Lancashire slide after Horton hundred

Gloucestershire took four wickets after tea to damage Lancashire's first-innings response to 388 on day two of their Championship match at Old Trafford.

Paul Horton's 15th Championship century had helped the Division Two leaders into a position of strength at 207 for 2 in the 52nd over of their reply. Horton shared 134 inside 28 overs for the third wicket with Ashwell Prince either side of tea, but Prince's departure for 57 was the first of four wickets to fall for 58 as Lancashire slipped to 265 for 6. Horton was unbeaten on 134 at the close.

Gloucestershire started the day by advancing their first innings from 322 for 7, with Kyle Jarvis taking two of the three wickets to fall to finish with 4 for 121 from 31 overs.

Opening batsman Horton and in-form Prince then prospered in good batting conditions through the majority of the afternoon, with Prince going beyond 430 runs for the season. Craig Miles, Kieron Noema-Barnett and Liam Norwell picked up a wicket apiece after tea.

Earlier, Norwell and Miles struck either side of lunch to get rid of Luis Reece and Alviro Petersen cheaply to boost the visitors, but Horton and Prince were rarely troubled until the latter drove loosely at Miles and was caught behind. Norwell had Reece caught behind off a bottom edge as he attempted to pull in the 12th over, with the score on 27, before Petersen chopped on to Miles as Lancashire slipped to 73 for 2.

Horton and Prince built their partnership at a healthy rate of 4.84 runs per over before the latter fell in the third over after tea. Prince is second only to Kevin Pietersen in the Division Two run-scoring at present, while Horton also went beyond 300 runs for the campaign.

The 32-year-old finished last season with high hopes of being named Lancashire's new captain in place of Glen Chapple, and there were concerns that his disappointment at missing out may affect his form. But he has responded in the best way possible, adding his first Championship century in 12 innings to scores of 71 and 67 not out in a recent win against Kent on this ground, and 49 in last week's draw at Northamptonshire.

He reached his century off 150 balls in the closing stages of the afternoon. Horton and stand-in captain Steven Croft later shared 40 for the fourth wicket before Croft and Alex Davies fell in successive balls in the 68th over, leaving the score at 247 for five.

Noema-Barnett's medium pace trapped Croft lbw before Davies was run out from point by a Will Tavare throw to the striker's end. And Norwell ensured Gloucestershire ended the day on a high by trapping Jordan Clark lbw as he offered no shot.