Gloucestershire end third day 100 runs short of victory

Gloucestershire looked to have seized the initative in the County Championship second division match with Middlesex at Bristol.

Although run scoring has been a difficult and slow buisness on a pitch of variable bounce, Gloucestershire finished the third day in a good position on 44-1 in their second innings, 100 runs short of victory.

Victory would put either side firmly into the promotion race, especially so Gloucestershire, who have played a game less than their visitors.

Gloucestershire, who resumed on 157-7, were bowled out for 188 in their first innings, a deficit of 19. But that still reprsented a decent recovery from the home side, who had been 83-5 the previous day.

Phil Tufnell claimed two of the last three wickets when he had Ben Gannon and Jon Lewis snapped up at silly mid-off by Ben Hutton.

And his final figures of 36.3-21-23-5 will certainly give the selectors something to think about ahead of next week's fifth Test with the West Indies at The Oval, where a slow bowler is normally required.

Middlesex's second innings was undermined from the moment Lewis removed Hutton, Justin Langer and Mark Ramprakash in his six overs before lunch.

Hutton and Langer edged catches to wicketkeeper Reggie Williams, while Ramprakash played on.

Gloucestershire gradually whittled away the wickets in the afternoon session and it needed some patient and impressive batting from Ed Joyce to get them past three figures.

The 21-year-old Irishman made an unbeaten 49 from 130 balls and was stranded one short of his half century when Tufnell was caught at second slip by Mark Alleyne off Lewis to wrap up the innings.

Lewis finished with 4-36 from 15.1 overs, which took his tally of first-class wickets for the season to 59 - equal to his previous best haul.

Smith claimed 2-32 from 12 overs and off-spinner Martyn Ball returned 2-35 from 19 overs.

Gloucestershire's second innings got a poor start when Dominic Hewson was lbw to Angus Fraser to the the fifth ball of the opening over.

But Tim Hancock and Matt Windows dug in against accurate bowling from Fraser and Tufnell to guide Gloucestershire through the last 30 overs of an intriguing, if slow, day.