Glamorgan lead Gloucestershire in a dogfight at Bristol

The match between Glamorgan and Gloucestershire has developed into a an enthralling promotion battle at the County Ground. After being dismissed for 331, Glamorgan`s bowlers fought back with a disciplined spell of seam and spin, as Gloucestershire finished the second day on 237/7, still 94 runs behind and just three wickets in hand.

The day began with Gloucestershire finishing off Glamorgan`s first innings inside the opening 9 overs. Resuming on 314/6 Glamorgan lost their last four wickets for just 17 runs, with Jon Lewis taking all four, at a cost of just 4 runs in 20 balls. David Hemp was left stranded on 69* - his best Championship score of the season.

Glamorgan immediately fought back as Gloucestershire lost their acting captain Craig Spearman in the third over. The Kiwi might have departed caught and bowled to the first ball of the innings, but Michael Kasprowicz could not quite hold onto the ball. However, the Australian soon made amends as in his next over he bowled Spearman.

Phil Weston and Tim Hancock then shared a partnership of 93 for the second wicket. Whilst Hancock kept the scoreboard ticking over, Weston became rather becalmed before lunch and went forty minutes without scoring. However, he was far more assertive after the interval, striking three boundaries in four balls.

Hancock continued to drive and cut well, and after surviving a sharp chance in the slips when on 41, he reached his half-century - his first since the opening week of May - from 93 balls and hitting 8 fours. But shortly afterwards Gloucestershire lost 4 wickets for 50 runs in the space of 18 overs as the Glamorgan seamers made inroads into the Gloucestershire batting.

Weston was the first to go as he drove Kasprowicz in the air and was caught by Ian Thomas at cover. Shortly afterwards, Alex Wharf replaced the Australian at the Pavilion End and soon trapped Jonty Rhodes leg before for just 7, before removing the obdurate Hancock for 64 courtesy of a fine catch down the leg side by wicket-keeper Mark Wallace.

After Wharf had taken 2/15 in seven overs, Robert Croft brought on David Harrison at the Pavilion End, and his shrewd change had immediate rewards as Matt Windows pulled a short ball from Harrison straight to the wily captain at mid-on.

Ian Harvey had a charmed life at the start of his innings, surviving several vociferous appeals as well as deflecting the ball over his stumps. But he survived and after tea briefly counter-attacked with Alex Gidman, adding 47 invaluable runs, until Harvey drove a ball to Alex Wharf at deep mid-off to give Croft a highly deserved first wicket in the 33rd over of an accurate spell that had tied down the batsmen from the Ashley Down End.

Gidman remained unperturbed, and the promising youngster reached his half century from 114 balls with nine fours. His first half century of the season could not have come at a better time as far as Gloucestershire were concerned, and with Jack Russell in typically dogged mood, the 7th wicket pair added a further 36 runs in the final hour until Russell was leg before padding up to Croft.