Tom Hartley, named Man of the Match, delivered a stellar performance, leading Lancashire to a challenging nine-wicket victory over Gloucestershire in Cheltenham, thereby keeping their hopes alive for promotion back to Division One of the County Championship.
After previously achieving a personal best with a score of 130 and taking 6-116 in the first innings to establish control, Hartley, a slow left-arm bowler, netted 5-99 on the final day of an engaging match at the historic College Ground. This triumph marked Lancashire’s second consecutive win in red-ball cricket under the interim leadership of head coach Steve Croft and captain James Anderson.
Following on, Gloucestershire was bowled out for 285 in their second innings, with Hartley concluding the match with impressive figures of 11-215. Ben Charlesworth and Joe Phillips contributed 71 and 56 runs, respectively, while Chris Green added 2-62 to the spin attack, which took seven wickets on a pitch offering some turn.
Chasing a target of 110 runs in just 26 overs, Lancashire successfully reached their goal, losing only Luke Wells, and did so with five overs to spare. An unbroken second wicket partnership of 103 runs between Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon was instrumental, with Jennings finishing with a brisk 57 not out from 67 balls and Bohannon scoring an undefeated 45 off 50 deliveries.
This victory earned Lancashire 22 points, lifting them to fourth place in Division Two and overtaking Gloucestershire, who settled for five points after their third defeat of the season.
Gloucestershire began their second innings with 98 runs on the board but faced the threat of another collapse. Openers Cameron Bancroft and Charlesworth needed to build on their good start, although the pitch was conducive to spin. Anderson quickly struck by dismissing Bancroft for 35 in the opening over, catching him at mid-wicket.
Charlesworth fell to George Balderson in his first over after attempting a risky shot, departing with a score of 71, while Ollie Price’s poor shot selection led to his dismissal, leaving Gloucestershire at 134-3. They narrowly avoided further loss with Miles Hammond, who was fortunate to escape a catch, before falling to Green, leaving the home side at 168-4. Phillips made a strong contribution, remaining unbeaten on 35 amid a struggling side.
