Warwicks favourite in tight contest

An intriguing final day lies in prospect at Cheltenham, with Gloucestershire set 323 to win on a pitch that remains slow, but batsman-friendly.

Bowlers have needed to work hard for their wickets throughout a tightly-contested match and Gloucestershire coach John Bracewell is far from daunted by his team's task. "We need to lay a solid foundation and try to keep wickets in hand," he said. "If we can do that up to tea anything will be possible in the final session."

Warwickshire will consider themselves favourites after a solid, if unspectacular second innings batting effort that saw them bowled out for 316 with the final ball of day three.

Nightwatchman Keith Piper, unbeaten on eight overnight, top-scored with 69 off 161 balls, with 10 fours, while Dominic Ostler, Trevor Penney and David Hemp made valuable contributions.

It was a battle of attrition in the College Ground sunshine as Gloucestershire's bowlers stuck to their task well and managed to break through every time Warwickshire got into a position to accelerate towards a declaration.

The morning session saw the visitors progress steadily from 38-1 to 121-2, losing only Michael Powell for 28, caught at short extra cover prodding at pace bowler Ben Gannon.

By tea it was 208-4 after Piper and Ostler had taken their third-wicket stand to 90. Both fell in the same Jon Lewis spell after Warwickshire had been 177-2 and looking to raise the tempo.

Piper gave a regulation nick to fellow wicketkeeper Jack Russell, while Ostler's 153-ball innings of 54, including 6 fours, was ended by an lbw decision as he pushed half forward.

Penney and Hemp then put Warwickshire in a strong position again with a stand of 62 before Gannon dismissed both, finding a good rhythm from the longer run-up he is experimenting with in this game.

Penney's 42, off 70 balls, included some of the brightest stroke-making of the day, while Dougie Brown's 25 kept the scoreboard ticking towards a handy lead.

But from 252-4 the final total was a disappointment. Ian Harvey added four late order wickets to the five he collected in the first innings.

Sharp catches off his own bowling accounted for Ashley Giles and Neil Smith. And when last man Ed Giddins was bowled for a duck the last three wickets had fallen in the space of four Harvey deliveries.

The Australian all-rounder returned 4-71 for match figures of 9-100, while Lewis and Gannon deservedly claimed three victims each for maintaining a disciplined line and length.

There was an old fashioned feel about the cricket in the beautiful College Ground setting, with no trace of the cavalier approach which so often infiltrates Championship matches from the one-day game.

Spectators brought up on more adventurous play had to be patient. But the contest was never less than absorbing and there is every prospect of a finale worthy of the bumper Cheltenham attendances, which are expected to total 30,000 by the end of the Festival on Sunday.