In command Harris ton and Price haul put county on top
MARCUS Harris hit his third LV= Insurance County Championship century of the season as Gloucestershire were in charge of their derby ga,me with Somerset at Taunton.
On day one they ran up 320-6, Harris leading the way with 159, off 263 balls, including 17 fours and a six.
Ben Charlesworth contributed 56 to an opening stand of 126 with Harris, while Ollie Price weighed in with 52.
Harris and Charlesworth coped comfortably with the new ball, the latter hitting eight fours in moving to a 79-ball half-century.
By lunch, the pair had taken the score to 115 without loss, and 11 runs had been added after the interval when Charlesworth mistimed a pull shot off Kasey Aldridge and directed a catch to Josh Davey at fine-leg.
Harris reached his hundred, off 174 balls, with 13 fours and a six and at tea, the scoreboard read 217-1.
Price brought up a 127-ball half-century, but looked bereft when aiming an extravagant drive at a full, wide ball from Tom Lammonby and edging through to wicketkeeper James Rew.
The second new ball accounted for Miles Hammond, edging Davey to Abell at second slip, and two balls later in the same over, James Bracey departed for a duck before Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren was bowled by Lewis Gregory.
Harris reached 150 off 246 balls but fell, edging a back-foot shot off Jack Brooks to Gregory at slip.
Somerset quickly mopped up the Gloucestershire tail on day two dismissing them for 343. Tom Price was caught behind driving at a wide delivery from Gregory, who had David Payne caught at mid-on next ball.
Jack Taylor fell to Davey and offering a return catch before Gregory ended the innings by pinning Ajeet Dale leg before as Gloucestershire’s last nine wickets fell for 92 runs.
In reply, Tom Lammonby was dropped at second slip by Marcus Harris in the opening over, but then nicked the next ball, from Payne, to wicketkeeper Bracey.
Skipper Tom Abell edged to Ollie Price at second slip off Dale, before George Bartlett lost his off stump to Tom Price. Lewis Goldsworthy glanced a leg-side delivery from the same bowler through to Bracey but new boy Imam-ul-haq moved to a flawless fifty off 108 balls. He found an equally solid partner in Rew as the pair took the score to 135-4 by tea.
But Tom Price struck a huge blow for Gloucestershire when Imam edged a defensive push to give Bracey his third catch. Three balls later Gregory fell to a catch at second slip from brother Ollie to give Price his fourth wicket.
Kasey Aldridge dragged a ball from Josh Shaw onto his stumps and Davey became another Bracey victim, edging a drive off Dale, then Gloucestershire sealed a lead of 95 on day three with the final two Somerset wickets.
Sajid Khan had added 34 with Rew before he fell to Bracey’s fifth catch, off Payne, then Jack Brooks hit 21 in a 28-ball cameo before Tom Price got his fifth wicket, thanks to a catch for Harris.
In their second innings, Gloucestershire extended their lead to 130 before losing their first wicket, Harris being bowled by Davey for 21.
Ollie Price completed a second halfcentury of the match in a stand of 89 with Charlesworth as the lead passed 200 before Price fell to Sajid Khan for 53.
By tea on day three, the lead was 238 as Gloucestershire reached 143-2 with Charlesworth, also on the verge of a second fifty, unbeaten on 46.