Gloucestershire 124 for 6 (Balderson 4-27) vs Lancashire

After losing the toss, the home side had plunged to 124 for 6 off 44 overs by the time the weather brought play to a halt at 2.45pm. Seamer Balderson had figures of 4 for 27 from 16 overs, including a spell of 3 for 5 either side of lunch.

Ollie Price top-scored with 35 on another miserable day for Gloucestershire, who went into the match on the back of innings defeats in their first two Championship games.

Balderson’s contribution was all the more important given that Lancashire lost Ajeet Singh Dale to injury at the start of the sixth over. The former Gloucestershire pace bowler pulled up in delivery stride clutching the top of his left hamstring and will play no further part in the match. Ollie Sutton was summoned from a 2nd XI fixture at Leicester to take his place under the new substitute rule introduced into the Championship this season.

With the skies gloomy and the floodlights on from the start, Lancashire skipper James Anderson won an important toss and sent down an accurate six-over spell when play commenced, conceding only seven runs and beating the bat on several occasions.

It looked as though the visitors would have to work for their wickets when Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth took the total to 22. But then Bancroft advanced down the pitch to Anderson and called for a quick single to cover, failing to beat Josh Bohannon’s direct hit when rightly sent back by Charlesworth.

Lancashire suffered another injury problem with the score on 43 for 1 as wicketkeeper Matty Hurst suffered a painful blow to his left hand when standing up to the stumps to Balderson. Clearly in a lot of pain, he required several minutes of treatment before continuing in some discomfort.

Gloucestershire looked to be negotiating a testing morning well when Price and Charlesworth added 58 for the second wicket. But the final over before lunch saw Balderson squeeze a delivery through Price’s defence to knock back his leg stump and make it 80 for 2 at the interval.

It proved a turning point as Balderson struck twice more in quick succession after the break, pinning Charlesworth lbw for 26 with a delivery that appeared to keep low and having Miles Hammond caught behind trying to withdraw the bat.

Suddenly Gloucestershire were in trouble at 94 for 4 and their plight worsened when James Bracey became Balderson’s fourth victim, leg-before to a delivery that pitched on or around leg stump.

When Graeme van Buuren fell for a duck, edging a routine catch to Keaton Jennings at second slip off Paul Coughlin, the hosts were reflecting on another dismal batting effort, albeit in favourable bowling conditions, which saw Balderson get significant movement off the seam.

It was a relief to Gloucestershire when the forecast rain arrived, with 21-year-old Tommy Boorman, making his Championship debut, unbeaten on 11. It soon became heavy and ended any hope of a resumption.