Guptill and Durston put Derbyshire on top

Derbyshire 329 for 4 v Gloucestershire
Scorecard

Martin Guptill and Wes Durston dented Gloucestershire's promotion hopes with a double century stand to put Derbyshire on top in the County Championship match at Derby.

The third wicket pair both scored centuries to dominate a rain-hit opening day after Gloucestershire had reduced the home side to 29 for 2. Guptill ended a lean run with his first Championship century while Durston celebrated a new two-year contract by scoring a career-best unbeaten 151.

The visitors paid a high price for a dropped catch when Durston was on 39 as the pair set a new Derbyshire third-wicket record against Gloucestershire of 266 in 53 overs.

Guptill eventually fell for 143 when he sliced a drive to point and although Greg Smith went without scoring in the same over, Derbyshire closed on 329 for four.

Alex Gidman's decision to bowl first on a green tinged pitch had looked a good one when Wayne Madsen and Chesney Hughes were dismissed cheaply on a cool, overcast morning.

Madsen had come into the match on a run of low scores but he battled through the first 12 overs only to miss a straight one from Will Gidman and was leg before for 10.

Hughes had scored his maiden first-class century against Gloucestershire at Derby last season but this time he edged a lifting ball from David Payne to third slip where Ian Cockbain made no mistake.

Guptill had scored only 47 in his previous six championship innings and was averaging only 15 but the New Zealander showed his touch was returning with some confident drives off the front and back foot.

Durston was quickly into his stride and cut, drove and pulled Jon Lewis for four boundaries in an over as Derbyshire recovered to reach 103 for two at lunch.

Gloucestershire should have broken through in the sixth over of the afternoon session when Durston edged a big drive at Kane Williamson's off-spin but Hamish Marshall at slip spilled the chance.

He had plenty of time to reflect on that miss as the rain set in with Derbyshire on 155 for two and held up play for nearly two hours but the break did not disrupt the batsmen's concentration .

They sailed along at five an over, helped by some sloppy ground fielding, and passed the county's previous best third wicket stand against Gloucestershire of 265 set by Simon Katich and Travis Birt at Bristol in 2007 before Guptill miscued a drive at Will Gidman.

He had scored 100 of his runs in boundaries and had more than doubled his previous championship tally of 139 in 10 innings but Durston went on to pass his previous highest score of 146 not out for Somerset against Derbyshire in 2005 before bad light ended play one over early.