Gloucestershire v Worcestershire: Match report and scores from County Championship Division Two

Match scores: Close of play

Match drawn 

Gloucestershire 1st inns: 383 (Taylor 143, Dent 65, Mustard 50; Barnard 4-93, Tongue 3-74)

Worcestershire 1st inns: 300-9dec (Cox 124, Rhodes 52; Noema-Barnett 4-31)

Gloucestershire 2nd inns: 286-4dec (Dent 135*, Roderick 81; Tongue 1-19)

Worcestershire 2nd inns: 155-5 (Clarke 93*, Payne 2-16, Norwell 2-54)

Day four report

Chris Dent recorded an impressive century as Gloucestershire's rain-affected Specsavers County Championship match with Worcestershire at Cheltenham ended in a draw.

The left-handed opener finished unbeaten on 135 in his side's 286 for four declared in their second innings, having resumed on 62 for one.

Gareth Roderick also contributed 81 as Worcestershire were set a target of 370 to win in a minimum of 51 overs.

They were soon in trouble as David Payne struck twice in his opening two overs and Liam Norwell also grabbed an early wicket to make it five for three.

But Joe Clarke came to the rescue with a quality innings of 93 not out and the players shook hands with the visitors' total on 155 for five.

Gloucestershire claimed 12 points, while Worcestershire picked up 11.

Dent, having started the day on 11, was content to build steadily with partner Will Tavare and they moved the score on to 90 when the latter fell lbw to Ed Barnard, pushing forward.

That brought in Roderick, who gave solid support as Dent moved to his half-century.

A succession of boundaries as lunch approached saw Gloucestershire advance to 188 for two at the interval, with Dent on 90.

He reached his hundred with a swept four off George Rhodes, and Roderick soon raised his bat in recognition of a half-century.

They had added 189 in 29.4 overs when Roderick was bowled by Josh Tongue. Graeme van Buuren then fell to Daryl Mitchell first ball, and Gloucestershire skipper Phil Mustard decided to call a halt to the innings.

Worcestershire made a poor start as Payne removed Brett D'Oliveira and Tom Fell for ducks, both lbw to deliveries that nipped back. Norwell then weighed in with the key wicket of Mitchell, who was bowled for five.

Clarke and Rhodes took the total to 47 for three at tea but when Norwell bowled the latter for nine soon after the break, Gloucestershire still had hopes of an unlikely victory.

That remained the case when first-innings centurion Ben Cox fell lbw to Kieran Noema-Barnett for 21, with the total on 110, shortly after Clarke had reached an impressive 49-ball half-century.

But Clarke steadied the ship and never looked in any trouble as Worcestershire held on.

Day three report

Only 15.3 overs were possible because of rain on the third day of Gloucestershire's Specsavers County Championship Division Two match against Worcestershire at Cheltenham.

Starting the day on 20 without loss in their second innings, with a lead of 103, the hosts progressed to 62 for one before the weather intervened.

Worcestershire paceman John Hastings picked up the only wicket to fall.

The Australian all-rounder bowled a probing spell and was rewarded when Cameron Bancroft, on 22, nicked through to Ross Whiteley, who held onto a low catch at first slip, with 33 on the board.

Bancroft and Chris Dent had been watchful against Joe Leach and Hastings, whose first four overs of the innings were maidens.

Dent was particularly circumspect and managed just one scoring shot off 42 balls - a boundary wide of the slips off Hastings.

Will Tavare was more adventurous and had moved onto 23 from 29 deliveries with four boundaries when an early lunch was taken because of bad light.

Dent was unbeaten on 11, having faced 70 deliveries.

That proved the end of proceedings as heavy and persistent rain forced umpires Ian Blackwell and Russell Evans to abandon play for the day at 3.20pm.

Gloucestershire lead by 145 and it could take some imaginative captaincy to produce a positive result on Thursday.

Day two report

Ben Cox came to Worcestershire's rescue with a career-best 124 on the second day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Cheltenham.

The 25-year-old wicketkeeper smacked 20 fours and two sixes in an exhilarating display, having gone in with his side struggling on 69 for four in reply to 383.

By the time Cox was out, Worcestershire had progressed to 279 for seven. They eventually declared 83 behind on 300 for nine, George Rhodes contributing 52 and Kieran Noema-Barnett claiming his best Gloucestershire figures of four for 31 from 16 overs.

Gloucestershire were left with a tricky eight overs to negotiate before the close but openers Cameron Bancroft and Chris Dent negotiated them without alarm, posting 20 without loss and extending their side's lead to 103.

The day began with the home side adding 40 to their overnight total of 343 for eight, with Jack Taylor last man out for 143.

It looked a more than handy total on a pitch offering seam movement under overcast skies.

Soon David Payne and Liam Norwell were capitalising. Left-armer Payne struck first as Daryl Mitchell fell lbw pushing forward in the fifth over.

Norwell produced a fine opening spell and was unlucky to claim only the wicket of Tom Fell, snapped up by Noema-Barnett at fourth slip to make it 25 for two.

Brett D'Oliveira (25) looked in good touch before gifting his wicket, pulling a short ball from Craig Miles straight to Norwell on the deep square-leg boundary.

It was 68 for three at lunch and, with only a single added in the afternoon session, Joe Clarke (23) shouldered arms to Noema-Barnett, who nipped one back to bowl him.

Cox and Rhodes then set about steadying the ship and did so to excellent effect, adding 110 before tea was taken and batting with increasing confidence.

A further 31 runs were added at the start of the final session before Rhodes cut loosely at Miles and directed a catch straight to Will Tavare at backward point.

By then Cox was cutting loose with a series of crisply struck boundaries all around the wicket. It took him just 45 balls to move from fifty to his third first-class hundred.

Cox then went past his previous best score of 109 before being caught behind, edging an attempted cut off Noema-Barnett.

The Gloucestershire all-rounder then removed Ed Barnard and John Hastings in the same over to take four wickets in a championship innings for the first time since joining the county two seasons ago.

Day one report

Jack Taylor hit his fifth first-class century as Gloucestershire ran up 343 for eight on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two match with Worcestershire at Cheltenham.

Dropped on 16, the 25-year-old all-rounder, who relishes batting at the College Ground, went on to a 122-ball hundred and was still there at the close on 118, having hit 16 fours and a six.

Chris Dent and Phil Mustard, with 65 and 50 respectively, were the other main contributors for the hosts, who had to recover from losing Cameron Bancroft to the first ball of the match.

Ed Barnard was the pick of the Worcestershire attack with four for 67.

But they will have been disappointed with the day, having reduced Gloucestershire to 87 for four at lunch.

Visiting skipper Joe Leach exercised his right to field and then struck with his opening delivery as Bancroft was lbw only half forward.

Will Tavare got the scoreboard ticking with an early six over square-leg off John Hastings and added 53 with Dent before being well caught low down to his right by wicketkeeper Ben Cox, edging a defensive shot off Leach.

Gareth Roderick had made only 11 when totally miscuing an attempted hit through leg side and offering a simple catch to point to give Barnard his first wicket with the total on 79.

And Gloucestershire looked in trouble when off-spinner George Rhodes struck in his opening over shortly before lunch, Cox taking the catch as Graeme van Buuren, on one, edged an attempted cut.

The afternoon session saw the home side fight back with the sun shining. Dent, who had batted steadily through the morning, reached his fifty off 103 balls, with six fours.

The left-handed opener went with the score on 129, lbw to a ball from Barnard that appeared to keep a bit low.

If there was a pivotal moment, it came with the Gloucestershire total on 147 for five.

Taylor, who had survived a couple of edges, was dropped at third slip by Joe Clarke off Josh Tongue, the catch arriving at a comfortable height.

Taylor responded to his reprieve with a straight six off Rhodes and went to a 51-ball half-century as he and Mustard took the score to 221 for five at tea.

Home skipper Mustard followed to fifty at the start of the third session, having faced 125 balls, but was out in the same over, bowled driving at Barnard.

When Kieran Noema-Barnett was caught behind off Tongue for a duck it was 234 for seven and Worcestershire appeared to have regained control.

But Craig Miles then joined Taylor and batted with increasing confidence.

It was 275 for seven by the time the visitors were able to take the second new ball and it only resulted in an increased scoring rate.

Taylor, whose career-best score of 156 was made at Cheltenham against Northamptonshire in 2015, went to his hundred with his 14th four, while Miles grew sufficiently in stature to pull Hastings for six, with the partnership blossoming.

It was worth 89 in 20.3 overs when Barnard returned at the College Lawn End to have Miles caught behind with the second ball of a new spell. But Taylor remained unmoved and by stumps had faced 149 balls.