Day 3: Glos face a battle to stave off disappointing defeat.

 Day3: Gloucestershire 255 and 37 - 2 v Essex 321.

Whilst the other half of the Jessop Tavern View salivates about beer and upcoming T20 matches this half is keeping a nervy eye on the proper cricket at Nevil Road. After losing 2 late wickets, Gloucestershire will face a nervous final day as they try to salvage a draw from a game that seemed to be meandering slowly to a convenient draw for both sides.

The less optimistic, and more realistic Glos fans might won't to check here for tomorrow's weather forecast. Not encouraging.

The bowlers actually did a pretty decent job today. At 108 for 1 and with peg leg Shah and bowling allrounder Bopara still to bat things looked pretty good for Essex. Yet an excellent spell from the Gidman brothers then opened the door for the Sperm donor and only ten Doeschate and Adam Wheater helped Essex to a first innings lead of 66. In hindsight the boys might have been better off trying a little less hard and allowing Essex to bat out the day, claim maximum batting points by lunchtime tomorrow, and then only have a session and a half to bat out.

As it is both Coughtrie and Cockbain fell cheaply and it will take some good batting tomorrow to save this game from what would be a very disappointing defeat. The talent is there to save us, and so far this season Glos have usually come to the party when they have been asked. Yet the memories of the last x number of years of awful cricket mean that we're not confident.

We are still not sure why Coughtrie was opening instead of Chris Dent. We understand he has been doing so whilst Dent was out injured, but, considering that he has also been handed the gloves for the first time in this game, surely it made more sense for him to bat at 7. His limited stroke play also seem more suited to a lower order position which would allow him to hold up an end whilst people like the Sperm donor and Saxelby have a biff around him.

Lets hope the boys can do enough to secure the draw. It would be disheartening to throw away a good start to the 4 day season by sliding down the table with defeat here. Particularly just before the T20. Fingers crossed that Essex continue to feel obliged to give the ball to Bopara in the hope that he can convince the England selectors that his wretched first innings duck can be glossed over with a first class bowling average of 43.