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1 hour ago
Rothesay County Championship Division Two, Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (day three)
Northamptonshire 206: Zaib 76, McManus 44; Van Buuren 3-23, Taylor 3-48
Gloucestershire 158-5: O Price 37; Whitehouse 2-39
Gloucestershire (3 pts) trail Northants (2 pts) by 48 runs
Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire were again frustrated by the elements in their efforts to accrue bonus points on day three of their County Championship Second Division match in Bristol.
Resuming on 65-3 in reply to Northamptonshire’s first-innings 206, Gloucestershire advanced their score to 158-5 for the loss of Ollie Price and James Bracey in the 25 overs that were possible before rain set in just before the lunch interval.
Although umpires James Tredwell and Paul Baldwin ordered a mopping up operation to begin at 13:45 BST, the ground staff had to abandon their efforts when further wet weather arrived.
An early tea was taken, after which a further inspection at 16:15 led to play to being abandoned for the day with the loss of 79 overs.
There was time enough for Graeme van Buuren (28 not out) and Jack Taylor (24 not out) to post an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 51 in the morning and cut the deficit to 48 runs, but it will require a conversation between the captains if a contrived finish is to be rendered possible on the final day, when better conditions are forecast.
Batting remained a precarious business beneath grey skies and in the face of a moving ball on a pitch following overnight rain, when Gloucestershire resumed their first innings 141 behind.
Price and Bracey erected a defensive barricade to stifle Northamptonshire’s ambition, applying themselves diligently to the task of survival as the floodlights pierced the gloom.
There were still sufficient moments of attacking flare to keep the scoreboard operator gainfully employed, and the fourth wicket partnership realised 50 via 94 balls.
Hampered by the injury-enforced absence of skipper Luke Procter, Northamptonshire were heavily dependent upon pace spearhead Ben Sanderson, and the batters were no doubt relieved to see the back of him.
But there was no guarantee of security and, when Whitehouse extracted additional movement off the pitch, Price had his middle stump uprooted, his defiant innings terminated for 37 from 93 balls.
The partnership was worth 64 and Gloucestershire were 104-4, still 102 in arrears. When Ben Whitehouse induced Bracey to pursue a ball outside off-stump and edge to wicketkeeper Lewis McManus for 36 in his next over, he had his third first-class wicket.
The home side were 107-5, with two new batters at the crease, and under pressure. But some of that pressure was eased by the introduction of leg spin, Calvin Harrison going for 14 in a wayward first over from the Ashley Down Road end that served to give Van Buuren and Taylor a start.
These two needed no second invitation, working Harrison and teenage off spinner Nirvan Ramesh while the seamers were rested, raising a revitalising 50 partnership from 73 balls before rain forced the players off for the rest of the day.
Report supplied by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay
