Taylor's ton keeps leaders at bay

Gloucestershire 302 for 6 v Middlesex
Scorecard

Chris Taylor's first County Championship century since September 2009 led Gloucestershire to 302 for 6 on the opening day of their Division Two match with Middlesex at Bristol.

Taylor, fresh from an unbeaten 100 in the one-day victory over the Unicorns on Monday, struck 13 fours in his 147-ball innings of 117. Opener Hamish Marshall (62) got the innings off to a good start, while Will Gidman put on 162 for the sixth wicket with Taylor and was unbeaten on 67 when play ended 10 overs early due to bad light.

Toby Roland-Jones was the most successful of the Middlesex attack with 3 for 60. Tim Murtagh took two wickets and Corey Collymore gained late reward when he had Taylor caught behind.

Second-placed Gloucestershire went into the game 20 points behind Middlesex, who had won all three of their games. After Alex Gidman won the toss, Marshall and Ian Cockbain had to negotiate some testing new-ball bowling from Murtagh and Collymore.

Only 14 runs had been scored in 12 overs when Cockbain, who had scored just one off 36 deliveries, edged Murtagh to wicketkeeper John Simpson. Marshall and Richard Coughtrie upped the tempo with a stand of 62 in 11 overs, before Coughtrie was taken at second slip by Ollie Rayner off Roland-Jones.

That brought New Zealander Kane Williamson to the middle for his Championship debut, but he was dismissed for 15 in the second over after lunch when he was caught behind off Murtagh.

Taylor helped Marshall add 35 before the loss of two wickets in three deliveries left the home side in trouble on 138 for five. Marshall was the first to go when he edged Roland-Jones to Rayner at second slip, having hit 10 fours.

Then Alex Gidman was bowled by a superb delivery from Roland-Jones that uprooted his off stump. However, that proved to be Middlesex's last success for 42 overs, as Taylor and Will Gidman put together a partnership that was heavily laden with boundaries.

Taylor had seven fours in his 63-ball half-century and had struck a further five by the time he brought up his 125-ball hundred with two to backward square off Gareth Berg. It was his first century since he scored 111 against Surrey at Bristol 20 months ago.

Taylor's fine innings finally ended in the 86th over when he chased a wide delivery from Collymore and snicked a catch to Simpson. Will Gidman hit 10 fours in his 131-ball half-century and had cracked three more boundaries before umpires Mark Benson and Nick Cook decided the light was too poor to continue play.