» Cockbain leads county to unlikely victory
IAN Cockbain’s first County Championship century since 2014 and 97 from Tom Lace saw Gloucestershire brilliantly chase down a target of 348 to beat Leicestershire by four wickets at Bristol.
Cockbain and Lace came together just after lunch at 52 for three when winning the game was fanciful but they played calmly through to tea to leave 216 to win from 37 overs of the final session.
Their intent was immediate and they extended their stand to 224. Lace couldn’t see the chase through and Cockbain fell for 117 so it was left to George Hankins to strike the winning runs.
It was the fourth-highest Championship run chase in Gloucestershire’s history, a third victory to take them top of Group Two of the LV= County Championship and complete a remarkable turnaround having conceded a firstinnings lead of 146.
They have started a County Championship season with three wins and a draw for the first time since 1948.
Cockbain said: “It was a pretty special day today. We got off to a slow start but then Tom and I built a solid stand going into tea and we had a platform to go and win the game.
“We still had wickets in the shed so we both thought we’d start giving it a go and got off to a flier and put ourselves in a good position to get home.”
The Foxes left themselves 82 overs in the fourth innings and when the top three, Kraigg Brathwaite, Chris Dent and James Bracey all fell cheaply, a first win of the season was possible.
But Lace and Cockbain batted through the afternoon to raise prospects of saving the game before having a dip in the final session.
Cockbain flicked Alex Evans to fine leg for four, pulled him over square leg for six and then pulled Wright for four to raise a first first-class half-century since April 2016 - this being just his fifth game since then.
He skipped at Callum Parkinson’s left-arm spin to lift him over deep midwicket for six and flat-batted Chris Wright over long-off for another maximum to bring the target down to 100 from 17 overs before pulling Wright for two to raise his century in 166 balls with nine fours and three sixes.
He finally fell skying a catch to midoff while Lace initially led the resistance after lunch. He straight-drove Wright for four to go to a second 50 of the season and was on the cusp of a maiden century for Gloucestershire before top-edging a pull from Parkinson to midwicket on 97.
But Gloucestershire were under the pump in the opening three days of the match as Sam Evans’ third first-class century helped Leicestershire dominate the opening day as they made 264 for four having been sent in.
Evans, 23, and Lewis Hill, with 77 not out, steered Leicestershire from 129 for three into a strong position.
Bowling first can often be an advantage at Bristol that get increasingly benign but there was little to encourage the hosts’ seamers as they endured a hard first day in the field.
Evans was their chief adversary as he further grew his reputation with a century in 251 balls with 13 boundaries.
He lost his opening partner Hassan Azad to the second ball of the day as Dan Worrall claimed his 200th firstclass wicket, but led his side calmly through the morning session to reach 92 for one at lunch.
He drove Ryan Higgins for four through cover and Worrall straight down the ground. A flick to fine leg brought him within sight of a half-century before he drove keenly at Josh Shaw and edged at catchable height perfectly between the wicketkeeper and first slip who was standing quite wide. Bracey dived right, Brathwaite dived left and the ball whistled to the fence to give Evans fifty in 126 balls.
After lunch, he lost Marcus Harris, driving at Worrall and caught behind for 62 - the Australian’s first half-century in county cricket - and Rishi Patel bowled for just two, shouldering arms at Worrall.
The second new ball was taken with Evans 17 shy of a hundred and he inside-edged Higgins past his stumps for four and leaned out to drive the same bowler through cover before a flick to fine leg raised a century.
But he couldn’t see out the day, lifting Worrall to short square-leg.
Hill strengthened Leicestershire’s position on day two with his second first-class century as he took his overnight 77 to 121 with Ben Mike also making 54 as the Foxes posted 421, their second-highest total at Bristol.
A flashing cover drive off Josh Shaw, to a delivery that was by no means a half-volley, was the stroke of the match
We still had wickets in the shed so we both thought we’d start giving it a go and got off to a flier and put ourselves in a good position to get home
so far but he fell just short of his careerbest, driving at one from Higgins angled in that took out his off stump.
Mike passed 50 in exactly 100 balls but Leicestershire lost their last four wickets for 28 as Dan Worrall finished with five for 79 - an eighth five-for of his career and first for Gloucestershire.
Four wickets from Chris Wright then put Leicestershire firmly in command as Gloucestershire closed day two on 176 for six as he plunged Gloucestershire from 99-1 to 121-6 in a calamitous half-hour.
All was well with Gloucestershire’s reply as Dent made a fourth 50 of the summer.
But he felt for one sent across him from Wright and edged behind for 53 after Bracey, on 27, played across the line and was lbw to Callum Parkinson.
Cockbain couldn’t get his bat down in time to a full delivery from Wright and was lbw for a third-ball duck then Lace, on four, nudged at Dieter Klein and edged low to third slip before Ryan Higgins was squared up by Wright and lbw for five struck on the back pad.
Wright added three more wickets on day three to complete a career-best seven for 53 as he almost single-handedly bowled Gloucestershire out for 275, to take a first-innings lead of 146.
However, the resistance started by Tom Smith and George Hankins on day two continued as Gloucestershire lasted another 38 overs.
Needing another 96 to save the follow-on, Gloucestershire lost Hankins, lbw to Wright when he appeared outside the line of off stump for 37.
Wright thought he’d struck again almost immediately as he bowled Dan Worrall for one, only to have overstepped, but Worrall only made 10
Ian Cockbain
more before lazily dragging a wide ball from Parkinson into his stumps.
But Josh Shaw got together to form another stand with Smith. He struck Parkinson over mid-off for six and clipped Wright for three through midwicket to save the follow-on and he went on to make an unbeaten 41 - one shy of his career-best but a new high for Gloucestershire.
Smith survived for 130 deliveries and his 47 that began on the second evening was a vital innings to give his second a second batting point.
Rain delayed the start of the afternoon but Wright trapped Smith and Dom Goodman to complete his haul and leave Leicestershire 53 overs to build their lead.
More rain and bad light took out some of those and they were 77 for three before Rishi Patel and Lewis Hill took them to the close.
On day four, Leicestershire rather stumbled over their morning’s work in being bowled out for 201 in the chase for quick runs as Ryan Higgins ended with five wickets and, without the injured Klein, they were powerless to stop Gloucestershire’s evening charge. » Sky Sports will be televising the Middlesex v Gloucestershire Championship fixture at Lord’s, starting today (Thursday).