WORCESTER (first day of four; Gloucestershire won toss)

Gloucestershire 411-6 (96 overs), CG Taylor 137, SD Snell 127 not out, MA Hardinges 66 not out

Lunch

In a breathless start to the day, Simon Jones claimed both openers in his first eight balls and all members of Gloucestershire's overseas batting quartet were back in the pavilion by the end of the first hour. Achieving steepling bounce with high pace from the New Road End, Jones had Grant Hodnett, the South African, caught at gully off the shoulder of his bat and Craig Spearman fended to short leg.

A flashing drive found out Hamish Marshall, caught behind off Gareth Andrew, and Steve Magoffin, switching to Jones's end, removed his Western Australia team-mate, Marcus North. Although the fifth wicket added 35 in eight overs, Gloucestershire's over aggressive approach cost them again when Alex Gidman, cutting, gave Magoffin his second success, off a bottom edge.

Worcestershire showed three changes from their previous championship match, the draw against Northamptonshire. Graeme Hick, back from micro surgery on his elbow, replaced Moeen Ali and Simon Jones, after his neck problem, replaced Chris Whelan. With Kabir Ali succumbing to a hamstring injury, Richard Jones, a fellow seamer, made his first appearance at this level this season.

For Gloucestershire, both new-ball bowlers, Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby, were absent compared with their championship defeat to Glamorgan. Matt Gitsham, a Cornish leg spinner who had appeared for Somerset's 2nd XI aged 16, made a championship debut at the late age of 26 and Will Rudge was included for a first championship appearance since last May.

Tea

The benefits of a pitch with bounce and an attack with pace, albeit the odd ball failing to come on, continued to provide rich entertain as Gloucestershire staged an exhilarating fightback, taking on the fast bowlers. At one stage, 16 overs either side of lunch produced 90 runs and another 73 came from the 19 overs to tea.

Chris Taylor raced to his fifty in 60 balls and Steve Snell, the wicketkeeper who retained his place ahead of Steve Adshead in this game after a maiden championship fifty in his previous appearance, went on to a competition-best 74 not out. By tea, the pair had added an unbeaten 161 for the sixth wicket, though both had been struck when hooking at balls that stopped, Taylor on the helmet, Snell on the forearm.

Close

The last session continued to offer a flood of runs as 165 were added from 32 overs, including 88 in the final 16 with the new ball. Taylor, after three sixes off Gareth Batty in his 137 off 179 balls, eventually went to the same off spinner when pushing forward and caught behind.

But Snell continued to his maiden first-class hundred soon after and, now joined by Mark Hardinges, proceeded to savage the new ball. Hardinges proved the fastest batsman of the three, hammering his fifty from only 43 balls, as Worcestershire were run ragged in the late sunshine

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