Follow-on poses morning threat for Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire 249 for 8 (Dent 73, Taylor 3-41) trail Leicestershire 415 (Ali 80, Robson 61, Raine 51, Norwell 4-97) by 216 runs
Scorecard

Gloucestershire still needed 17 runs to avoid the follow-on, with two wickets remaining in their first innings, when bad light ended play early on the third day of their county championship match against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

It was an impressive effort from the Leicestershire seamers, following on from a similarly determined showing from their batsmen in compiling a first innings score of over 400 on a wicket which, while slow, has also had plenty in it for the bowlers.

Resuming on 22 for 0, Chris Dent and Will Tavare took the score on to 51 before Tavare, perhaps a little unfortunately, was given out caught down the leg-side by wicket-keeper Niall O'Brien off the bowling of Ben Raine.

Heavy cloud made the light less than ideal, and Gareth Roderick appeared not to pick up the well-pitched up delivery from Wayne White that knocked out his leg-stump for 1. At 52-2, Gloucestershire were wobbling, but Chris Dent and Peter Handscomb steadied the visitors' nerves with the first century partnership of the match

Dent was dropped by Angus Robson at first slip off Raine on 34, a difficult chance high to the fielder's left, but Rob Taylor, back in the side due to an injury to Charlie Shreck, and Clint McKay then picked up four wickets between them for just 30 runs to keep the Foxes in with a chance of enforcing victory.

Handscomb had just gone to his 50, from 99 balls, when he pulled a short ball from Taylor straight into the hands of Rob Sayer at deep square leg, and the left-armer followed up by trapping first Dent (73 from 186 balls) and then Hamish Marshall (5) leg before wicket. McKay then induced Benny Howell to push at a delivery which swung away, and wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien held the edge. Jack Taylor got off the mark by launching off-spinner Sayer for a straight six, but after an hour's break for bad light, when 11 overs were lost, attempted to loft McKay through the offside and was caught at cover.

Raine bowled James Fuller with a well-pitched up delivery in the following over, but with five overs remaining, umpires Nick Cook and Nigel Cowley decided the light was again too poor to continue.

Taylor said there was still enough in the wicket for the Foxes to go on and win the game. "There's still a bit in it and we probably didn't bowl as well as we should have done in the first session. The Handscomb wicket got us going, and after that we bowled pretty well. "We're in a nice position now, and if we can get two quickly tomorrow morning we're driving the game and in control."

Handscomb admitted he was disappointed with the manner of his dismissal. "I don't usually play that shot, but Chris Dent's innings was invaluable. The first 20 minutes tomorrow will shape how the game pans out."