LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, New Road:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE:
Gloucestershire 245 & 189-5, Worcestershire 388
(Worcestershire 7 pts, Gloucestershire 3 pts)
Match scorecard

Moeen has now hit 700 Championship runs for Worcestershire this summer

Moeen Ali's second County Championship ton of the season put Worcestershire into a winning position against local rivals Gloucestershire at New Road.

Moeen hit 106 as Worcestershire rallied from 229-6 to 388 all out, to earn a first-innings lead of 143.

After Hamish Marshall's 50, the visitors then closed on 189-5, only 46 runs ahead, with five wickets left.

And, with first innings half-centurion Chris Taylor and James Franklin still there, it sets up a dramatic last day.

England Lions man Moeen, unbeaten on 70 overnight, survived a loud appeal for a catch behind from the first ball of the day before progressing to the fourth first-class century of his career.

Facing a Gloucestershire attack without Steve Kirby, suffering from a back spasm which forced him to leave the field in mid-over while bowling on Sunday, Moeen put on 96 in 25 overs with Ben Scott who, still to get off the mark overnight, made 67, his second half-century in successive Championship games.

And last man Matt Mason, in his first innings of the season following a return to action after a niggling back injury, chipped in with a useful 27, containing three sixes and one four off 18 balls, before becoming part of Jon Lewis' well-earned haul of 4-55.

Mason then struck with the ball, removing Steve Snell for his second single-figure score of the match, held at second slip by Daryl Mitchell.

Chris Dent then became a victim for seamer Jack Shantry before tea and Jonathan Batty was looking destined for a half-century until he fell seven short to a good diving slip catch by Mitchell off Alan Richardson with the visitors still 43 in arrears.

Marshall registered his half-century off 67 balls with five fours, but was unable to push on past the 50 mark when he edged Richardson to slip leaving Gloucestershire 138-4.

And, by the time skipper Alex Gidman was removed by Shantry, they had only just wiped out the deficit.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version