating towards the chapel with the ball coming over his shoulder, and Jordan (31) added runs which may yet prove important. When Robinson was last out, Gloucestershire had a tense hour ahead of them.

    Dent and Hammond had negotiated a similar period successfully on the first evening but here both fell to Archer before the close, wicket keeper Brown taking both catches. George Drissell and Matt Taylor combined in a dual role as night watchmen and they'll resume with 246 needed on the final day knowing that any runs they can add will ease the challenge for those that follow.　

     

    Day 2

    A maiden first class hundred by Miles Hammond - having emerged in a different role to the one he occupied on his last appearance nearly three years ago - brought the corporate guests from their lunches and members to their feet on the second day of the Championship match against Sussex.

    His surname will forever be linked with Gloucestershire's history, namesake Walter having dominated the club's scorecards between the wars. Here, the 21st century Hammond - 27 not out overnight - needed only one scoring shot to pass his previous best score and went on to collect twenty boundaries in a four hour stay at the crease, the last of which - a cut to point off Wiese - drew rousing applause from the stands and marquees as well as the coaching staff on the balcony.

    Hammond lasted only two further deliveries before he was caught behind off Wiese for 103, but it was still a significant milestone for someone who made his Gloucestershire debut as an off spinner at 17.

    The day however ended with Gloucestershire's control being undone by a late burst from Jofra Archer, who took three wickets in four balls in the penultimate over. When Craig Miles was lbw to Robinson the players walked off with Gloucestershire 303-8 and only 17 runs ahead.

    Watch Miles Hammond's reaction to his century here:

    Gloucestershire's control over much of the day's play was a slow burner, especially during the first hour when Robinson and in particular Archer bowled at a sharp pace and with more control than on the first evening.

    One chance went to ground - Salt spilling a straight forward edge off Robinson when Dent was on 14 - and both were tested by Sussex's use of the short ball. Only 14 runs came in the first 40 minutes, but Hammond's penchant for cover drives brought him reward later against both Wiese and Jordan on his way to a half century that contained only two singles.

    As the skies darkened briefly, the overnight total was doubled and the pace of scoring quickened despite six bowling changes and five different ones being used by Sussex captain Ben Brown, Hammond driving Robinson on the up throught the covers and punching Wiese past point. By lunch his stand with Dent was worth 137, and the skipper completed his own fifty with six fours shortly after the resumption although the crowd's focus was by now very much on his younger partner.

    The majority of Hammond's runs came in text book fashion on the off side, but his place in Gloucestershire's T20 team began to show through as the chance of a hundred loomed large, reverse sweeping left arm spinner Briggs and then surviving a strong lbw appeal from the same bowler playing the same stroke when on 92.

    His concentration held however, and untempted by the occasional leg spin of Luke Wells he waited for the chance to cut Wiese to the point boundary and register a hundred which fully justified his selection in the abscence of the injured Benny Howell. His departure two balls later, caught behind for 103, illustrated again how landmarks can also be standbreakers.

    James Bracey and Gareth Roderick took tea with Gloucestershire still 58 behind, but conscious that a second new ball was imminent. In careful fashion they added 65 until nine overs after the new ball was taken when Bracey got caught on the crease by Jordan for 34, leaving Roderick and van Buuren to push Gloucestershire towards a a lead and a third batting point before the close. Both were achieved, but at a cost.

    Fewer than seven overs remained when van Buuren was bowled by Wiese for 11. The lead was nine, and George Drissell - sent in as night watchman - stayed with Roderick until the last two overs when Archer wrote a substantial footnote to the day's play by bowling Drissell and Higgins in successive balls. Noema-Barnett survived the hat trick before being caught behind, and when Robinson trapped Miles lbw in the final over, Sussex had re-balanced a day which had been firmly Gloucestershire's only half an hour earlier.

    　

    　

     

     

    Day 1

    Three wickets in 15 balls for Craig Miles, and four more in seven overs either side of tea checked what in the first hour had threatened to be a big Sussex score on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

    Miles' burst came after opening pair Luke Wells and Phil Salt had added 74 in even time following Sussex's decision to bat after winning the toss. He removed both and the attacking threat of Luke Wright before lunch, and finished with 4-68 on what was also a special day for young off spinner George Drissell.

    The teenager was brought on with only eight overs to go until tea, and provoked a spate of activity on social media with his first Championship wicket as he broke a stand of 113 between Harry Finch and Ben Brown, removing the Sussex skipper for 59 with the aid of a comfortable catch by Higgins at mid off.

    Drissell also accounted for Chris Jordan shortly after the resumption, and when Matt Taylor took a fine reflex catch to end Finch's quest for a second Championship hundred of the season, Sussex had slipped from 210-4 to 236-8.

    The last two wickets added a further 50 runs before David Payne trapped Danny Briggs lbw with the second new ball to deprive Sussex of a third batting point. Facing a total of 286 and with 11 overs to bat before the close, openers Chris Dent and Miles Hammond chalked 42 off the Sussex total to leave Gloucestershire in a position they would have taken midway through the morning session.

    Watch George Drissell's reaction to his first Championship wickets here...

     

    The opening day of the Festival displayed all the characteristics that make it so revered on the county circuit, with enough in the pitch to make it a genuine contest between bat and ball in front of a crowd of more than 2,500.

    Sussex's first innings score centred on only two partnerships - take those out of their total and only 99 runs remain, yet Wells and in particular Salt saw the visitors rapidly get the scoreboard ticking as the crowd filtered in, taking four boundaries and a six towards the pavilion off Matt Taylor's opening three overs.

    The ball beat the bat often enough for Gloucestershire to think wickets would come, and Salt's miscue to mid wicket which fell just over James Bracey meant that an edge to third man brought up his half century after little more than an hour's cricket.

    Sussex certainly capitalised on any width being offered by the Gloucestershire bowlers, but as Miles' radar became more accurate, the rewards followed. Wells mistimed a pull to mid wicket and was caught by van Buuren, he bowled a text book yorker to splay Salt's stumps for 57, and then Bracey took an excellent low catch as Wright tried to force him through the leg side. Burgess also went cheaply - lbw to Noema-Barnett, which left Harry Finch and skipper Ben Brown to repair the damage.

    By lunch they had added 28, and the period after the resumption again showed Cheltenham's variations, the pair circumspectly building a stand as Gloucestershire skipper Chris Dent rotated his swing and seam bowlers in search of a breakthrough. It was all much less frenetic than earlier in the day, a flick by Brown to deep square leg bringing up the fifty partnership.

    The Sussex captain was batting deep in his crease, whilst Finch was well outside it when he edged Higgins to third man for four, a shot which drew a yelp from the Gloucestershire all rounder. A drive through extra cover, also off Higgins, was more convincing and both men reached their half centuries with ten boundaries apiece before the day took another twist.

    George Drissell's first two Championship appearances had failed to yield a wicket, but he didn't have to wait long here for get off the mark, Brown (59) giving Higgins a straight forward catch at mid off. The stand had been worth 113 in 33 overs and with Wiese lbw to Noema-Barnett without playing a shot off the last ball before tea, Gloucestershire had opened the door to the lower order and the wobble in the Sussex innings continued in the final session.

    Drissell, in his first over, saw Noema-Barnett snap up Jordan's edge at slip and Finch - having got to 76 with 13 fours - was dismissed by an outstanding return catch from Matt Taylor.

    Robinson and Archer looked competent enough, but with an apparent desire to bowl at Gloucestershire before the close both took chances. Robinson hitting Drissell into the marquees at long on before Archer edged Miles to Noema-Barnett at slip and Payne - with the second new ball - trapped Briggs lbw for his 199th first class wicket. His 200th will have to wait a little longer.

    The sunshine which had bathed the ground earlier in the day gave way to more overcast skies for the 11 overs Gloucestershire were left to negotiate, but even against Archer and Robinson openers Dent and Hammond were not prepared merely to survive, the latter flicking Archer neatly twice off his pads before giving a chance to Salt at third slip. It went through the fielder's hands - and with it any advantage Sussex may have taken from an even first day.