LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Bristol:
Gloucestershire 376 & 15-1 beat Leicestershire 102 & 285 by 9 wickets
Gloucestershire 23 pts, Leicestershire 3 pts
Match scorecard

Gloucestershire took just half an hour to wrap up a nine-wicket victory over Leicestershire at Nevil Road.

Last pair Jacques du Toit and Matthew Hoggard survived 79 balls the previous evening to take it into a final day.

But only three runs had been added to their overnight score when Anthony Ireland had Hoggard caught behind to bowl the visitors out for 285.

Paul Nixon then took his first wicket, at the age of 39, before the home side reached their target on 15-1.

Gloucestershire's third Championship win of the season catapults them up to third place in Division Two.

Despite the early finish, it was still Gloucestershire's longest Championship game so far this season.

Three of the previous four had ended in three days, while their victory over Middlesex at Lord's was completed 24 minutes into the final day.

It took just 12 balls to finish off the Leicestershire innings before Hoggard fended at a short ball from Ireland and wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty took off to his right to take a good low diving catch.

Ireland finished with 4-85 for match figures of 7-106, a fine effort by the Zimbabwean, called into the side to replace the rested Steve Kirby.

With just 12 needed to win, Hoggard gave the new ball to the unlikely partnership of Nixon and Du Toit, both bowling medium pace.

And there was an unexpected success, causing major celebrations among his colleagues, when Nixon trapped Will Porterfield lbw for his maiden first-class wicket in his 22nd season as a player.

But Chris Dent came in to clip Nixon to the fine leg boundary for the winning runs.

Gloucestershire's next game is against Glamorgan in Cardiff next week, starting on Monday at the delayed time of 1200 BST.

Leicestershire are not back in action until 24 May, when they too play Glamorgan at Grace Road.

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