Gloucestershire fought hard to grind out a draw on the final day against Glamorgan to claim nine points from the match.
For a while, victory was a distinct possibility, but no batsmen could respond well enough to Will Porterfield's grafted 81 and it took a 31 ball defiance from Steve Kirby to secure the draw at the death.
Victory was very much in the Shire's sights, with Will Porterfield's painstaking progress gathering the innings along. It was an essential innings from the Ireland captain, who batted the time necessary to present a shot at the target - once again, no-one batted enough time to get Glos over the line. Hamish Marshall, Alex Gidman and Chris Taylor all came in and looked good, but failed to remain with Porterfield long enough to win the match.
It was difficult batting against the turning ball and experienced hands of Robert Croft and Dean Cosker - particularly for the left-hander - and the home side were able to chip away at the wickets to move themselves into favouritism as the final hour began. Captain Jamie Darlymple introduced himself sporadically, and broke partnerships with his three wickets - including the late dismissal of Jon Lewis, which saw a nervy final seven deliveries for the Glos final pair to survive.
Between the sides, they conjured a wonderful final day spectacle that showcased the county championship in fine style. Glos will be pleased that their promotion hopes were not killed off in the final scene, but it will take a favourable run of results for the Shire to win promotion in the final round of matches.
Gloucestershire's final match of the season will be broadcast LIVE on www.gloscrickeradio.co.uk from 10:25 on Wednesday 23rd September.
Div 2 is where you belong
ReplyDeleteSo near yet so far!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw that we were nearly halfway there, with 7 wickets left I had real hope!
Nonetheless, this season has been a fine improvement on last season, and promotion would I rather suspect, have come too soon!
Disappointing, but very exciting on gloscricketradio. I'd meant to go to Cardiff for the last day, but was struck down by the dreaded lurgi :(
ReplyDeleteNontheless, a huge improvement on last season.
As to the first comment, it seems that we've been visited by one of the Welsh gentlemen who made the game at Nevil Road such a pleasant experience. Until they were ejected, that is...
I assumed the anonymous must be a Somerset follower, Pigsty, because surely no-one from Glamorgan could be stupid enough to bandy around insults which could just as easily be levelled at themselves!
ReplyDeleteCan I just add well batted to Kirby for seeing out those last few balls of the match so decisively ...truly put to bed any demons that may have haunted him after the Pro40 game v Durham.
Let's beat Kent to go out with a bang!