County Championship: Gloucestershire v Lancashire in the balance

Ollie Price and Miles Hammond both made fifties as Gloucestershire produced a determined response to Lancashire’s first-innings 450 on the second day of the County Championship match at Old Trafford.

Replying to the home side’s formidable total, in which Marcus Harris made 167 and Ajeet Singh Dale took 3-67, the visitors were 184-2 at the close with Price on 54 not out and Hammond unbeaten on 57. The pair have so far put on an unbroken 110 for Gloucestershire’s third wicket.

Two days are left in this evenly poised match but barring collapses, it is difficult to see either side being bowled out twice on an easy-paced wicket after three sessions on Saturday in which 94 overs were bowled, 292 runs were scored and only seven wickets fell

In the first session, the home side’s attempt to push on towards 400 and four batting points was seriously hampered by the dismissal of Harris, who had added only two runs to his overnight score when he was lbw to Singh Dale in the fifth over of the morning.

Lancashire eventually needed 14 off the 110th over for that fourth point but after hitting a six off Josh Shaw’s first ball, Luke Wells was lbw for 38 to the second and his side had to settle for three points, which are as many as they had collected in their three previous games put together.

George Balderson was trapped in front for six just four overs later but Tom Hartley and Tom Bailey took their side to 437-8 at lunch.

Hartley and Bailey added only 13 runs in the afternoon session before Lancashire lost their last two wickets to successive balls from Tom Price. Hartley was caught behind by James Bracey for 32 and and John Turner collected his second successive golden duck when he was lbw.

Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth launched Gloucestershire’s reply to their hosts’ formidable total with a serene stand of 47 and Lancashire had to wait over an hour for their first breakthrough, which came when Balderson jagged one back through Bancroft’s gate and bowled the Australian for 18 to claim his 100th first-class wicket.

The next wicket fell four overs before tea when Charlesworth was beaten in the flight by Hartley’s seventh ball of the innings and chipped an easy return catch to the bowler.

The opener’s dismissal for a polished 43 left Gloucestershire on 74-2 but Ollie Price and Miles Hammond batted resolutely after tea to prevent Keaton Jennings’ attack making further breakthroughs.

Hammond swept and reverse-swept Hartley to the ropes but Price’s front foot drive through wide mid-on off Turner was comfortably the shot of the session, if not the day, and it epitomised Gloucestershire’s dominance in the evening session. For Lancashire, Balderson finished with 1-35 and Hartley 1-37.

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