Match Reports

Gloucestershire v Sussex

DAY 4

Gloucestershire suffer defeat to Sussex by eight wickets as Northamptonshire take over the number two spot in the Specsavers County Championsip Division Two table. 

Any lingering hopes that Gloucestershire might retrieve a parlous situation were dashed when their last four wickets yielded only 46 runs more as they were dismissed for 243 in their second innings.

Chris Jordan and Delray Rawlins claimed two wickets apiece to prevent the tail wagging, leaving the visitors with the relatively straightforward task of chasing  74 to win in a minimum 77 overs.

Sussex progress was not altogether smooth thereafter, Luke Wells hooking a short-pitched delivery from David Payne straight to Ben Charlesworth at deep backward square leg with 13 on the board. But Philip Salt (15 not out) and Tom Haines (5 not out) calmed any nerves, advancing the score to 24-1 at lunch.

Gloucestershire's avowed intention to dig in and make Sussex work hard for victory lasted just four balls as Jack Taylor aimed a loose drive at a wide delivery from Jordan and was caught at the wicket in the very first over.

That error of judgment was compounded when Ryan Higgins departed in identical fashion, flashing hard at another wide delivery from Jordan and edging a catch behind as Gloucestershire effectively ran up the white flag of surrender.

Within the space of 12 balls and 15 minutes, Gloucestershire had contrived to hand Sussex the game on a plate, their last realistic prospect of setting a testing target having returned to the pavilion in high dudgeon.

It was left to the unheralded pair of Payne and Matt Taylor to serve up tail-end resistance in the form of an obdurate ninth-wicket stand of 38 in 13 overs. Frustrated in his attempts to bring about a swift conclusion, Sussex captain Ben Brown called upon five different bowlers in his quest for a breakthrough. Delray Rawlins eventually came up trumps, locating Payne's outside edge to provide the lithe Jordan with an opportunity to take a fine one-handed slip catch low to his right.

He concluded the innings in his next over, clean bowling the swinging Shannon Gabrial and leaving Matt Taylor high and dry on 28 not out.

David Payne and Matt Taylor both took wickets during Sussex's second innings but Phil Salt and Stiaan van Zyl's 30 apiece was good enough to see Sussex through before tea. 

Gloucestershire now sit third in the Second Division with a trip to Worcestershire next on the fixture list. 

DAY 3

Gloucestershire captain Chris Dent reached 1,000 First Class runs as Gloucestershire head into an important final day leading by 27 runs in the County Championship match against Sussex. 

Sussex look set to propel themselves right back into the Specsavers County Championship Second Division promotion race after dominating the third day of the match against Gloucestershire at Bristol.

Sussex posted 370 to establish a first-innings lead of 170 and then reduced their opponents to 197-6 by the close, Ollie Robinson and David Wiese claiming two wickets apiece.

Gloucestershire lead by just 27 runs with four second-innings wickets in hand, and much will depend on the seventh-wicket pair of Ryan Higgins and Jack Taylor, who will resume in the morning on 24 and 10 not out respectively.

But it will require something special for the home side to avoid defeat and retain second place in the table with two games to play.

Only Chris Dent, who top-scored with 72, summoned meaningful second-innings resistance for Gloucestershire, whose top-order batting was undermined by a series of soft dismissals.

Having completed a valuable half century in the morning, ubiquitous all-rounder Wiese claimed two wickets in as many overs to reduce the home side to 64-2. Bracey was caught behind for 18 in the act of attempting a back-foot force, while Roderick played a casual bottom-handed flick off his legs straight to deep backward square leg and departed for eight.

Hammond also succumbed in meek fashion for 10, taking on spinner Delray Rawlins and top-edging a catch to slip. And worse followed when Dent, who became only the fifth player to pass 1,000 runs across both divisions this season, followed a leg-side delivery from George Garton and was caught at the wicket with the score on 128.

At least Gloucestershire's captain demonstrated a degree of application commensurate with the situation, batting for just shy of two-and-a-half hours and defying Sussex for 103 balls.

Sensing an opportunity to claim victory inside the distance, Sussex wasted an opportunity in the first over after tea, Chris Jordan putting down a sharp chance at slip off Rawlins to hand Ben Charlesworth a life on two. But they did make further in-roads when Robinson, returning at the Bristol Pavilion End, induced Smith to chip low to short mid-wicket for 23. 

Gloucestershire had established parity by the time Charlesworth finally succumbed, the teenager falling lbw to Robinson, having resisted for 75 minutes, facing 60 balls and scoring 15 runs.

In survival mode, Higgins and Taylor managed to hold out until bad light forced the players off the field at 5.40pm with 10 overs unused.

Resuming on 313-7 following a delayed start in which 16 overs were lost to rain, Sussex added a further 57 runs in 12 overs during the morning session to post 370 and establish a commanding first-innings lead. Wiese raised an enterprising 67 from 97 balls, accrued 9 fours and a six and dominated a progressive stand of 92 in 20 overs with Will Beer for the eighth wicket.

Wiese's innings was finally terminated when he cut a Higgins long-hop and Charlesworth took a brilliant diving catch at point. Gloucestershire's standout bowler, David Payne then bowled Beer for 40 to finish with figures of 4-59 from 29 overs, while Higgins accounted for Robinson to wrap-up the innings shortly before lunch. 

In contrast, new overseas signing Shannon Gabriel conceded 120 from 20 overs, while extras accounted for a further 60 runs.

DAY 2

David Payne claimed 3-58 to keep promotion-chasing Gloucestershire in contention on day two of the Specsavers County Championship match against Sussex at Bristol.

Philip Salt top-scored with 64 and Luke Wells made 42 as Sussex, at one stage handily-placed on 151-1, threatened to establish a decisive first-innings advantage.

But Payne inspired a recovery of sorts, cutting a swathe through the top order to restrict the visitors to 313-7 by the close of a stop-start day on which 23 overs were lost to bad light despite the County Ground floodlights being turned on throughout.

Sussex boast a useful lead of 113 at the halfway stage, but Gloucestershire can take some encouragement from a pitch which is already flattening out and an improved weather forecast for the next two days.

These are essentially two evenly-matched sides, the chief difference so far being the erratic contribution of new Gloucestershire overseas signing Shannon Gabriel, who no-balled on 10 occasions and conceded 94 runs from 16 overs.

Resuming on 73 without loss, Sussex picked up where they left off at the end of the first day, Wells and Salt scoring at a good tempo on an increasingly low and slow pitch. Their opening stand was worth 100 in the 25th over when the home side finally engineered the breakthrough they so desperately needed.

Gloucestershire's most effective bowler, Payne slanted a teasing delivery across Salt, who edged to second slip and was well held by James Bracey for 64. His 83-ball innings featured 11 fours and afforded the reply solid foundations.

Thereafter, Wells came out of his shell and took charge of a progressive stand of 51 for the second wicket with Tom Haines as Sussex threatened to take complete control of the game.

Called into the attack shortly before lunch, slow left-armer Tom Smith provided overdue relief for the home side, luring Haines into front-foot indiscretion and inducing him to snick to Bracey at second slip for 22.

Encouraged by that success, Gloucestershire's bowlers built pressure to initiate a slide in which Sussex subsided from 151-1 to 177-4 during an afternoon session in which nine overs were lost to bad light.

Payne inspired the fightback, claiming two wickets for two runs in a six-over burst which contained four maidens. Wells departed soon after lunch for 42, pushing half forward at a length ball and edging to second slip where Bracey again demonstrated safe hands. 

Attempting a wholly inappropriate shot in the circumstances, Delray Rawlins was next to go, top-edging a catch to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick and departing for 10. 

The fifth wicket pair of Stiaan van Zyl and Ben Brown sought to consolidate, surviving a testing examination at the hands of West Indies paceman Gabriel, who produced his best spell of the match in the late-afternoon gloom.

Obdurate in their resistance, Brown and van Zyl carried Sussex into the lead before the latter was pinned lbw in his crease by Matt Taylor for 28. Following a further break for bad light, Ben Charlesworth took centre stage,the teenage all-rounder claiming two wickets in five balls, removing Brown for 24 and then producing a fine delivery to have Chris Jordan caught behind for six.

Thereafter, David Wiese (40 not out) and Will Beer (28 not out) staged an unbroken partnership of 46 for the eighth wicket, in the process negotiating nine overs against the new ball as Sussex finished ascendant.

DAY 1

James Bracey stood out from the crowd as Gloucestershire's batsmen found the going tough on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match against Sussex at Bristol.

Promoted to open an innings for only the second time in red-ball cricket, the 22-year-old left-hander top-scored with 61 from 123 balls as the hosts made a promising start after being put in on a green-tinged pitch.

But he proved an exception to the rule which saw so many of his team-mates succumb to variable bounce, Sussex paceman Chris Jordan cashing in with 3-49 as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 200 inside 78 overs.

Their innings was afforded perspective when Philip Salt (53 not out) and Luke Wells (6 not out) safely negotiated 16 overs to usher Sussex to 73 without loss at the close, 127 runs behind with all first-innings wickets in hand.

Second in the table and attempting a return to Division One for the first time since 2005, Gloucestershire were indebted to Bracey's powers of composure and application on a pitch which offered encouragement to the bowlers.

A study in concentration, the 22-year-old dominated an opening stand of 48 in 18 overs with Chris Dent, whose search for fluency ended when he followed a Tom Haines away-swinger and was held at slip by Jordan for seven. Gareth Roderick departed soon afterwards, swept up by late swing and comprehensively bowled by David Wiese without scoring.

Yet there was no stopping Bracey, who realised his fourth Championship 50 of the summer in imperious fashion, pulling Delray Rawlins to mid-wicket for his seventh boundary as Gloucestershire reached lunch handily-placed on 86-2.

In confident mood after scoring an unbeaten hundred at Derby in his last red-ball innings, the Bristol-born batsman clearly had another big score in his sights.

But Sussex had other ideas and staged a spirited fightback in the afternoon sunshine, Jordan initiating the slide with a startling delivery to induce the hitherto faultless Bracey to edge a catch behind.

Tom Smith succumbed to the former England paceman two overs later, fending a rising delivery to slip and departing for a duck. Miles Hammond was next to go for 16, top-edging a pull shot high to square leg as George Garton struck with his second delivery from the Bristol Pavilion End, while Ryan Higgins aimed an extravagant drive at a wide delivery from Wiese and was brilliantly caught by Salt at second slip for 22.

Jordan had Ben Charlesworth caught at the wicket for 28 after tea, Jack Taylor fell in identical fashion to provide Ollie Robinson with a deserved scalp and Matt Taylor was confounded by Will Beer's googly. Only David Payne summoned lower-order defiance, finishing unbeaten on 22 to at least bank a solitary batting bonus point for his side.

Any suggestion that Gloucestershire had under-achieved was afforded further credence when Salt, in assertive mood, took West Indies paceman Shannon Gabriel to task, plundering four successive boundaries in the penultimate over to realise a 56-ball half century as Sussex finished the day in credit.