Palladino's five puts Derbyshire on top

A five-wicket haul from Derbyshire pace bowler Tony Palladino plunged Gloucestershire into trouble on a rain-interrupted second day.

Palladino, the 28-year-old former Essex seamer who came to wider prominence as the whistleblower in the corruption case against former team-mate Mervyn Westfield, took 5 for 47 as the visitors collapsed to 172 for 9 before rain forced play to be abandoned for the day. Gloucestershire trail by 216 and still need another 67 to avoid the follow-on.

It continues a remarkable few months for Palladino. Having gone through the drama of the court case against Westfield, he underwent a hernia operation in pre-season and then suffered a broken jaw on the club's tour of Barbados. He made a remarkably swift recovery, however, and has now taken his season's haul to 18 victims. Here he was well supported by Jon Clare's 3 for 38, which followed a run-a-ball 48 out of Derbyshire's first-innings 388.

Gloucestershire lost Benny Howell to the third ball of their reply but then recovered well to reach 83 for 1 before the Derbyshire seamers put the home side firmly on top. They were backed up by keen fielding which was in marked contrast to Gloucestershire, who dropped two more catches before Derbyshire's last wicket went down.

Clare pulled Paul Muchall through the hands of Kane Williamson at deep midwicket for six and was dropped at long leg by Ian Saxelby off the next ball before he was bowled trying to bring up his fifty.

Gloucestershire had to bat a lot better than they bowled to stay in the game and both Chris Dent and Williamson played positively before Clare defeated Williamson's attempted drive just before lunch. Hamish Marshall had his off stump knocked out when Palladino beat his defensive push and Dent's fine innings ended disappointingly when he edged to second slip for 55 in Palladino's next over.

When Ian Cockbain edged one that left him late from Tim Groenewald after a short rain break, Gloucestershire had lost 3 for 23 in eight overs and the slide continued with Richard Coughtrie edging Palladino down the leg side. The next ball bowled Ed Young to give him the sixth first-class five-wicket haul of his career and leave the visitors on the ropes at 159 for 7.

Any chance of a fightback was ended by Clare, who removed Will Gidman for 21 with a ball that lifted sharply and then bowled James Fuller three balls later. Gloucestershire were spared further punishment by heavy rain, which ended play with 26 overs still to bowl but, even with more showers forecast, they face an uphill task to avoid defeat and deny Derbyshire a third victory of the season.