Gloucestershire proper in batting conditions

Gloucestershire 278 for 2 v Glamorgan 378
Scorecard

Gloucestershire took advantage of perfect batting conditions to reach 278 for two in reply to Glamorgan's 378 in the County Championship Division Two game at Bristol.

Glamorgan's last two wickets added a further 78 in the morning thanks mainly to Graham Wagg, whose unbeaten 70 included nine fours and three sixes. But Chris Dent (81) and Richard Coughtrie (50) put on 103 for the first Gloucestershire wicket and Kane Williamson (84 not out) and Chris Taylor (42 not out) scored briskly after tea as the home side set about trying to establish a first-innings advantage.

The benign nature of the pitch was emphasised by the ease with which Wagg, Dean Cosker and John Glover prolonged the Glamorgan innings by 18 overs. After a cautious start to proceedings, which included Cosker being bowled by David Payne for eight, Wagg upped the tempo dramatically by taking 23 off five deliveries from Payne and Jon Lewis.

He straight-drove Payne for six, hit the left-arm seamer for another maximum over mid-wicket two balls later and smashed the first delivery of Lewis' over for six over wide long-on. Wagg's power hitting ensured that a fourth batting point, which had looked out of Glamorgan's range, was secured five balls before the 110-over cut-off mark.

Wagg and Glover had put on 59 for the last wicket in seven overs when Glover, who had made 15 on his County Championship debut, lost his off stump as he prodded at a delivery from Ian Saxelby.

When Gloucestershire batted, young openers Dent and Coughtrie saw the shine off the new ball with few alarms and went on to post a century stand inside 28 overs. Coughtrie scored eight boundaries in his 83-ball half-century, only to depart three deliveries later, and four runs short of his career-best, when Jim Allenby had him caught behind off a defensive edge.

Dent brought up his half-century from 92 balls, with 11 fours, and looked on course to post his second first-class century, having scored his maiden one against Surrey at Cheltenham five weeks ago.

Unfortunately for the left-handed opener, he was run out by Wagg's throw from cover as Williamson looked to take a single off Cosker. That brought Taylor to the middle and he and Williamson found the boundary rope regularly in an unbroken stand of 111, with most of the fours driven through the off-side.

Williamson struck 12 fours in his 132-ball innings, while Taylor's 79 deliveries yielded eight boundaries.