Michael Klinger and Alex Gidman scored centuries for Gloucestershire on a rain-shortened third day against Glamorgan at Bristol. Klinger with 142, Gidman's 113 and 82 from Dan Housego guided Gloucestershire into the lead.

But the 21 overs lost in two rain breaks denied the hosts a chance to build up their lead and it is now hard to see the game finishing in anything but a draw on such a placid pitch.

Michael Hogan, James Allenby and Dean Cosker each took a wicket for Glamorgan, whose bowling options were limited by the absence of John Glover due to a dislocated finger.

Gloucestershire began the morning on 179 for 1 and remained cautious in their approach during a morning session which brought 94 runs from 31 overs. Home skipper Klinger brought up his 225-ball hundred, his third of the summer, with a single to long-on off Cosker.

Glamorgan took the second new ball in the 83rd over, but Housego greeted its arrival with a flurry of boundaries. He took two fours off Mike Reed, to long-on and through the covers, and two off Hogan, one pulled to midwicket and the other cut behind square.

But just when it looked as if Housego would advance to his second century of the summer, he hooked a ball from Hogan to Murray Goodwin, who ran in 10 yards from the square leg boundary to take the catch. His 197-ball innings contained 11 fours.

Gloucestershire took lunch on 273 for 2 and Klinger and Gidman added a further 70 before the arrival of light rain shortly before 3pm prompted umpires Peter Hartley and Paul Baldwin to take the players from the field.

The post-lunch scoring had been dominated by Gidman, who continued his good run of form with a 73-ball half-century, which included five fours and a six. Play resumed at 4.35pm and again it was Gidman who continued to produce most of the aggressive strokeplay.

The county's former captain was particularly severe on Reed, who he hooked for six over long leg in the 119th over before pulling the following delivery to the midwicket boundary.

The third-wicket partnership between Klinger and Gidman had realised 132 runs in 33 overs when Klinger was caught behind off Allenby, having struck 14 fours and three sixes in a 345-ball innings which lasted seven-and-a-half hours.

Gidman's second century of the season arrived soon after when he flicked Hogan for a single to long leg. He required just 117 balls to reach three figures, finding 10 fours and two sixes. Gidman drove Cosker for the third maximum of his innings, but the left-arm spinner had his revenge next ball when he took a low return catch.

Soon after, rain returned and chopped a further nine overs from the day's play. When play resumed again, Hamish Marshall and Benny Howell guided Gloucestershire past Glamorgan's total and quick runs will be needed in the morning if the hosts are to put the men from the Principality Welsh county under any pressure in their second innings.