An important final day awaits as Gloucestershire cricket club prepare for the final day of their four day test match against county rivals Kent.
So far it has been a difficult season for Glos with just one win in their opening four encounters that being the most recent tie comfortably beating Derbyshire by 10 wickets. Before then it had been a problematic start to the County championship season with three defeats in a row which saw them sat bottom of division two of the county championships.
However they intend on continuing to improve on their fortunes with the ongoing tie at Kent, currently finely placed heading into the fourth and final day with Kent needing 261 runs to win with their innings having just got underway this morning.
Captain Cameron Bancroft spoke to BBC Radio Bristol after the third day “The game ebbed and flowed the whole day, to bat the whole of the day (3rd day) was a huge positive and there will be an exciting conclusion so game is on.
“It was a hard day to open the batting with way the ball was swinging so it’s easy to go through periods where you can loose a quick succession of wickets so it was nice to hang on in there for a bit.”
Gloucestershire will be hoping that their bowling attack of Will Williams and Gabe Bell who between them took 7 of the 10 wickets in Kent’s first innings will once again be able to bowl well to avoid picking up a fourth defeat of the season.
Kent however are a team that have also had their fair share of struggles so far this season with their only win also being a victory over Derbyshire. They’ll hope captain and talisman Daniel Bell Drummond will be able to help steer them to victory.
The home team will hope a strong final day will be able to kickstart their season with the T20 blast set to get underway this month a competition where Gloucestershire will hope to improve on what was a disappointing season last year.
With light rain expected throughout the day the possibility of a draw looms over the players, however currently with the action just having got under way their is no sign of the expected downfall.
The Unique seat stadium home to Gloucestershire has been noted before as a pitch that is difficult to take wickets on the final day however Bancroft was keen to point out a difference in the pitch this season claiming there may be “a bit more pace on the wicket,” possibly caused by the new groundsman who had been appointed for this season.
“You have to play well to score runs and equally you have to work hard to take good wickets, so I think he (groundsman) has done a very good job.”
