[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Division Two

vs Gloucestershire

The College Ground, Cheltenham

Day One

Morning: Gloucestershire won the toss and put the Pears in to bat on another grey July Wednesday. The news of Jack Haynes's impending departure to cricket's arch-parasites Nottinghamshire set the tone for an early collapse, with three top-order ducks for Jake Libby edging Matt Taylor to second slip, Azhar Ali LBW to the same bowler and Kashif Ali caught at second off Tom Price. But at 18-3 the fourth-wicket partnership counter-attacked, with Gareth Roderick showing once again why he's worth every penny of his new two-year contract, until a snorter from Paul van Meekeren bowled him off an inside-edge for 53 in the same over he brought up his fifty. Partner Adam Hose then followed him back to the pavilion, bowled for 32 by Zaman Akhtar, but the Pears avoided further loss until lunch was taken on 119-5.

Afternoon: With the skipper digging in to anchor the innings, Matthew Waite was free to take the game to Gloucestershire on the resumption, and the Yorkshireman did so with six boundaries in ten balls; the first a straight drive off Matt Taylor skimming pebble-like over the turf to long-off, the second a shorter ball clipped through the leg side two deliveries later when the left-armer shifted his approach around the wicket, a third and fourth cover-driven and square-driven back-to-back off Van Meekeren in the next over, then another square drive zipping through cover-point for the fifth and a crunching pull to complete the set. 40 balls was all it took to bring up his half-century, and he duly perished by the sword he lives by, nicking Akhtar to second slip for 64 on the drive. Akhtar then accounted for Joe Leach, LBW for a duck, but with no further casualties and Dolly bringing up a fighting fifty supported by a redoubtable innings from Josh Baker, Worcestershire could justifiably claim the session, if not the day's play after losing the toss, by reaching tea on 265-7.

Evening: No play possible due to rain.