Match Reports

Leicestershire v Gloucestershire

Day 4

Leicestershire 222 and 160 Gloucestershire 368 and 15 - 0

Gloucestershire win by ten wickets. Glos 23 points Leics 4 pts

Liam Norwell took the final three wickets in Leicestershire's second innings to finish with a first class career best return of 8-43 as Gloucestershire completed a ten wicket victory at the Fischer County Ground.

His return was the best in the second division of the county championship this season, and also meant the young seamer had taken ten wickets in the match for the second time against Leicestershire this season.

With Leicestershire resuming on 152-7, leading by only eight runs, Gloucestershire's only real concern was the weather, but play started on time, and Norwell made an immediate breakthrough, with a delivery which Matt Pillans edged to George Hankins at third slip.

The end was not long coming as Clint McKay then edged an expansive drive to Gareth Roderick behind the stumps before Dieter Klein edged to Chris Dent at second slip.

Gloucestershire openers Dent and Cameron Bancroft needed just 3.3 overs to score the 15 runs needed for the visitors to complete their third victory of the season, and leave Leicestershire still winless after a hapless performance in which only captain Mark Cosgrove, who hit 170 of the 382 runs the Foxes scored in the match.

Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson:

"We made three changes for this match, with Matt Taylor, Josh Shaw and James Bracey coming in, and they all took their chance and made an important contribution to the victory.

"We're still searching for the big partnerships of over 100, but we had three or four partnerships of 50-plus, and they helped us build a solid first innings score in difficult conditions.

"The challenge now is to take this form into our match against Kent at Bristol next week.

"Liam Norwell is a class act, there's not many better seamers around in county cricket at the moment."

Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove:

"Obviously we haven't played our best game over the last four days, and today was another disappointing effort. It was an opportunity to play good cricket which we didn't take, but the season's not over, there are two more games to show we're good cricketers, and we have to turn it around quickly.

"We'll look hard at selection, especially after a game like we've played here. It could be tough at Worcester, with Ashwin in the side they'll probably prepare a dry turning wicket, but we have to look at it as another opportunity to do well.

"It is a tough ask to lift players in these circumstances but we'll regroup and try and have a good lead-in to the game next week. We do need some positives going into the winter because otherwise it could be a very long pre-season for some of the boys."

Day 3

Leicestershire 222 and 154-7, Gloucestershire 368

Liam Norwell took five wickets in an innings for the third time against Leicestershire this season to leave Gloucestershire on the brink of victory against the Foxes in their Specsavers County Championship match at the Fischer County Ground.

Leicestershire led by eight runs with just three second innings wickets remaining when bad light ended play 14 overs early, with only the ever-consistent Mark Cosgrove offering any real resistance.

The Australian left-hander, who hit 92 in Leicestershire's first innings, scored 68 before being given out caught behind off Norwell.

Before that there were failures for Michael Carberry – his fourth in as many innings since joining Leicestershire on loan until the end of the season – as well as Colin Ackermann and Harry Dearden as the Foxes, having conceded a first innings deficit of 146, were reduced to 51-3 in their second attempt.

Carberry edged a delivery which left him off the pitch low to first slip, Ackermann was leg before to a ball which seamed back in and Dearden was held at the second attempt at third slip after edging an attempted drive.

Cosgrove, who begun by pulling Josh Shaw for two boundaries through midwicket, and Ned Eckersley added 79 for the fourth wicket, but just as Eckersley was beginning to look comfortable, he played lazily forward to a gentle Kieran Noema-Barnett in-swinger and was bowled for 30.

Norwell then returned to bowl Neil Dexter with a delivery which seamed back in to clip the off bail, before Cosgrove got a rising delivery from Norwell that umpire Nigel Cowley adjudged had taken the edge on its way through to Roderick.

Earlier the visitors had extended their first innings from 218-3 to 368, despite quickly losing George Hankins, bowled middle stump by a quick, in-swinging delivery from left-arm seamer Dieter Klein.

James Bracey was then joined by captain Phil Mustard in adding 74 for the fifth wicket, with the 20-year-old Bracey scoring his first half-century for Gloucestershire before Mustard was bowled by Matthew Pillans, trying to cut a ball just outside off-stump and inside edging the ball on to his wicket.

Bracey, on 63, was then unfortunate to be run out at the non-striker's end as bowler Pillans deflected a straight drive from Jack Taylor on to the stumps.

Leicestershire's spirits were further lifted going in to lunch when the left-handed Noema-Barnett left a delivery from Pillans from around the wicket that went on to hit his off-stump, and Josh Shaw was leg before to a Ben Raine delivery which kept low.

Gloucestershire bowler Liam Norwell said:
“James Bracey played a very mature innings for his age and then we put on consistent pressure with the ball – at times we leaked a few runs but I always felt we were in the game, and the way Kieran [Noema-Barnett] bowled was superb, 12 straight overs up the hill, he's been a great asset this season and the last few seasons, and I think he doesn't get the praise he deserves.

“I haven't look at the weather forecast for Friday but if it's not great fingers crossed we get the time we need – we'll hang around all day if we have to.

[On taking 17 wickets this season against Leicestershire] “It's one of those things – I did it against Essex a couple of seasons ago, all I'm really trying to do is put the ball in the right areas.

Day 2

Leicestershire 222 Gloucestershire 218-3

Gloucestershire's top order batsmen put the visitors into a strong position, trailing Leicestershire by just five runs with seven first innings wickets in hand, at the end of the second day of the Specsavers County Championship match at the Fischer County Ground.

An opening partnership of 96, the biggest of the game so far, between openers Cameron Bancroft and Chris Dent laid the foundations for Gloucestershire after the seamers had continued the good work they had begun on day one, when only 26.3 overs had been possible.

Resuming on 90-4, Leicestershire quickly lost Neil Dexter, the South African wafting at a wide delivery from Josh Shaw to give Gareth Roderick a simple catch behind the wicket.

Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove, not out 38 overnight, picked up where he had left off, twice guiding Liam Norwell to the boundary behind square on the off-side as he passed 50. The Australian was given good support by Lewis Hill in adding 68 for the sixth wicket before Cosgrove, on 92, was beaten by a full in-swinging delivery from the left-arm seamer to be dismissed leg before.

Ben Raine was also leg before, to a gently seaming delivery from Kieran Noema-Barnett that would have gone on to hit the left-hander's leg stump, and the New Zealander picked up a second wicket when Matt Pillans' off-side force sent the ball looping towards point, where Jack Taylor held the low catch.

Lewis Hill cut a short wide delivery from Josh Shaw straight to Taylor at point, before Clint McKay's lofted off-drive was well held by George Hankins at short extra cover, again off the bowling of Shaw, to end the innings.

With the pitch, green-tinged throughout the damp first day, beginning to flatten, Bancroft and Dent found batting a rather more straightforward prospect than their Leicestershire counter-parts, though to what extent that was down to less effective bowling was a matter of debate.

The Foxes may also have been unfortunate to have several vociferous leg before appeals turned down, but they did not help themselves by failing to hold their catches, wicketkeeper Hill being particularly culpable when he grassed a straightforward chance given by Bancroft when he edged a Raine delivery on 21.

Hill partially redeemed himself when Bancroft thin-edged Dexter on 42, but Dent and then Roderick both passed 50. Dent eventually fell leg before to Raine, and Roderick was furious with himself after guiding a wide delivery from Dexter straight to first slip, but Gloucestershire had almost overhauled Leicestershire's first innings score when bad light ended play 13.1 overs early.

Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson: “We bowled well this morning, even when they got a partnership the bowlers stuck to what we asked them to do, and to get them out for 222 was a good effort.

“The wickets were shared, which is always pleasing, and it was good to see Josh Shaw and Matty Taylor, two lads who've worked hard to get their chance, bowl as well as they did.

“Then we were disciplined with the bat, which hasn't always been the case this season. Hopefully we'll show the same sort of application in the morning, kick on and build a solid first innings lead.”

Leicestershire assistant coach John Sadler: “The sun came out and the pitch just quickened up a bit, but credit to their bowlers this morning, they used the conditions well, and then we didn't then bowl as well as we can.

“Cossie [Mark Cosgrove] is a different class, he plays a different game to most people, but unfortunately he didn't get the support he needed.

“The bowlers tried to stick to their plans but they're not robots and didn't always get it right. If we can pick up two or three quck wickets in the morning we'll be right back in the game.”

Day 1

90-4 - Day One; CLOSE

Gloucestershire's seamers made early inroads after the visitors chose to bowl first in bowler-friendly conditions on the opening day of their Specsavers county championship match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.

Rain meant no play was possible during the morning session, but umpires Jeff Evans and Nigel Cowley decided play could start immediately following lunch, with 72 overs left to be bowled.

As it turned out only 26.3 overs were possible before the rain returned to end play.

With the ball swinging in the cloudy and slightly humid conditions, as well as seaming off the green-tinged pitch, batting was a far from straightforward proposition, as Liam Norwell demonstrated in sending both Leicestershire openers back to the pavilion with just 20 runs on the board.

First to go was Harry Dearden, the 20-year-old left-hander edging a delivery which left him low to second slip, where Chris Dent held a good low catch, and Michael Carberry quickly followed, edging an in-swinger onto his pad, the ball looping gently to Kieran Noema-Barnett at gully.

Foxes' captain Mark Cosgrove and Colin Ackermann added 33 for the third wicket before Ackermann tried to force an in-swinging delivery from left-arm seamer Matt Taylor through the off side, and succeeded only in edging a low catch to wicket-keeper Gareth Roderick.

Ned Eckersley hit one beautifully timed cover drive before he too edged a low catch to Roderick off Josh Shaw, but Cosgrove looked in good touch in going to 38 before the rain set in again.

Gloucestershire bowler Liam Norwell said: “The pitch is a tad slow, but it nipped around quite a bit to begin with and we did quite nicely.

“Getting the openers early was important, and then Matt Taylor and Josh Shaw bowled really nicely. It was swinging nicely too, and it's always frustrating to come off when conditions are in your favour like that, but we haven't bowled many overs and we'll all be fresh tomorrow.”

Cosgrove said: “It was always going to be tough batting first in those conditions, but I think it will move around all game so if we can up to 250 or even 300, we'll be in a good spot.

“We want to play on result pitches, and this looks like one. If we have a good morning tomorrow it could really set the game up.”