Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, Seat Distinctive Stadium, Bristol (day one)
Gloucestershire 62-5: Bracey 25*; Randell 2-11, Bashir 2-14
Derbyshire: But to bat
Derbyshire 1pt, Gloucestershire 0pts
Gloucestershire’s determination to bat first backfired as Derbyshire assumed the higher hand on the opening day in Bristol.
On a day when 65 overs had been misplaced to rain, bottom-of-the-table Gloucestershire struggled to 62-5 after profitable the toss.
Frontline seamers Brett Randell and Ben Aitchison took 2-11 and 1-23 respectively, whereas Shoaib Bashir completed with 2-14 earlier than rain moved again in to deliver a untimely near proceedings.
James Bracey battled his strategy to 25 not out, Ed Middleton scratched an unbeaten eight from 39 balls and Gloucestershire would require their sixth wicket pair to supply additional cussed resistance when play resumes on day two.
Gloucestershire’s batting travails continued as they had been diminished to 37-5 after profitable the toss and electing to bat on a drying pitch beneath reducing skies.
Having been dismissed for first-innings scores of 137 and 150 within the earlier two matches, the house aspect had been understandably low on confidence, one thing Derbyshire exploited ruthlessly when play lastly obtained underway at 13:45 BST.
Rooted in his crease and flashing at a Randell supply exterior off stump, skipper Cameron Bancroft fenced to Martin Andersson at second slip to set the tone.
Aitchison then bowled Ollie Worth for a 14-ball duck with a supply that straightened and clipped the highest of off stump.
Joe Phillips by no means seemed comfy and was twice dropped within the cordon earlier than edging Randell to Aitchison at second slip and departing for 10 as Gloucestershire subsided to 20-3.
Having chosen solely three seamers, Derbyshire known as Bashir into the assault within the 14th over.
Not content material with merely holding up an finish, the England spinner took two wickets in as many overs together with his off breaks, Miles Hammond and Tommy Boorman each taking part in again to the turning ball and falling plum lbw because the Gloucestershire slide continued unchecked.
One in every of solely two gamers to register a Championship hundred for Gloucestershire this summer time, Bracey represented their finest likelihood of stopping the rot. He discovered a prepared ally in spinning all-rounder Middleton, the 2 digging in to outlive a probing examination by the hands of Bashir and advance the rating to 62-5 at tea.
That was the cue for the rain to maneuver again in and umpires Naeem Ashraf and Paul Pollard determined to name an early halt to proceedings at 16:45 BST.
Report provided by ECB Reporters’ Community, supported by Rothesay.
