Gloucs survive early setbacks to beat Kent

Jack Russell celebrates his 37th birthday next month, but there is no sign of his talent or enthusiasm waning. The former England wicketkeeper took a sensational catch and hit a typically chirpy half-century to ensure Gloucestershire kept up the pressure on Worcestershire and local rivals Somerset at the top of the National League.

The home side made it a winning end to the Cheltenham Festival by overhauling Kent's moderate 199-6 with five wickets and more than four overs to spare.

But it didn't look that easy when skipper Mark Alleyne walked out to join Russell with his team is some disarray at 109-5.

Together the pair built an unbroken stand of 91, with Alleyne contributing 35 and Russell ending unbeaten on 55, having faced 60 balls and hit 6 fours. It was one-day batting of the highest quality, helped by some slipshod Kent fielding and a very short boundary on one side of a true pitch.

Russell was at his impish best, sprinkling his innings with sweetly-timed strokes, but also scampering every possible run while building his score with some characteristic deflections and improvised shots.

His form behind the stumps remains exemplary and his ability to stand up to the stumps to Gloucestershire's seam bowlers is one of the key elements that has made them into such a formidable limited overs team.

But it was standing back to James Averis that Russell produced the outstanding moment of this match - a stunning one-handed catch diving full length to his right to dismiss danger-man Rahul Dravid after Kent had won the toss.

The Indian Test star has been in supreme form and had moved menacingly to 16 in an opening stand of 34 when getting an edge to a flashing square cut. It was a crucial dismissal. Although Alan Wells capitalised on the short boundary to hit two towering sixes in his 38, Kent were never able to dominate the bowling.

Just when they had worked a good position at 103-2 off-spinner Martyn Ball struck twice in the same over to send back Wells and James Hockley, who had added 67 for the third wicket.

Matthew Walker and Paul Nixon fell cheaply and it was left to Mark Ealham, back from England duty, to ensure a respectable total with an unbeaten 49 off 52-balls.

Gloucestershire suffered an early setback when Tim Hancock fell to Martin McCague, but the pace bowler proved erratic and his first three overs cost 26 runs.

Ian Harvey came out swinging and smashed 9 boundaries in making 41 off just 36 deliveries before being bowled attempting another big hit off Matthew Fleming.

Opener Dominic Hewson needed a couple of escapes in contributing a valuable 45, but when he fell in a spell of ten overs that also brought the dismissals of Jeremy Snape and Matt Windows, Kent were right back in the game.

Russell and Alleyne soon extinguished their hopes, but it was in the bowling and fielding departments that Gloucestershire really excelled. Skipper Alleyne said: "We were always confident after restricting Kent to 199. It was a good track and from then on all we had to do was avoid being bowled out."