Bristol (Day two of four, Gloucestershire won toss)

Northamptonshire 212 for five v Gloucestershire

Lunch

No play before lunch due to rain.

Tea

Play finally got under way at 1.10pm on the second day after the groundstaff spent the morning mopping up at the County Ground. Gloucestershire, not surprisingly, put Northamptonshire in on an overcast afternoon and were rewarded by tea with three wickets. Oliver Newby, playing in his third championship match for Gloucestershire and who had not taken two wickets in an innings for them before now, dismissed both Stephen Peters and Niall O’Brien, who was well picked up at first slip.

Ben Howgego, who was making his first-class debut, was out to a fine diving catch by Steve Snell, but David Sales, thumping the ball around the square in characteristic style, had made an unbeaten 41 by tea.

Close

Sales was one run short of his third century of the season at Bristol when the umpires decided the light was too dark for any further play at 6.15pm. The Northamptonshire batsman had struck 12 fours and faced 147 balls, sharing an unbroken partnership of 98 with Andrew Hall after Gloucestershire had taken their first five wickets for 114.