Graeme van Buuren, Ryan Higgins rescue Gloucestershire from freefall

Half-centuries from Graeme van Buuren and Ryan Higgins kept Gloucestershire hopes alive on the third day of the Bob Willis Trophy match against Warwickshire at the Bristol County Ground.

The home side looked in deep trouble when slipping to 30 for 3 in the morning session, having conceded a first innings deficit 37 when bowling out their opponents for 247 from an overnight 230 for 8.

But van Buuren (72) and Higgins (51) then shared a defiant fourth-wicket stand of 110 either side of lunch, which enabled Gloucestershire to reach 197 for 6 by the time bad light ended play eight overs early, a lead of 160.

All results remain possible on day four, but in the end the only winner could be the slow pitch, which has made the match hard work for batsmen and bowlers alike.

The day began with all-rounder Higgins completing figures of 4 for 54 by claiming both remaining Warwickshire wickets from the Ashley Down Road End. Tim Bresnan was caught behind for 38 and last man Oliver Hannon-Dalby taken at second slip for a duck.

Hannon-Dalby then followed up his career-best figures of 6 for 33 in the first innings by pinning Ben Charlesworth lbw, playing no shot, for 14 and having George Hankins well caught low down at first slip by Bresnan for a duck.

Bresnan had already removed Gloucestershire captain Chris Dent, bowled off an inside edge without scoring, and it was tough going for the home side, who were still seven runs behind when van Buuren and Higgins came together.

The pair took the score to 51 for 3 at lunch and prospered in the afternoon session, van Buuren moving to a gutsy fifty off 99 balls, with 8 fours.

Warwickshire's bowlers appeared to be getting frustrated when Henry Brookes struck a morale-boosting double blow just before tea.

First he picked up the wicket of van Buuren with the total on 140, Sam Hain pouching a low catch at second slip to end an innings occupying 132 balls and featuring 11 crisply-struck fours.

Higgins also went on to his half-century and had faced 101 deliveries, hitting nine boundaries, when superbly caught down the leg side by diving wicketkeeper Michael Burgess off Brookes in the final over of the session to make it 155 for five.

With two new batsmen at the crease, Gloucestershire needed to be watchful after tea. Gareth Roderick and Jack Taylor took the score to 190 before Roderick, on 13, lost concentration and carelessly drove a low catch to Matt Lamb at cover off the bowling of Craig Miles.

There followed a period of nine overs from Bresnan and Miles in which only one run was scored. Taylor, who had taken 32 balls to get off the mark in the first innings, again showed an obdurate side to his normally aggressive game.

George Scott, on his Gloucestershire debut, was equally content with survival and the game seemed to be going nowhere when the umpires called a halt, with Taylor unbeaten on 23 and Scott having scored two off 31 balls.

Soon it was raining at the end of a day of sultry heat and hopes of a restart were dashed.