Marchant de Lange marches through Northamptonshire as Gloucestershire seize control

Gloucestershire 409 (Hammond 112, Bancroft 53, Kaul 5-76) and 77 for 0 (Charlesworth 41*, Bancroft 36*) lead Northamptonshire 171 (de Lange 5-42) by 315 runs

Marchant de Lange’s 13th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket left Gloucestershire anticipating a first County Championship win since the end of the 2022 season on day two of their Division Two clash with Northamptonshire.

The South African paceman, who’d already secured a six-fer against Middlesex this season, produced consistently hostile bowling to return 5 for 42, including wickets with successive balls as the hosts were hustled out for 171, 238 behind Gloucestershire’s first-innings total of 409.

De Lange played his part in the visitors reaching that tally too, his unbeaten 36, including two huge sixes, helping Josh Shaw add 71 for the ninth wicket, Shaw equalling his career-best with 44. Siddarth Kaul did at least complete a five-fer on debut for Northamptonshire, finishing with figures of 5 for 76.

Gloucestershire, who haven’t won at Wantage Road since 2010 declined to enforce the follow-on. Instead, openers Cameron Bancroft (36 not out) and Ben Charlesworth (41 not out) took the visitors to 77 for 0 and an overall lead of 315.

Gloucestershire began on 338 for 8 and Shaw and de Lange quickly dampened any hopes Northamptonshire may have entertained of wrapping up the tail with a ferocious assault on the bowling.

De Lange glanced an early Ben Sanderson delivery to fine leg for four to set the tone and he followed that up by clubbing the same bowler back over his head for six.

When Sanderson gave way to George Scrimshaw, de Lange deposited a short ball over mid-wicket for another six which looked set to endanger the resident ice-cream van, but fortunately it sailed beyond it onto the concourse.

Shaw caught the mood, clubbing Scrimshaw over the ropes, meaning a fourth batting point had been secured by the time Kaul pinned him lbw to end the fun.

The Northamptonshire reply opened in extraordinary fashion with Ricardo Vasconcelos hooking a short one from Ajeet Singh Dale over the head of long leg for six.

Fellow opener Emilio Gay’s experience was at the opposite end of the spectrum as he was pinned lbw first ball by a swinging delivery from Shaw which trapped him plumb in front.

Vasconcelos though forged on, adding six fours to his earlier six, meaning Northamptonshire went to lunch on 56 for 1 with little sign of the afternoon’s carnage to follow.

De Lange though changed the mood within three balls of the resumption. Vasconcelos hadn’t got his feet moving when nicking one through to James Bracey to depart for 43 and Karun Nair was beaten for pace first ball to be pinned in front.

George Bartlett prevented the hat-trick and for a while at least, he and Luke Procter threatened a rebuild.

It was spinner Zafar Gohar who cut the revival off trapping sipper Procter on the crease for 32 and Bartlett soon followed undone by a ball of extra bounce from Tom Price, Bracey taking a fine catch standing up to the stumps.

Saif Zaib, restraining his usual aggression, resisted stoically for his 23 from 80 balls only for De Lange to return and find the outside edge for Bracey to claim another victim and Zafar returned to have fellow spinner Liam Patterson-White lbw playing no shot.

Recharged by his afternoon cup of tea, de Lange helped wrap things up early in the final session Kaul and Sanderson both falling to catches behind the wicket, the latter to a brute of a ball which flew off the shoulder of the bat to slip.

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