Glamorgan collapse leaves Gloucestershire favourites
Jon Lewis and Will Gidman took seven wickets between them as Gloucestershire had the better of a remarkable third day in the County Championship Division Two match with Glamorgan at Bristol
02-Sep-2011
Jon Lewis and Will Gidman took seven wickets between them as Gloucestershire
had the better of a remarkable third day in the County Championship Division
Two match with Glamorgan at Bristol.
Only four wickets had fallen on Thursday, but 19 went down for 264 runs today
as both attacks produced some superb seam and swing bowling. Gloucestershire collapsed from 278 for two to 341 all out in the morning session, but then dismissed Glamorgan for 148 in their second innings to leave the hosts chasing 186 for a victory that would maintain their slim hopes of promotion.
Lewis, with 4 for 43, and Gidman, with 3 for 31, were the chief
destroyers of Glamorgan, whose main resistance came from Mark Wallace (40) and
Wil Bragg (36). Gloucestershire were left with 18 overs to bat before stumps and lost Chris
Dent, caught at slip in the penultimate over, in reaching 53 for one - needing
another 133 for the victory.
The pattern for the day was set early as Gloucestershire lost five wickets in
the space of 41 balls for 17 runs. New Zealander Kane Williamson, on 87, threw away the chance of his first Bristol hundred with a tame drive at left-arm spinner Dean Cosker, which gave
James Harris a comfortable catch at mid-off.
Chris Taylor was next to go when a leading edge from a mistimed pull off Graham
Wagg looped up to Bragg at cover. Hamish Marshall fell lbw to James Harris, and Wagg accounted for Alex Gidman, caught behind down the legside, and James Fuller, who had his off stump uprooted.
Will Gidman and Lewis hinted at a revival with a stand of 27. But Lewis was
caught at cover off a loose drive and the last two wickets quickly followed as
Gidman fell to an outstanding one-handed slip catch by Stuart Walters off Jim
Allenby, who bowled David Payne three balls later.
If Gloucestershire were feeling sorry for themselves at missing out on a couple
of batting points, it was soon forgotten as Will Gidman and Lewis routed
Glamorgan's top order. Gidman had Nick James taken by Williamson at third slip and Lewis produced a couple of superb deliveries to have Gareth Rees and Walters caught behind by
Richard Coughtrie in the same over.
Coughtrie took a third catch when Allenby was taken down the legside off Gidman
and three more followed - to account for Bragg, Harris and Wallace - as he
equalled the county record of six dismissals in an innings by a wicketkeeper. Of the other wickets to fall, Wagg lost his off stump to Ian Saxelby, while Robert Croft and Dean Cosker were both lbw victims, playing back to Gidman and Lewis, respectively.
