Grace Road: as flat as its name

Leicestershire 323 & 245-5 drew with Gloucestershire 504-9 dec. ( Leics 7pts, Glos 11pts)

Grace Road proved true to its name as Gloucestershire toiled hard but failed to dismiss Leics for a second time to claim victory. Still, the Jessop Tavern View feels an away draw is a good result and one that the county have struggled to achieve in the last few seasons, a fact mentioned by Alex Gidman after the match.

The batting performance was very encouraging, with Gidman scoring some much-needed runs and maximum batting points taken. Kane Williamson's century, while an excellent knock, was less of a surprise as he looks a class act. We expect it won't be the only hundred from him this season. We would go as far to say that he looks an excellent addition already and was arguably the best possible overseas player the county could have tempted to Nevil Road. Time for some rare praise for the Richardson-Bracewell combo, perhaps? Also of note, his Shoaib Malik-esque off spin took more wickets than Banerjee and Ed Young combined.


It is of course unfair to judge Ed Young on the 5 overs Gidman allowed him in the match. You have to wonder what the point of picking him was, unless it was purely to strengthen the batting. The point of Banerjee is less clear. You could argue he was playing to lure the opposition into a false sense of security, thus prompting and error. However, the amount of dross he bowls you wonder whether even this questionable strategy is worth pursuing. Mind you, he was 9 not out when we batted.

Anyway, a CB40 thriller v Notts on Wednesday, then Essex up next in the Championship on Sunday. Should be a good game. We might even preview them if we're feeling inspired!