Chris Rogers, the Derbyshire captain, played a leading role yesterday as his side attempted to set Gloucestershire a challenging target. Rogers made 74, from 111 balls, with 15 fours, and looked destined to make his fourth championship hundred this season until being leg-before on the back foot to Jon Lewis. It was another roller-coaster day in which Gloucestershire fought their way back from 87 for six to climb to 222 all out and establish a once-improbable lead of 34, despite Graham Wagg returning six for 56.

Weight of runs has turned Steve Snell, 25, the Gloucestershire wicketkeeper, into a double asset illustrated by his seventh championship half-century this summer to complement a maiden first-class hundred against Worcestershire last May. Before the season started Snell was averaging 18 an innings, but he made 72 to increase his run total to 771 this year at an average of 45.35. A Gloucestershire recruit after emerging through the Hampshire youth ranks, Snell, born in Winchester, made 83 against Bangladesh A on his first-class debut three years ago.

Snell guided his team from the depths of 87 for six in conditions that were becoming friendlier to the batsmen after swing bowling had accounted for most of the 16 wickets that fell on the first day. Wagg, who reached 51 championship wickets this season, even had the audacity to bowl left-arm spin to Snell and medium pace to Anthony Ireland, the last man.

Gloucestershire had accrued 96 runs in the 30-over morning session with Lewis offering staunch resistance in support of Snell during an eighth-wicket partnership worth 69 in 22 overs. It ended when Lewis was caught at the wicket off Ian Hunter but Steve Kirby helped Snell to secure a batting bonus point before losing his off stump to Wagg, bowling in his quicker mode.

Circumspection was Derbyshire's initial tactic in their second innings, especially with Steve Stubbings, a specialist batsman, suffering from a hamstring injury and being unable to appear in the upper order. Paul Borrington, awarded a new two-year contract this week, followed his first-innings duck by being out for a single and even Rogers took time to find his touch.

Dan Birch batted in his familiar uncomplicated style, plundering 47 off 62 balls before being dismissed in the over before tea. Dan Redfern also departed, this time to Kirby, and when Rogers lost his wicket consolidation became the successful priority for Greg Smith and Tom New.

Derbyshire: First Innings 188 (S D Stubbings 62 not out; D O Brown 5 for 38)

Second Innings
*C J L Rogers lbw b Lewis 74
P M Borrington c Porterfield b Lewis 1
D J Birch lbw b Dawson 47
D J Redfern b Kirby 18
G M Smith not out 24
T J New not out 24
Extras (b 2, lb 2, w 1) 5
Total (4 wkts, 58 overs) 193

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-77, 3-110, 4-153.

Bowling: Kirby 15-5-61-1; Lewis 14-8-25-2; Ireland 7-1-37-0; Dawson 18-5-51-1; Brown 2-0-14-0; Taylor 2-1-1-0.

Gloucestershire: First Innings (overnight 98-6)
S D Snell c sub b Wagg 72
R K J Dawson c Borrington b Langeveldt 8
*J Lewis c New b Hunter 28
S P Kirby b Wagg 5
A J Ireland not out 3
Extras (b 10, lb 5, w 2, nb 14) 31
Total (65.4 overs) 222

Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-62, 3-65, 4-72, 5-74, 6-87, 7-121, 8-190, 9-201.

Bowling: Langeveldt 19-1-70-2; Hunter 15-2-48-1; Wagg 23.4-8-56-6; White 8-2-33-0.

Umpires: G I Burgess and R K Illingworth.