24 May 2025

Northamptonshire leg-spinner Calvin Harrison followed up a career-best knock of 63 with two wickets to keep his side in control of their Rothesay County Championship clash against Gloucestershire at Wantage Road.

Harrison, on loan from Nottinghamshire, shared a ninth-wicket partnership of 90 with Liam Guthrie as the home side posted a daunting total of 469, built around Saif Zaib’s career-high 159.

Visiting captain Cameron Bancroft defied Northamptonshire with a gritty 60 – his first half-century in seven innings – while Miles Hammond hit a more pugnacious 51, but both fell shortly before stumps to leave Gloucestershire 156 for four, still 164 short of the follow-on target.

Harrison finished the day with two for 40, with Luke Procter and Harry Conway picking up a wicket apiece.

Resuming on 327 for six, Northamptonshire built steadily throughout the morning session, with Lewis McManus square cutting Matt Taylor to the boundary to take his stand with Zaib into three figures.

Taylor had McManus caught behind for 43 in his next over, persuading the right-hander to nibble outside off stump, but Zaib soon progressed to 150 for the first time as the home side pocketed a third batting bonus point.

They declined to attempt a swift dash for a fourth, particularly after Zaib’s marathon knock finally came to an end, slashing Archie Bailey to slip, but Harrison, who drove confidently on the off side – including an all-run four off Bailey – and Guthrie batted capably.

Gloucestershire brought back Zaman Akhter, who had been wayward early on, for a second spell at the David Capel End and Guthrie immediately steered him to the long-on boundary, prompting them to switch to an all-spin attack leading up to lunch.

That included the occasional off-breaks of Hammond, who continued after the interval but was soon targeted as Harrison, having passed his half-century, thumped him to the fence twice in quick succession.

Fellow spinner Ollie Price made the breakthrough when Harrison reverse-swept him into the hands of backward point and, with Guthrie holing out for 33 in Graeme van Buuren’s next over, it was finally time for Gloucestershire’s openers to strap on their pads.

There was an early scare for Bancroft, who dragged Guthrie onto his pad rather than the stumps, while Ben Charlesworth survived a hesitant inside edge off Conway in similar fashion.

The pair appeared to have settled into their rhythm, but Procter’s consistent spell as first change brought rewards when he found the outside edge of Charlesworth’s bat and Ricardo Vasconcelos snapped up the chance at slip.

However, Bancroft kept the scoreboard ticking along after tea, leg-glancing Conway to the rope and then flicking the seamer off his hips for four more while Ollie Price dropped anchor at the other end.

Price had just begun to flex his muscles by sweeping Harrison for two boundaries and tried to turn the leg-spinner around the corner again – but Vasconcelos anticipated the shot and scurried around behind McManus to take the catch.

New batter Hammond held firm and flourished against the spinners, scoring freely on both sides of the wicket to reach his fourth 50 of the campaign from 60 balls, sharing a stand of 80 with Bancroft.

But Harrison returned to pin Hammond leg before and the skipper departed in the next over, caught down the leg side off Conway as Gloucestershire limped through to the close.

For more information about Rothesay, please visit www.ecb.co.uk/about/who-we-are/our-partners/rothesay