Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Six-wicket De Lange puts Glo’sters on the front foot
MARCHANT de Lange came back into Gloucestershire’s attack with a bang as the hosts dismissed Middlesex for 203 on the opening day of their County Championship Division Two clash in Bristol yesterday.
Having sat out last week’s game at Sussex, the 33-year-old South African seamer returned figures of six for 49 to put the Glo’sters in the driving seat.
Middlesex had made some decent progress to 55 for no wicket when Zaman Ahkter clean bowled Mark Stoneman for 29, at which point De Lange stepped up.
The visitors were suddenly 59 for three as De Lange had Max Holden (1) and Nathan Fernandes (24) caught. Dom Goodman chipped in with a couple of wickets too, but De Lange cleared away the lower-order, with Ryan Higgins (30), Jack Davies (3) and Josh De Caires (37) all caught and Tom Helm (22) bowled.
Skipper Graeme van Buuren caught and bowled Henry Brookes (8) to polish off the innings with the score on 203.
Gloucestershire lost Cameron Bancroft (12), Chris Dent (3) and Ollie Price (33) in reply, but Miles Hammond is not out on 25 as the home side closed on 82 for three and in shape to push on.
Tom Banton and Migael Pretorius led the charge as Somerset’s lowerorder rallied from 210 for seven to 309 for nine declared against Worcestershire at Kidderminster.
The visitors had steadily moved to 175 for three thanks to 30 from Matt Renshaw, 34 from Tom Lammony and 47 from Andy Umeed, but the latter’s exit prompted a collapse to 210 for seven.
However, Banton, pictured left, and Pretorius counter-attacked.
They put together a partnership of 76 before the latter was caught by Jason Holder off Joe Leach for 49.
Banton, meanwhile, looked like making a century, but was ninth man out, run out for 92.
Rather than have Jake Ball and Shoaib Bashir bat for too long, the visitors declared on 309 for nine and had five overs to bowl at the hosts.
Ball and Gregory took the new ball, but Worcestershire repelled their efforts and closed on 14 without loss.