Gloucestershire reach 456/4 at the close of play at Bristol

Michael Klinger had yesterday led Gloucestershire's reply with an opening stand of 79, plus an undefeated second wicket stand of 100 with Dan Housego, although the home captain rode his luck as he was nearly caught behind before he had scored, as well as later edging a couple of balls just short of the slip cordon. With seamer John Glover still hors de combat having dislocated a finger on his bowling hand and set to take no further part in the game, the Welsh county were looking to make further inroads this morning when play began with the home side still 269 runs in arrears.

With the new ball thirteen overs away, Dean Cosker resumed the bowling at the Pavilion End whilst Jim Allenby - who had delivered a parsimonious spell yesterday - continuing at the Ashley Down End. Klinger struck the day's first boundary as he lofted Cosker over mid-on before delicately late cutting him. Housego then completed his fifty by guiding Allenby to third man as the 200 came up in the 75th over, whilst Klinger off-drove Cosker for another boundary before securing a single against the spinner as he reached his third hundred of the season after five hours at the crease.

Michael Hogan and Mike Reed then returned to the attack with the new ball, but there were few alarms for the second wicket pair who continued to chisel away at the deficit as Gloucestershire moved closer and closer to the follow-on mark. Klinger unfurled another booming off-drive against Hogan before Housego did the same against Reed as the 250 came up in the 90th over. He celebrated the acquisition of a second batting point by steering Hogan through backward point for another boundary.

But with the total on 259, Housego departed for 82 as he swatted Hogan high into the hands of Murray Goodwin who completed the catch running in from the deep square-leg boundary, thereby ending the stand which had added 180 in 60 overs. Alex Gidman duly joined Klinger half an hour before lunch and continued to thwart Glamorgan's efforts to secure a bowling point before the interval.

Gloucestershire had gone to lunch still needing 25 runs to avoid the follow-on, and with a dozen overs remaining when bonus points were available, there was plenty of chat in the crowd during the luncheon interval speculating on whether the West Country side would declare behind to set up a possible run chase or whether they would try and go past Glamorgan and amass a first innings lead.

But Michael Klinger's approach before lunch, and the fact that he scored 36 in the morning session, suggested that he was seeking to build a large total and he continued to watchfully accumulate as Dean Cosker and Jim Allenby bowled in tandem at the start of the post-lunch session. Indeed, it was Alex Gidman who was the more assertive as he drilled Cosker through mid-wicket to register the first boundary of the session before glancing Allenby to fine-leg.

The follow-on was avoided, and the 300 was also brought up, as Klinger clipped Cosker to the fence at mid-wicket. Gidman then greeted the return of Mike Reed into the attack by punching him through extra cover followed by a forceful on-drive. He followed this by lofting Cosker straight for six before cutting Reed over the head of second slip to reach his fifty from 77 balls.

The cloud had also built up since lunch and light drizzle set in as Will Bragg had a trundle at the Pavilion End, but after one more over the rain intensified forcing the players off the field. An early tea was then taken at 3.10pm, and after the precipitation eased, it meant that a res-start would occur at 4.35pm with a dozen opvers being lost from the days allocation.

Following the interruption by rain, play resumed at 4.35pm with Gloucestershire resuming their first innings on 349/2, and 99 runs in arrears. Michael Klinger began with some deft glances, whilst Alex Gidman unleashed some firmly struck blows as Jim Allenby and Mike Reed continued to bowl in tandem.

Gidman moved closer to becoming the fourth centurion in the match as he pulled successive short balls from Reed for six and four before despatching Allenby through mid-off for four. Another pull for four against Reed took Gidman into the nineties, but with the total on 391, Klinger's seven and a half hour vigil ended as Mark Wallace completed a diving catch to his right as he clung onto an edged drive against Allenby. Hamish Marshall duly announced his arrival at the crease by square-cutting Allenby for four as his side reached the 400-mark in the 126th over.

Gidman continued to find the ropes as he on-drove Allenby before glancing Hogan for a single to complete a 117-ball hundred and his second in successive Championship matches. Marshall greeted the return of Dean Cosker at the Pavilion End by cutting him for four before Gidman drilled the spinner to long-on for a six and a four. But the spinner gained immediate revenge as Gidman then chipped a ball back to Cosker as Gidman departed for 113 with his side on 432/4.

An over later, rain started to fall again and the umpires took the players off the field at 5.40pm, but the precipitation soon eased and play resumed half an hour later with Marshall and Benny Howell facing a further nine overs during which they wiped off the arrears with the latter driving Cosker straight for six before a single against Hogan saw the home side take the lead. Shortly afterwards, Will Bragg at third man spilled a chance as Marshall upper-cut Hogan, with the former New Zealand Test batsman surviving to see out the closing three overs.