Cameron Green’s Remarkable Century Saves Gloucestershire
Cameron Green showcased impressive resilience by scoring a crucial century, helping Gloucestershire recover from a precarious situation against Kent on day two.
After finding themselves at 139-4 in response to Kent’s first innings total of 424, Gloucestershire relied heavily on their overseas player, who finished with an admirable 102 not out from 150 deliveries, including 12 boundaries and a six.
Green partnered with James Bracey in a revitalizing unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 168, guiding the home team to a more secure position at 307-4 by day’s end, trailing by just 117 runs.
Bracey also contributed significantly, remaining unbeaten with 69 from 134 balls, while Gloucestershire already secured two batting bonus points.
For Kent, Jake Ball took 2 wickets for 67 runs, with Nathan Gilchrist and Grant Stewart each claiming one wicket as they showed determination in the field. However, the visitors need to capitalize on the new ball in the morning if they wish to regain momentum in a match that appears increasingly headed for a draw.
In their first innings, Kent resumed at 386-6 but lost their final four wickets for just 38 runs, with Ajeet Singh Dale achieving career-best figures of 7-110 from 26 overs. He dismissed both Stewart and Chris Benjamin, who scored 182 and 93 respectively, during a record seventh-wicket partnership of 264 for Kent, which wrapped up their innings in 110.4 overs.
While the new ball still had some shine, Stewart and Benjamin swiftly earned a fourth batting bonus point. Gloucestershire’s captain, Cameron Bancroft, turned to Singh Dale, who had been their most effective bowler on day one. Singh Dale claimed his first five-wicket haul of the season in his third over, catching Stewart off guard and seeing him edge to second slip. Stewart left the field with a commendable 182 runs, as Benjamin soon followed after being caught for 93. His patient innings had turned the tide for Kent, who had been in trouble at 137-6 the previous day.
