Match Preview: Essex v Gloucestershire
4 September 2021
After the heroics of Thursday, Gloucestershire must now make the trip to Chelmsford to take on the reigning champions of the LV= Insurance County Championship, Essex.
A six-wicket victory over Northants at Bristol County Ground moved The Shire up to second in Division Two, 10 points behind tomorrow’s opponents who were the only other county to record a victory in the division last week.
Essex v Gloucestershire | All four days live on the Gloscricket Match Centre HERE | 10:30am Start Time
With a lengthy break between the opening 10 matches of the County Championship and the Division Stage, Gloucestershire can be forgiven for being a touch rusty on the opening two days of their encounter with Northants but a fightback typical of their red-ball season shows their intent to compete for the Division Two title.
Making just his fourth first-class appearance for Gloucestershire, Tom Price played a key role in the comeback with a career best 7/111 for the match. He took 3/39 in the second innings including the wickets of Gay and Keogh that stifled Northants’ progress.
Ryan Higgins took 5/46, his best innings this season, but such is the quality and consistency of the player that a performance of such quality is almost taken for granted. Ian Harvey will be hoping he can rely on the all-rounder to take wickets in bunches against Essex’s strong batting lineup.
With a batting lineup of his own that included the left-handed quartet of Charlesworth, Hammond, Bracey and Dent, Harvey will feel there is plenty more runs to be scored after just 38 runs were scored between the four in the first innings.
Hammond played the most important knock of the match with a well composed 94 off 211 balls to drag Glos away from danger and into a position where victory looked a real possibility.
Tom Lace recorded his fourth 50+ score with an unbeaten 67 off 101 while Graeme van Buuren was once again the man to force Gloucestershire over the line with a fearless 53 off 50. The South African now averages above 70 from his five innings in this year’s competition.
Ian Harvey has named a 13-man squad for tomorrow’s match:
Essex began the Division Stage of the County Championship with an emphatic win over Glamorgan with just under two days to spare.
Having reduced the Welsh side to just 134 in the first innings, thanks in large part to an impressive 6/39 from Shane Snater, Essex made 320 before bowling out Glamorgan in quick time for an even worse score of 112.
Nick Browne, who is averaging 34.57 with the bat, opened the batting for Essex and made 102 before Michael Pepper, Dan Lawrence and Shane Snater all made valuable contributions.
Their leading red-ball wicket-taker Simon Harmer wasn’t went wicketless in the second innings but Sam Cook was on hand to take 5/37, backed up by Jamie Porter’s 3/35.
Strong on both sides of the ball, Gloucestershire will need to be at their best to knock Essex off top spot in Division Two.
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