Leicestershire 222 (Cosgrove 92, Shaw 4-54) and 154 for 7 (Cosgrove 68, Norwell 5-37) lead Gloucestershire 376 (Bracey 63, Dent 57, Roderick 57, Raine 3-92) by eight runs
Liam Norwell made light work of Leicestershire’s top order © Getty Images
Liam Norwell took five wickets in an innings for the third time against Leicestershire this season to leave Gloucestershire on the brink of victory against the Foxes in their Specsavers County Championship match at the Fischer County Ground.
Leicestershire led by eight runs with just three second innings wickets remaining when bad light ended play 14 overs early, with only the ever-consistent Mark Cosgrove offering any real resistance. The Australian left-hander, who hit 92 in Leicestershire’s first innings, scored 68 before being given out caught behind off Norwell.
Before that there were failures for Michael Carberry – his fourth in as many innings since joining Leicestershire on loan until the end of the season – as well as Colin Ackermann and Harry Dearden as the Foxes, having conceded a first innings deficit of 146, were reduced to 51-3 in their second attempt.
Carberry edged a delivery which left him off the pitch low to first slip, Ackermann was leg before to a ball which seamed back in and Dearden was held at the second attempt at third slip after edging an attempted drive.
Cosgrove, who begun by pulling Josh Shaw for two boundaries through midwicket, and Ned Eckersley added 79 for the fourth wicket, but just as Eckersley was beginning to look comfortable, he played lazily forward to a gentle Kieran Noema-Barnett in-swinger and was bowled for 30.
Norwell then returned to bowl Neil Dexter with a delivery which seamed back in to clip the off bail, before Cosgrove got a rising delivery from Norwell that umpire Nigel Cowley adjudged had taken the edge on its way through to Roderick.
Earlier the visitors had extended their first innings from 218-3 to 368, despite quickly losing George Hankins, bowled middle stump by a quick, in-swinging delivery from left-arm seamer Dieter Klein.
James Bracey was then joined by captain Phil Mustard in adding 74 for the fifth wicket, with the 20-year-old Bracey scoring his first half-century for Gloucestershire before Mustard was bowled by Matthew Pillans, trying to cut a ball just outside off-stump and inside edging the ball on to his wicket.
Bracey, on 63, was then unfortunate to be run out at the non-striker’s end as bowler Pillans deflected a straight drive from Jack Taylor on to the stumps.
Leicestershire’s spirits were further lifted going in to lunch when the left-handed Noema-Barnett left a delivery from Pillans from around the wicket that went on to hit his off-stump, and Josh Shaw was leg before to a Ben Raine delivery which kept low.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo