Yorkshire edge into control as Cameron Bancroft makes mark on Gloucestershire return

Cameron Bancroft announced his return to Gloucestershire by scoring a much-needed half century on day two of the Vitality County Championship Second Division match against Yorkshire at the Seat Unique Stadium.

Returning to the club he last served in 2017, the 31-year-old Australian batsman made a good first impression, top-scoring with a patient 70 and sharing in a stand of 98 with Miles Hammond for the fourth wicket as Gloucestershire recovered from 28 for 3 to post 263 in their first innings.

Ben Charlesworth weighed in with an unbeaten 52 to keep the home side afloat, but frontline bowlers Ben Coad and Matt Fisher found reward for their persistence by returning figures of 3-44 and 3-65 respectively as Yorkshire forged a useful first-innings advantage of 63.

Openers Adam Lyth (39 not out) and Finlay Bean (15 not out) then further improved the white rose county's position, safely negotiating 11 overs beneath lowering skies to reach 57 without loss, a lead of 120, on a day when five overs were lost to bad light.

Recruited to bolster a batting line-up that has struggled to post substantial first-innings totals in recent seasons, Bancroft brought all his experience to bear to extricate Gloucestershire from a spot of bother after they had been reduced to 28-3 in reply to Yorkshire's 326. Nightwatchman Josh Shaw fell in the fourth over of the day, held by Harry Brook at third slip off the bowling of Matt Milnes, at which point Bristol County Ground regulars braced themselves for the anticipated collapse.

Obdurate and resilient by nature, Bancroft had other ideas and, together with Hammond, set about repairing the damage as Yorkshire's seamers, buoyed by their early success, sought to press home their advantage. It may not have been an edifying spectacle for the neutral, but Gloucestershire's fourth wicket pair at least achieved their initial aim of riding out the threat posed by Coed and Milnes.

As conditions eased and the Kookaburra ball softened, so Bancroft and Hammond continued their painstaking progress, oozing defiance aplenty as the sanctuary of the lunch interval was attained with the score on 88-3. Leading by example, Bancroft registered his first 50 in his second stint with Gloucestershire, that landmark arriving shortly after lunch via 160 balls and including a solitary four.

Hammond then threatened to awake spectators from their slumbers by hoisting a short-pitched delivery from Fisher behind square for the first six of the innings. Yet having been the soul of discretion hitherto in making 43, the 28-year-old left hander succumbed to temptation, lured down the track in pursuit of a ball tossed up outside off stump by slow left armer Dan Moriarty and falling prey to a smart stumping by Jonny Tattersall.

A workmanlike stand of 98 in 41 overs might have afforded the home side a degree of reassurance, but there was still a good deal of work to be done and their situation was not helped when Bancroft suffered an uncharacteristic rush of blood to the head, attempting to drive Moriarty and holing out to Root, who took a well-judged running catch at deep mid-off.

No doubt disappointed to miss out on a hundred, the Australian nevertheless contributed 70 valuable runs in an innings that spanned 196 balls and just under four and-a-half hours, demonstrating the virtue of patience to his new teammates.

Coming together with the score on 157-5, James Bracey and new batsman Charlesworth were charged with the task of reaching the tea interval without further mishap. These two took advantage of a prolonged spell of spin and a flat pitch to raise the scoring rate and advance the score to 202-5, only for Bracey to blot his copybook in the final over before tea.

The eighth bowler to be deployed by Yorkshire skipper Shan Masood, occasional spinner Lyth struck a telling blow with his second delivery, Bracey attempting a late cut and nicking off to Root at slip. He departed for a 63-ball 39, his demise shortly before the advent of the new ball offering Yorkshire further encouragement.

Gloucestershire still trailed by 96 runs when captain Graeme van Buuren succumbed to the new ball, attempting to hit Coed over mid-on and edging a catch behind. It was an ill-advised shot in the circumstances and the dismissal of Zaman Akhtar two balls later, caught at the wicket off the bowling of the estimable Coed, did nothing to save van Buuren's blushes.

With his team firmly on the back foot, big-hitting Marchant de Lange characteristically offered attack as the best form of defence, smiting 3 fours and a six in a violent nine-ball cameo that ended when he drove Fisher to mid-off for 18.

Notwithstanding the chaos at the other end, Charlesworth remained unflappable as he quietly went about the business of digging Gloucestershire out of a deep hole, and having displayed sound judgment throughout, the left-hander went to 50 in the grand manner, smashing Coed over long-on for an imposing six. He was eventually left high and dry on 52 not out, Fisher pinning Ajeet Singh Dale lbw to wrap up the innings in the 91st over.

Charlesworth's contribution certainly served to frustrate the white rose county, Gloucestershire's last two wickets realising a further 43 runs to restrict Yorkshire's first-innings lead to 63.

There was still time for Lyth to press home Yorkshire's advantage, the former England batsman exhibiting some fine stroke-play to harvest seven boundaries and set the tone. Without a win in red ball cricket in all of 2023, Gloucestershire have their work cut out over the course of the next two days if they are to avoid defeat.