Gloucestershire make first-class record score of 706-6

Gloucestershire registered the highest score in their 154-year first-class history before making substantial inroads into the Leicestershire reply on the second day of the County Championship Division Two match at Leicester.

Captain Graeme Van Buuren hit a century at better than a run a ball, becoming the third batsman in his team to reach three figures after Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth had reached the landmark on day one, before declaring on 706-6 at tea.

It was the first time Gloucestershire had passed 700, surpassing the 695-9 made against Middlesex in 2004, and the fifth highest first-class score made against Leicestershire.

Young leg-spinner Ed Middleton then won decisions off consecutive deliveries as Leicestershire were reduced to 133-5 at the close.

Gloucestershire started the day on 385-2 but failed to pick up a fifth batting bonus point, losing Miles Hammond off the inside edge trying to drive a Scott Currie delivery.

Ollie Price passed 50 for the third time this season before missing an attempted reverse sweep at Rehan Ahmed but Van Buuren and James Bracey took Leicestershire’s tiring young attack apart during a partnership of 147 for the fifth wicket.

Bracey edged a drive at a wide delivery from Currie to Ben Cox behind the stumps on 92 but Van Buuren went to his century, made from 90 balls, with a six off Louis Kimber.

Needing 557 simply to avoid the follow on, Leicestershire made a poor start when Marcus Harris was given out leg before to Matt Taylor.

Kimber went for 46 when he went back to a delivery from Middleton that skidded on and looked to be missing leg stump and the next ball saw Lewis Hill given out caught off bat-pad when replays suggested the bat may not have been involved.

Josh Shaw’s full delivery then trapped Peter Handscomb on the back foot before Ahmed’s airy waft resulted in the young England all-rounder edging Beau Webster’s delivery to Bracey.