Jarvis bags nine to seal Lancashire win

Lancashire 275 (Croft 65, Brown 57, Miles 5-61) and 253 (Brown 56, Miles 5-60) beat Gloucestershire 277 (Klinger 102, Jones 88, Bailey 4-52, Jarvis 4-67) and 160 (Dent 54, Jarvis 5-39) by 91 runs
Scorecard

Kyle Jarvis completed match figures of 9 for 106 as Lancashire strengthened their position at the top of the Division Two table with a 91-run win over Gloucestershire at Bristol.

The former Zimbabwe seamer claimed 5 for 39, including four wickets in the space of 17 balls, to induce a second innings collapse by Gloucestershire from 113 for 2 to 160 all out as they chased a victory target of 252.

It had looked good for Gloucestershire when they reached lunch on the final day at 104 for 2. But after Michael Klinger and Chris Dent had set up a winning position Jarvis blew away the middle order. He sent back Dent, Ian Cockbain, Benny Howell and Jack Taylor in a superb spell from the Ashley Down Road End to finally swing a compelling match Lancashire's way.

"To have 47 wickets at this stage of the season is very pleasing for me," Jarvis said. "I am at my best when I can run the ball back at batsmen and that is what started to happen this afternoon.

"Gloucestershire played some excellent cricket and made it a very tough game for us. But we never felt out it and knew if we kept the ball on the right line and length things would start to happen. It's another huge win which has put us in a very strong position in the table. But nothing has been achieved yet and there is a lot of hard work still ahead."

Lancashire took 21 points to Gloucestershire's five to go 31 clear of second placed Surrey in Division Two. But it was a closer contest than the outcome suggested and both teams could take encouragement from their efforts.

Gloucestershire had begun the final day on 26 for 1, needing a further 226 to win. For a long while Klinger and Dent looked to have them in control. Dent, dropped on 10 by wicketkeeper Alex Davies off Tom Bailey, was unbeaten on 49 at lunch.

Klinger had helped add 68 for the second wicket before a rare error of judgement, driving at a good length ball from James Faulkner saw him caught by Davies, having faced 110 balls and hit seven fours.

It took Dent until his 99th delivery to hit a boundary, but his application was showing signs of reaping reward as Gloucestershire approached the final two sessions needing only a further 148 to repeat their success at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

The turning point came when Dent, who had faced 155 balls and hit six fours, miscued a pull shot off Jarvis and lofted a catch to mid-on. Jarvis grabbed the initiative and four more wickets fell in the space of 29 deliveries, Tom Bailey weighing in with the dismissal of Gareth Roderick, who registered a pair when pinned lbw by a full ball.

Gloucestershire were suddenly in disarray as they plunged to 119 for 7. Skipper Geraint Jones and Craig Miles defiantly added 36, but when Jones was caught behind looking to cut Faulkner it was as good as over. Matt Taylor was caught behind to give Faulkner a third wicket and when Miles was last man out, caught at cover off Jordan Clark, the home side had lost their last eight wickets for 47 runs.

Defeat for Gloucestershire was compounded by news after the game that Roderick's thumb injury was a fracture, which will keep him out until the Cheltenham Festival in mid-July. The wicketkeeper batted in both innings against Lancashire, bagging a pair. Last season he spent two spells on the sidelines after breaking the same finger.

"We are hurting in the dressing room because we had got ourselves into a position where we felt we had Lancashire," Jones, Gloucestershire's captain, said.

"That makes the disappointment of losing all the greater. We describe ourselves as a young side, with some experience, and that was evident today. The worst of it was that we lost so many wickets bowled or lbw when we knew Lancashire would bowl at the stumps on that sort of pitch. Every game is a learning experience and we need to get over this setback quickly."