County Championship: Glos and Glamorgan batters struggle as wickets fall

Rival bowlers Timm van der Gugten and Beau Webster claimed the limelight on a day of batting struggles at Cheltenham.

Glamorgan limped to 133-7, still 46 behind Gloucestershire, with Webster taking 3-16.

Earlier Van der Gugten took 5-59 as the home side scrambled to 179 all out.

Their total owed much to a last-wicket stand of 75 between top scorer Marchant de Lange (46 not out) and Ajeet Singh-Dale.

Sam Northeast’s decision to bowl looked to have paid off on a chilly first day of the Cheltenham Festival as eight wickets fell in the first session.

Van der Gugten found the edge of Cameron Bancroft’s bat second ball to set the tone under cloudy skies, claiming two for nine in his first seven hostile overs.

Dan Douthwaite had the benefit of two dismissals caught behind down leg side among five victims for Chris Cooke, and Andy Gorvin bowled James Bracey off his thigh-pad.

Miles Hammond (21) and the aggressive Webster threatened a mini rival but Van der Gugten returned to dismiss both after a stand of 36.

Marnus Labuschagne also claimed a rare seam bowling wicket to leave the home side 88-8 at lunch, and Van der Gugten claimed his fifth soon after.

De Lange, the scorer of Glamorgan’s fastest century, struck his second ball for six and soon had the field scattered to the boundaries as he and Singh-Dale put together a record last-wicket stand.

De Lange’s 46 came off just 37 balls and Singh-Dale also hit the ball hard but played sensibly as the pair had Glamorgan scratching their heads, before he eventually holed out off Mason Crane for 32.