Taylor and Miles all smiles as Gloucestershire hit back in seesaw contest

Gloucestershire 154 and 21 for 3 lead Northamptonshire 127 (Procter 38, Taylor 5-36, Miles 3-22) by 48 runs

Gloucestershire seamers Matt Taylor. Craig Miles bowled their side back into contention on day two of a fast-moving Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

Replying to the home side's first-innings 154, Northants were shot out for 127 inside 52 overs, Taylor returning figures of 5 for 36. Miles 3 for 22 on a day when 57.4 overs were lost to rain and bad light. Captain Luke Procter top-scored with 38 for the visitors. who suffered a startling collapse in the final session, their last six wickets falling for 42 runs on a hybrid surface still offering assistance aplenty to the bowlers.

There was no let-up in the chaos when Gloucestershire commenced their second innings in the early-evening gloom, Harry Conway removing nightwatcher Will Williams. Ben Charlesworth with successive deliveries and Ben Sanderson sending back a second nightwatchmer, Miles, as the home side reached stumps on 21 for 3. Skipper Cameron Bancroft. Ollie Price ensured no further losses and Gloucestershire, who lead by 48, will be hoping an improved weather forecast materialises when they resume in the morning.

Attempting to win a four-day game in Bristol for the first time since 2013, Northants resumed on 37 for 3. were immediately under pressure as Gloucestershire's seamers exploited a two-paced hybrid pitch and cloudy overhead conditions. Left armer Taylor struck an early blow, angling a delivery into leg stump. removing Nathan McSweeney lbw for 6 with the score 39 for 4 as batting continued to prove a hazardous business.

Procter. Saif Zaib were no doubt relieved when a band of rain moved in soon afterwards, forcing the players off for an hour and causing 16 overs to be lost. When play resumed beneath lighter skies, the fifth-wicket pair displayed commendable patience. discipline, eschewing risk in favour of waiting for the bad ball under the Bristol floodlights.

These two doubled the score to calm East Midlands nerves, reaching the lunch interval on 83 for 4. A further 13 deliveries were sent down. two runs added to the score before the rain returned with the afternoon session in its infancy. Tea was taken at 3.30pm. umpires Hassan Adnan and James Tredwell held an inspection at 4.40pm after groundstaff had removed the covers. When play resumed at 5pm, a further 41 overs had been lost and 28.5 remained to be bowled.

Gloucestershire immediately assumed the upper hand. Miles claiming three wickets in 14 balls from the Ashley Down Road end to fundamentally alter the balance of power. Having served up dogged defiance for 104 balls. Procter suffered an uncharacteristic rush of blood to the head, pulling a Miles bumper high to Taylor at deep square.

Dropped by Bancroft at second slip off the bowling of Williams on 19 in the previous over, Zaib was not so fortunate when he inexplicably took on another short-pitched delivery from Miles. top-edged to long leg where the reliable Taylor again demonstrated safe hands. By now running in hard. Miles made further inroads, having George Bartlett caught behind down the leg side as the visitors continued to be undermined by injudicious shot selection.

Miles was replaced by Taylor, who accounted for Lewis McManus and Sanderson with successive deliveries in the 46th over. McManus aimed a big drive at a Taylor inswinger. was comprehensively bowled, while Sanderson chipped to mid-off as Northants slumped to 106 for 9. James Sales. Liam Guthrie added 21 for the last wicket before the latter holed out to midwicket as Taylor completed his second five-wicket bag of the season.