A post-tea stutter saw Gloucestershire slip from 240/4 to 302/8 when bad light ended play shortly before the close of the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Bristol, with the home side leading by 234 runs.
Evening update
Gloucestershire resumed on 232/4 after tea, with a lead of 164 runs, with Glamorgan immediately taking the new ball as Michael Hogan and Timm van der Gugten returned to the attack looking to stub out Gloucestershire’s resistance. The new ball duly did the trick as the Dutchman struck in his opening over as he bowled George Hankins before Hogan gained the prized scalp of Roderick whose painstaking innings of 68 came to an end as he departed l.b.w. to the paceman.
Kieran Noema-Barnett joined forces with Jack Taylor as a large bank of cloud built up, with the latter almost edging Hogan into Aneurin Donald’s outstretched hands at second slip. But the Australian was not to be denied next over as Noema-Barnett drove loosely in the air and Nick Selman, fielding as substitute for the injured Graham Wagg, completed the regulation catch at short extra-cover as Gloucestershire slipped further to 255/7.
Craig Miles announced his arrival by dispatching Harry Podmore through mid-off before Taylor did the same to Hogan, followed by a lofted drive to mid-wicket. But he chanced his arm once too often against Podmore and ended up spooning a catch into Rudolph’s grateful hands at mid-on.
With the light deteriorating, Rudolph had to briefly return to the attack in tandem with Andrew Salter until conditions were bright enough to allow the seamers to return. But for the second time in the match Craig Miles and David Payne played some purposeful strokes against the seamers, and with the gloom returning, the spinners came back on, but with seven overs remaining the conditions had deteriorated sufficiently for the umpires to take the players off the field.
Teatime Report
Play resumed at 1.30pm with Gloucestershire on 109/2 and a lead of 41 runs as Michael Hogan and Timm van der Gugten continued the bowling duties. After a phase of watchful reconnaissance, Gareth Roderick struck his first boundary as he sparred at a short ball from Hogan with the ball splicing away to the vacant ropes at third man. But the Australian was not to be denied another scalp, as Bancroft spooned a ball to David Lloyd who had been especially positioned on the drive at short mid-wicket as Gloucestershire slipped to 117/3.
Hamish Marshall duly joined Roderick who survived another appeal for l.b.w. against van der Gugten before pulling Hogan for four to fine-leg. Marshall played watchfully at the other end before finding the ropes at mid-wicket with an on-drive against Hogan before cover-driving and late cutting Podmore for further boundaries as the sun re-appeared.
Andrew Salter’s off-spin was then briefly deployed at the Ashley Down End with Marshall greeting his return by lofting him straight for six followed by a flowing cover drive for four. Another four came the way of the former Kiwi Test batsman as he clipped Lloyd to square-leg before van der Gugten returned and was driven straight by the obdurate Roderick.
Jacques Rudolph also had a short spell of leg-spin before Marshall completed a 69-ball fifty by dabbing van der Gugten to third man for his seventh four. But shortly afterwards, and with the total on 200, Hogan returned and with his second delivery removed Marshall who drove uppishly to Salter at backward point.
George Hankins opened his account by steering Podmore through gully for four before Roderick completed his patient fifty after three and three-quarter hours at the crease. Salter returned in tandem with Rudolph but Roderick remained defiant, and the penultimate over of the session, delivered by Will Bragg, could also not dislodge the limpet-like batsman.
Lunchtime Report
Medical reports and weather forecasts were the main topics of conversation this morning amongst the Glamorgan contingent at Bristol, with visiting supporters pleased to hear that X-rays on Graham Wagg’s forearm – struck yesterday afternoon by a rising ball from Craig Miles - had not shown a fracture. However, there was plenty of swelling and bruising on his arm, probably ruling him out of taking any further role in this well-balanced contest, as Gloucestershire started the day eight runs in arrears.
Play resumed under blue skies, but the local meteorologists were forecasting that a band of rain would move in later in the afternoon besides disrupting play tomorrow. Knowing of this damp prognosis, Glamorgan’s attack was even more eager to make swift inroads into the home batting, and Timm van der Gugten gave his side a real boost as with his fourth delivery of the morning – and no addition to the total - he trapped Graeme van Buuren leg before.
Gareth Roderick duly made his way to the middle to join Cameron Bancroft who cover drove van der Gugten as Hogan continued a parsimonious spell at the Pavilion End, with a sequence of dot balls being ended by a thick outside-edge from Bancroft which bisected slip and gully and sped away for four. The Australian then pulled van der Gugten for four to complete a 92-ball fifty before surviving a loud appeal for l.b.w
Bancroft then clipped Hogan to fine-leg before edging Harry Podmore’s opening delivery just short of first slip, whilst David Lloyd replaced Hogan and continued to keep things tight with a couple of maidens as the clouds over the ground started to thicken. Bancroft then drove Podmore, who had completed a probing spell, through mid-off for four before van der Gugten had a second spell.as drizzle started to fall. It soon intensified and the players left the field at 12.30pm before an early lunch was taken at 12.50pm.