Dom Goodman's five-wicket haul inspires Gloucestershire fightback

Dom Goodman's maiden first-class five-wicket haul inspired a Gloucestershire fightback on a fluctuating day two of the Rothesay County Championship Second Division match with Leicestershire at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

Shortly after lunch, Division Two's early season pace-setters Leicestershire looked well placed to post a sizeable first-innings lead. Having reached 200 for 5 in response to the hosts' first-innings total of 252, the visitors looked well in command if perhaps not fully in control.

The Gloucestershire pace attack would have been legitimately scratching their heads at the lunch interval having only managed to pick up one wicket during a morning session in which they beat the bat with almost comedic regularity.

Resuming on 91 for 4, Leicestershire's experienced pair of Lewis Hill and Ian Holland were given a testing examination of both technique and ticker on a pitch which continued to offer pace and bounce for the seam bowlers.

Goodman and Ajeet Singh Dale bowled with skill and aggression but very little luck as they watched the Leicestershire batters continuously play and miss during the opening exchanges. Goodman did find the edge of Hill's bat at the end of the morning's third over, only for the ball to sail waist-height through the vacant third slip area.

When the Leicestershire batter released the shackles shortly after with consecutive fours through the offside to bring up his half-century from 96 balls, it looked like Gloucestershire Captain Cameron Bancroft may live to regret his rather conservative cordon. But Goodman soon enticed another edge from Hill, and this time Bancroft took a smart catch, tumbling low to his right at second slip, and Gloucestershire's 24-year-old paceman had picked up his third wicket of the innings and reduced the visitors to 119 for 5.

Despite looking like a wicket might fall almost every ball, that early breakthrough proved to be the only one during the opening session. The battling Holland, together with Leicestershire's wicketkeeper-batter Ben Cox, somehow managed to negotiate the remainder of the morning session without further damage. In the over before lunch, Holland's patience and perseverance saw him bring up a gritty half-century from 134 balls, as Leicestershire reached the break seemingly well-placed at 189 for 5.

But Gloucestershire, led by young seamer Goodman, roared back during the afternoon session. First, he pinned Holland lbw for 52, before producing an absolute beauty, which angled in and nipped away to hit the top of Logan van Beek's off-stump. It was a perfect delivery and brought him his maiden first-class five-wicket haul in style, reducing Leicestershire to 206 for 7 in the process.

The Foxes' tail was further exposed when Ben Cox was forced to retire hurt on 36 having been struck in the ribs by a nasty Zaman Akhter nip-backer. And when Roman Walker was bowled by Josh Shaw for a six-ball duck and Ben Green fell to Ben Charlesworth in similar fashion for 21, the visitors had slipped to 237 for 9 and suddenly faced the prospect of a first innings deficit.

Cox returned, however, to complete a gutsy half-century and guide Leicestershire beyond 250 and to their first batting bonus point. When he was bowled through the gate by Singh Dale for 53, the innings closed on 262, providing Leicestershire with a slender first-innings lead of 10 runs. It was a deserved wicket for Singh Dale who had run in hard all day for little reward, but it was the mightily impressive and metronomic Goodman, making his first appearance of the season, who will quite rightly take the plaudits, finishing with 5 for 54 from his 20 overs.

In reply, Gloucestershire found themselves 9 for 1 after Ben Charlesworth feathered an edge to Leicestershire captain and stand-in wicketkeeper Peter Handscomb off the bowling of Holland. But skipper Bancroft and Ollie Price, who fell to the impressive Holland during the penultimate over of the day, fought hard to steer the home side to 88 for 2 at the close, a lead of 78.

Leicestershire will hope that late wicket has swung the pendulum back in their direction but with Bancroft still at the crease this hugely absorbing contest remains firmly in the balance.