GIDMAN AND TAYLOR SET-UP CHANCE OF VICTORY by Marcus Hook
Gloucestershire 523-7d v Surrey 183 & 136-3.

Despite the loss of 68 overs on the first day, this game moved on so rapidly yesterday that Surrey now face the prospect of a third successive defeat in the County Championship. Having been negligent in allowing Gloucestershire, who have also been on the receiving end in their last two games, to add 299 to their overnight total at nearly six runs per over, the Brown Caps showed greater application with the bat, but that did not prevent the hosts accounting for both of the Surrey openers as well as their out of form skipper Stewart Walters, who looked to be harshly done by after aiming to glance Ian Saxleby. The visitors closed needing to make 204 to prevent Gloucestershire registering their first innings victory over Surrey since 1975.

Yesterday's morning session was a story of dropped catches, insipid bowling and some expansive strokeplay. It produced 177 runs in 28 overs for the loss of Hamish Marshall, who flicked the first ball of the day, bowled by Alex Tudor, to the fine leg boundary. Three overs later the diminutive New Zealander gave a half chance, low to the right of Walters at second slip, off the bowling of Jade Dernbach. But three overs later, after working Tudor through square leg, Marshall, attempting a second run, was beaten by Rangana Herath's direct hit.

Having shared in a partnership of 173 in 39 overs with Marshall, Alex Gidman then combined with Chris Taylor to put on 197 in 32 overs for Gloucestershire's fourth wicket. But it might have been a different story had Usman Afzaal held on to a regulation chance at first slip, before Taylor had troubled the scorers, off the luckless Dernbach, who sank to his knees in disappointment.

In the 78th over, Gidman went to 99 by pulling Stuart Meaker for four and to his hundred, off 148 deliveries, by despatching the very next ball through cover point. Taylor then took two fours off Herath with drives through extra cover.

Surrey's fortunes did not improve with the new ball, which went for 51 runs in seven overs. Having taken two boundaries off Tim Linley in the 81st over, the next over saw Taylor cut two fours before driving another through extra cover off Dernbach. Two overs later the former Gloucestershire skipper progressed to a 42-ball half-century when he cover drove Dernbach for four.

In the 86th over, Gidman, who has played seven matches against Surrey and has failed to register a fifty in just one of them, despatched Linley for boundaries either side of the wicket. Meaker replaced Dernbach at the Jessop End, but the result was much the same as Taylor pulled, cut and then pulled the 20-year-old for four in the 87th over.

Gidman, on 137, gave a chance to Herath at extra cover off the bowling of Linley. The home side recorded maximum batting points in the last over before lunch when Taylor square drove the ordinary-looking Herath for four.

After the break, Tudor, who was easily the pick of the Brown Caps' attack, put down a sharp caught and bowled chance off Gidman. Next ball, the Gloucestershire captain went to 148 with a hooked six and in the next over, bowled by Herath, Gidman posted his 150, off 206 deliveries, by dancing down the pitch and driving the ball straight down the ground for four. He did likewise two overs later, except, this time, the ball sailed over the rope for six.

In the 101st over, much to Surrey's relief, Gidman opted for innovation and paid with his wicket, when he was caught at backward point, reverse sweeping Herath. Three overs later, Taylor brought up his hundred off 97 balls, but Taylor's best innings since May last year was curtailed when Meaker flattened his leg stump with an inswinging yorker.

Steve Adshead got off the mark with a straight six off Herath, but six overs later the Sri Lankan spinner picked up a second wicket when he beat the Gloucestershire wicketkeeper in the flight and had him stumped.

At 2.30pm, with the hosts on course to beat their highest ever total against Surrey - 544 at the Oval in 1928 - Gidman called Franklin and Saxleby in with a lead of 340.

Needing to survive 42 overs to take the game into a fourth day, Jonathan Batty and Michael Brown saw their side through to tea, which was taken with the visitors on 33 without loss.

After the interval, Batty on drove Anthony Ireland for four. Two overs later he cut the Zimbabwean over the slips, but, in the seventeenth over, Batty middled a cut off Ireland to bring up the fifty for Surrey.

The Brown Caps lost both openers in the space of five overs. Batty, cutting again, was caught behind off Marshall and in the 31 st over Ireland trimmed Brown's off-bail.

Arun Harinath played positively, given the match situation, to end the day with an unbeaten 44 off 56 balls, which included a paddle-hook off Ireland for six and three successive boundaries in the 36th over when he cut, pulled and then drove Saxleby through extra cover.

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