Derbys on top against Glos as Morley takes six-fer

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3 hours ago

Rothesay County Championship Division Two, Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (day one)Gloucestershire: Bancroft 58, Bracey 47; Morley 6-55, Thomson 2-20Derbyshire 116-2: Lloyd 35, Jewell 32, Came 29*; Bailey 1-9Glos (0 pts), Derbys (3 pts)Match scorecard
Jack Morley claimed career-best figures of 6-55 as Derbyshire dominated the opening day of their County Championship match against Gloucestershire at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.Bowling around the wicket from the Ashley Down Road End, the 23-year-old left-arm spinner sent down 18.2 overs, sparking a collapse that took the home side from 68 for no wicket to 187 all out after winning the toss.Cameron Bancroft top-scored with 58, while James Bracey contributed 47, and there were two wickets each for Zak Chappell and Alex Thomson. By the close of a day in which six overs were lost to rain, Derbyshire had replied with 116-2, Harry Came unbeaten on 29.Before play began, players, officials and staff from both clubs stood in line to observe a minute's silence as a mark of respect for Gloucestershire president and former fast bowler David 'Syd' Lawrence, who died at the age of 61 following a long battle with motor neurone disease.Just 50 minutes play followed before rain forced an early lunch, taken at 12:30 BST. By the break, Gloucestershire openers Bancroft and Joe Phillips, the latter making his first appearance of the season, had put 35 runs on the board in 12.2 overs.Play resumed at 13:25 and there was little sign of the carnage ahead as Bancroft and Phillips extended their partnership comfortably before Phillips, on 27, drove Morley in the air to mid-on where Ben Aitchison took a good tumbling catch.It was 82-2 when Ollie Price was bowled on the back foot by a delivery from Morley that hurried through, and 86-3 when Miles Hammond advanced down the pitch to the same bowler only to miscue a catch to Aitchison at mid-off.Bancroft went to a solid 114-ball half-century, with eight fours, but fell with the total on 102, caught behind trying to pull a short ball from Chappell.Gloucestershire's plight worsened when Graeme van Buuren went lbw to Thomson and Ben Charlesworth followed for a duck, caught at second slip attempting to drive Morley.At 114-6, Gloucestershire's innings looked in tatters. But Bracey and Zaman Akhter stopped the rot with a seventh-wicket stand that was worth 37 by tea, Akhter playing positively before the break, reverse sweeping Thomson for four and off-driving another boundary in the same over.The England Lions all-rounder continued in the same vein after the interval, timing a sweet straight four off the opening delivery of the session, sent down by Chappell, and quickly following up with a boundary through the covers.Bracey had begun his innings with two edged fours wide of second slip off Chappell. But under clearing skies and early evening sunshine, he also found his touch as the stand reached 64 before Akhter was bowled by Morley for 32.Australia Test off-spinner Todd Murphy, making his Gloucestershire debut, could score only one before being caught at deep square pulling a ball from Chappell, Aitchison pouching a fourth catch. Ajeet Singh Dale was bowled by a ball from Morley that straightened, and when Bracey, having run out of partners, holed out to long-on, Gloucestershire had lost all ten wickets for 119 runs in the space of 36 overs.Derbyshire were left with 28 overs to face before stumps. Openers David Lloyd and Caleb Jewell took the score to 49 in the 11th over before Jewell, who had just pulled a six off Akhter, fell to the same bowler, edging a back-foot shot to second slip and departing for 32 off 39 balls.Murphy, brought on as early as the eighth over, was unable to pose the problems caused by Morley from the same end, but 19-year-old seamer Archie Bailey struck with his eighth ball on seasonal debut as Lloyd, having moved untroubled to 35, cut a catch to point.Came and Wayne Madsen saw out the remaining overs as Derbyshire reached the close trailing by only 71 runs.ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay