REPORT & QUOTES | Derbyshire bowlers make good start on rain-affected opening day

Gloucestershire’s decision to bat first backfired as Derbyshire assumed the upper hand on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two game at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

On a day when 65 overs were lost to rain, bottom-of-the-table Gloucestershire struggled to 62-5 after winning the toss.

Frontline seamers Brett Randell and Ben Aitchison took 2-11 and 1-23 respectively, while Shoaib Bashir finished with 2-14 before rain moved back in to bring a premature close to proceedings.

James Bracey battled his way to 25 not out, Ed Middleton scratched an unbeaten eight from 39 balls and Gloucestershire will require their sixth wicket pair to offer further stubborn resistance when play resumes on day two.

Gloucestershire’s batting travails continued as they were reduced to 37-5 after winning the toss and electing to bat on a drying pitch beneath lowering skies. Having been dismissed for first-innings scores of 137 and 150 in the previous two matches, the home side were understandably low on confidence, something Derbyshire exploited ruthlessly when play finally got underway at 1.45pm.

Rooted in his crease and flashing at a Randell delivery outside off stump, skipper Cameron Bancroft fenced to Martin Andersson at second slip to set the tone. Aitchison then bowled Ollie Price for a 14-ball duck with a delivery that straightened and clipped the top of off stump. Joe Phillips never looked comfortable and was twice dropped in the cordon before edging Randell to Aitchison at second slip and departing for 10 as Gloucestershire subsided to 20-3 in the tenth.

Having selected only three seamers, Derbyshire called Bashir into the attack in the fourteenth over. Not content with merely holding up an end, the England spinner took two wickets in as many overs with his off breaks, Miles Hammond and Tommy Boorman both playing back to the turning ball and falling plum lbw as the Gloucestershire slide continued unchecked.

One of only two players to register a Championship hundred for Gloucestershire this summer, Bracey represented their best chance of stopping the rot. He found a willing ally in spinning all-rounder Middleton, these two digging in to survive a probing examination at the hands of Bashir and advance the score to 62-5 at tea.

That was the cue for the rain to move back in and umpires Naeem Ashraf and Paul Pollard decided to call an early halt to proceedings at 4.45pm.

Derbyshire seamer Brett Randell said: “With it being a used pitch, we would probably have batted first had we won the toss. It does look as though the wicket will take further down the line. Instead we had to bowl, and we certainly put our best foot forward.

“We showed a lot of energy out there and bowled well as a unit to create pressure and chances. Ben Aitchison and I wanted to set the tone early and the conditions helped in that respect.

“Taking early wickets definitely helped in terms of confidence. We’ve gone into the game with Shoaib Bashir and Jack Morley (two spinners) and that’s pretty exciting.

“Jack only got a couple of overs in, but we saw what a class act Bashir is when he took those two wickets. We’re looking forward to seeing what our spinners can do in the next two or three days.”