Five-star Harris roars in for County

Day Two Report: Leicestershire 368 (Taylor 83*, Cobb 72, Nixon 57, Kirby 4-78) and 49-5 (Marshall 2-7, Kirby 2-12) lead Gloucestershire 138 (Taylor 50, Harris 5-26) by 279 runs.

An outstanding performance from AJ Harris ensured Leicestershire finished day two in a position of strength despite a Gloucestershire fightback in the intriguing Championship match at Grace Road.

Harris decimated the visitors' top order and came back to rattle the tail during an outstanding display in taking 5-26, and his efforts ensured Gloucs were bowled out for 138 in reply to County’s first dig of 368.

County decided against enforcing the follow-on with plenty of time left in the game and extended their lead to 279 by the close - although not in the solid fashion they were looking for as the team lost five wickets along the way.

It was another day packed full of incident, as although James Taylor started and ended the day unbeaten in controlled fashion, there was plenty of drama inbetween.

Taylor finished his first knock not out on 83 as the team gained a fourth batting point, with Claude Henderson adding some lusty blows in making a more-than-useful 34.

Play was delayed for 65 minutes because of rain, and when it started, the first objective for Taylor and Henderson was to pass the 350 mark.

Conditions were hardly ideal for play with a howling gale blowing across the ground, but the pair managed the feat.

Kirby continued to bowl with pace and aggression and the seamer pinned Taylor on the helmet early on.

However, the youngster battled alongside Henderson, who relished the role of aggressor in the partnership. He pulled James Franklin for a mighty four over mid-on before also finding the third man boundary.

A leg bye bought up the 350 and Henderson continued to enjoy himself, carving two beauties through cover off Franklin and Kirby.

The batter was peppered by Kirby, who decided on a short-pitched attack with catchers out ready for a miscue on the pull, but was dismissed when the seamer changed tack and pitched one up.

Henderson carved the ball out to deep extra cover where Hamish Marshall held the catch to end an excellent 74-run stand. Harris was then bowled by Lewis for two to complete the innings of 368 – but his best work was yet to come.

The visitors saw off 2.4 overs before lunch – which was taken prematurely due to a shower just before the break – but were put to the sword afterwards by the impressive Harris.

Harris, who had a loan spell at Gloucestershire last season, was on fire as he charged in from the Bennett End, and started his good work by yorking Kadeer, who has often scored runs against the team in the past.

The seamer continued to wreak havoc by claiming two key wickets. Firstly, Harris trapped Marshall in front in his fourth, and then bowled captain Alex Gidman in his fifth to have figures of 2-6 from his first five overs and leave Gloucs in some bother at 26-3.

It could have been even better had a Chris Taylor nick carried to Paul Nixon at slip rather than drop just short as the batter attempted to leave, and Taylor had another stroke of luck when flashing an inside edge narrowly past his leg stump in Harris’ next.

The batsman regained composure though and formed the backbone of his side’s innings with a calm fifty. He stroked two fours off James Benning in the 12th over, and young Rob Woodman - who had watched wickets tumble at the other end - also settled in with a couple of leg-side drives.

The pair took their stand past 50 but Wayne White struck to break it, having Woodman caught behind by New after going round the wicket to the left-hander. It ended a gritty stay of 31.

Franklin joined Taylor and the batter continued to play well, moving to 50 from his 94th ball. He struck six fours in the process.

County wanted to go into tea with momentum and the spinners struck twice to back up the seamers’ good work just before the interval with the score on Nelson.

Firstly, Taylor lost his partner when Franklin went back to Henderson and was trapped plumb in front. He then lost his own wicket when beaten by a nicely flighted off-break from Jigar Naik that turned sharply through the gate.

Harris then returned after the break and the on-song bowler continued the procession. Former County man Steve Adshead walked across a straight one and was trapped leg-before, and Harris then picked up his first five-for for the team by removing Ian Saxelby's middle peg.

It was terrific stuff from the experienced bowler, who was claiming his first five-wicket haul in the Championship since snaring five Warwickshire victims for Notts in May 2006.

It meant four wickets had fallen for just one run and the Foxes were flying, with Harris returning 5-16 from his first eight overs.

A fifth wicket fell in the space of five runs when Lewis was needlessly run out as Dawson attempted a two that Usain Bolt may have struggled to make, but the off-spinner and last-man Kirby put on a defiant stand of 21 for the last wicket.

Each played a number of attractive strokes, but White returned to wrap up the innings with his first ball of a new spell; catching Dawson off his own bowling off bat and pad.

Although the clock had well ticked past 5pm, there were still 24 overs to be bowled in a day where so much happened, and County decided to bat again rather than have another go at the visiting batsmen.

Steady progress would have been fine but Gloucestershire used the opportunity to release frustration of their poor batting performance and get a foothold of sorts in the match.

Kirby never shirks a challenge and roared in from the Bennett End. He claimed the wicket of Greg Smith early when the batter nicked behind to Adshead.

Boeta Dippenaar came in and opened his boundary account with a beautiful flicked four off his pads, before driving through the covers off the next ball sent down by Saxelby.

Nixon was battling away manfully in the face of some fine bowling, although he was finding it increasingly hard to get off the mark.

He still hadn’t managed to do it when Kirby - who was cleverly rotating frequently from over and around the wicket - cleverly nipped one back around the stumps and bowled the batter, who offered no stroke.

Josh Cobb and Taylor looked as though they were going to make it through to the close, but the introduction of niggly seamer Marshall was to prove decisive.

The Kiwi produced a fine yorker to bowl Cobb, and then trapped Tom New leg-before shortly after having a previous shout against the left-hander.

Taylor was still unbeaten at stumps on nine alongside Benning, and the teenager’s presence at the crease is a reassuring one for the team.

The batsman is in scintillating form and has gone more than four-and-a-half hours in this match without being dismissed; given 25 wickets have fallen in the opening two days, that is an impressive statistic.

Although 49-5 is hardly an ideal position to be in, the team are 279-5 in effect on a pitch that will continue to wear.

County will now hope that Taylor, Benning and the rest of the batsmen can set a substantial target for the visitors. The game has certainly moved at a frenetic pace, so expect another interesting day’s play tomorrow.