Gloucestershire 368 (O Value 85, Lamb 70, Dale 52, Wright 3-40) and 9 for 0 lead Leicestershire 350 (Hill 103, Patel 59, Akhter 4-33) by 27 runs

Lewis Hill maintained focus in energy-sapping warmth to attain his seventh first-class century as Leicestershire battled for first-innings parity on the third day of their LV= Insurance coverage County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.

The visiting skipper’s 103 occupied practically 5 and a half hours and led his facet to a complete of 350 in reply to 368. Rishi Patel cracked 59 off 70 balls, whereas Louis Kimber contributed 34 earlier than being given out for obstructing the sphere.

Seamer Zaman Akhter was essentially the most profitable Gloucestershire bowler with 4 for 33 from 17 overs in solely his third first-class match. By the shut, the hosts had made 9 with out loss of their second innings and a draw appears by far the almost definitely final result tomorrow.

A sweltering day started with Leicestershire 23 with out loss. Openers Patel and Sol Budinger set concerning the job of decreasing the deficit of 345 in constructive method.

Patel appeared in prime kind, timing the ball sweetly and pulling a six off Tom Value because the pair introduced up fifty within the seventh over of the morning.

They appeared set to construct a considerably bigger stand when, with the entire 66, Budinger, on 21, aimed an unsightly cross-batted swing at a large supply from Akhter and edged to wicketkeeper James Bracey.

Patel struck fours off successive deliveries from Danny Lamb to succeed in a powerful 56-ball half-century and adopted up with a straight six off Zafar Gohar’s first over, the nineteenth of the innings.

It was a shock when Patel fell within the following over, edging a defensive shot off Akhter to second slip with the rating on 85. A watchful Hill took 24 balls to get off the mark, earlier than sweeping two fours off Gohar.

Akhter’s preliminary five-over spell from the Ashley Down Highway Finish completed with figures of two for 5, reward for the 24-year-old producing sustained tempo and bounce.

At lunch, the scoreboard learn 132 for 2 off 37 overs, with Hill unbeaten on 34. The afternoon session was interrupted at simply after 2.15pm by a hearth alarm, triggered by the consequences of the excessive temperatures, which…

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