County Championship: Glos v Leics – Ben Charlesworth leads fightback

Ben Charlesworth led the way with 105 not out as Gloucestershire staged a determined fightback on the second day of the County Championship Division Two game against Leicestershire in Bristol.

The 23-year-old left hander notched his second first-class century off 164 balls, with 14 fours and three sixes, in a Gloucestershire first innings total that had reached 227-3 by the time bad light ended play seven overs early, with James Bracey unbeaten on 34.

Leicestershire had posted 402 all out in their first innings from an overnight 291-7.

Liam Trevaskis contributed 50 and Tom Scriven 60 off 84 balls, while Zaman Akhter finished with 3-110.

There was bright sunshine over the ground for most of the day but also a blustery wind.

Leicestershire added 14 to their overnight total before Ben Green, back on loan from Somerset, was bowled for 10 by Akhter off an inside edge and pad.

Trevaskis went to fifty before being was caught in the covers to earn Gloucestershire a third bowling bonus point.

But Scriven was not finished and completed a half-century off 78 balls before his dismissal ended the innings.

Charlesworth and Cameron Bancroft put together a half-century opening stand in 13 overs before the Australian edged an attempted cover drive off Scriven to second slip and departed for 39.

Ollie Price made only six but Charlesworth moved to his half-century at the start of the final session with a flashing square cut boundary off Scriven.

Fellow left-hander Miles Hammond was also producing some swashbuckling shots as the pair took the score past 150.

Green then made an important breakthrough, nipping one back off the seam to pin Hammond lbw for 29.

There were to be no nervous nineties for Charlesworth as two mighty blows cleared the ropes in the same over from left-arm spinner Trevaskis and took him to three figures.

Bracey leant typically solid support but with rain forecast for Saturday morning it may take a supreme effort from one of the teams to force a decisive result.