Derbyshire’s difficulties are exacerbated by Ireland international Harry Tector’s quick-fire 86.
Gloucestershire defeated Derbyshire by six wickets in their first Metro Bank One-Day Cup match at the Cheltenham Festival
Gloucestershire beat Derbyshire 298-9 (Haider Ali 82, Reece 50, van Meekeren 4-66) by six wickets (O. Price 116*, Tector 86*, Taylor 51*).
Gloucestershire defeated Derbyshire by six wickets in their first Metro Bank One-Day Cup match at the Cheltenham Festival, led by in-form Ollie Price’s maiden List-A century.
Price hammered out a commanding 116 not out and shared third-wicket partnerships of 142 with debutant Harry Tector and 108 with Jack Taylor as Gloucestershire chased down a target of 299 with 6.4 overs to spare.
Signed for just one game, 23-year-old Ireland international Tector made the most of his one chance to impress a large Festival audience, scoring an incredible 86 from 69 balls, while Taylor finished unbeaten on 51.
After losing the toss, Derbyshire reached 298 for 9, with Pakistan batter Haider Ali top-scoring with 82 and opener Luis Reece hitting 50. Paul van Meekeren claimed 4 for 66 and Zaman Akhter 3 for 56 to help Gloucestershire keep things under control.
Gloucestershire made a dismal start to their reply, with Sam Connors sweeping out openers Ben Charlesworth and Chris Dent in four deliveries from the College Lawn End to reduce the home side to 16 for 2 in the third over.
Tector took a tricky position in stride after representing Ireland against Scotland in a T20 international three days earlier in Edinburgh, scoring at a run-a-ball from the start to set a combative tone.
Using a small boundary at the famed old College Ground, the Dubliner batted with controlled aggression, scoring 50 off 52 balls before tucking into Mark Watt’s slow left arm as he put on the accelerator.
He and Price put on a century in 92 balls, and by the time his explosive game was ended by David Lloyd, who had him caught at mid-on in the 23rd over, Tector had smashed eight fours and four sixes and given Gloucestershire the upper hand.
With a further 141 required at 5.2 an over, Price took it upon himself to complete the task, reaching his hundred from 101 balls, eliciting a standing ovation from all who watched it. Alex Thomson bowled James Bracey for 23, but Taylor stood at the crease long enough to score a 45-ball 50 and establish his return to form.
These two were still there at the end, with Price facing 115 deliveries and hitting 13 fours to maintain his amazing run at the College Ground.
Derbyshire batted first and were given a supercharged start by openers Reece and Harry Came, who conjured a blaze of boundaries in a progressive stand of 71 in 11.1 overs. Josh Shaw and Ajeet Singh Dale were costly with the new ball, as the visitors raced to 50 from 51 balls.
The openers helped themselves to 12 fours and a six, scoring 54 runs in boundaries to take the wind out of Gloucestershire’s sails. With runs coming in too readily, the hosts brought in slow left-armer Zafar Gohar and experienced paceman van Meekeren to try to slow things down.
Came had accumulated 40 off 32 balls and was on his way to a half-century when he was dismissed by van Meekeren, who then completed the breakthrough by convincing Lloyd to chip to mid-wicket in a brilliant five-over session of 2 for 28.
Reece batted aggressively, scoring 50 off 58 balls with eight fours and a six, only to pull Zafar to deep backward square as the Pakistani bowler took a wicket maiden to reduce the visitors to 101-3 in the nineteenth over.
Haider and Brooke Guest increased the score to 140 for 3 at the midway point, the 50-ball partnership occupying 53 balls. These two scored 29 off three overs of offspin from Ollie Price to give their alliance a boost, with Haider earning a half-century. Guest, content to play a supporting role, delivered a 48-ball 43 in a 104-run stand that helped Derbyshire get back on track.
It was Derbyshire’s first century stand in any one-day match at Cheltenham, and Gloucestershire were desperate for relief by the time Guest pulled the returning van Meekeren to mid-wicket and Zaman Akhter dismissed Anuj Dal. However, as long as Haider remained at large, everything appeared possible for the East Midlands county.
After straight-driving and pulling Akhter for four and six in consecutive balls, the Pakistani international succumbed to complacency, chipping the same bowler to mid-wicket and leaving for 80. He had faced 65 balls and had eight fours and three sixes, taking Derbyshire’s greatest opportunity of reaching a truly imposing score with him.
The final 10 overs yielded 69 runs, with Tom Wood striking 28 and Watt not out, but there was a sense that the visitors could and should have done better. Gloucestershire were grateful to van Meekeren and Zafar, who provided figures of 4 for 66 and 1 for 30, respectively, with the latter bowling 40 dot balls in his 10 overs.
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