Cricket

Marchant de Lange's all-round brilliance propelled Gloucestershire to a spirited fightback on the opening day of their Vitality County Championship Second Division clash against Glamorgan at Cheltenham.The South African all-rounder's unbeaten 46 and record-breaking 75-run stand with Ajeet Singh Dale rescued Gloucestershire from a precarious 88 for 8 at lunch to a respectable 179 all out. De Lange then returned with the ball to claim 2 for 21, leaving Glamorgan trailing by 46 runs with three first-innings wickets remaining.Timm van der Gugten was the star performer for Glamorgan, claiming season-best figures of 5 for 59. However, his efforts were matched by Gloucestershire's Beau Webster, who produced a stunning three-wicket burst in 12 balls.Kiran Carlson top-scored for Glamorgan with 37, but the Welsh county still faces an uphill battle to avoid defeat.Gloucestershire's batting woes continued after their heavy defeat to Yorkshire earlier in the week. Cameron Bancroft, Ollie Price, Ben Charlesworth, and Graeme van Buuren all fell cheaply, leaving the home side reeling at 49 for 5.Miles Hammond and Webster provided a brief respite, adding 36 for the sixth wicket. But van der Gugten's return triggered a collapse, removing Hammond and Webster in quick succession.Marnus Labuschagne's introduction with the ball gave Gloucestershire a glimmer of hope, but Matt Taylor's dismissal left them on the brink of disaster.However, de Lange and Singh Dale had other ideas. The last wicket pair unleashed a flurry of boundaries, posting a quickfire 50 in 47 balls to give Glamorgan's bowlers a headache.Singh Dale eventually departed for 32, but de Lange remained unbeaten on 46, his aggressive approach lifting the spirits of the Gloucestershire crowd.Buoyed by their lower order's heroics, Gloucestershire kept plugging away with the ball. Taylor had Eddie Byrom caught at mid-on, Akhter claimed the prized wicket of Labuschagne, and de Lange induced Billy Root to edge behind.Gloucestershire then passed up an opportunity to dismiss Carlson on 11, but Webster made amends by removing Northeast and Cooke in quick succession.De Lange struck a crucial blow shortly before the close, persuading Carlson to hook a delivery straight to Hammond at deep fine leg. Glamorgan still trail by 46 runs, but Gloucestershire will be confident of completing a victory on day two.

Gloucestershire's bowlers, led by Marchant de Lange's three wickets, secured a resounding 256-run victory over Northamptonshire in the Vitality County Championship at Wantage Road.Resuming on 144 for 2, Northamptonshire needed 414 runs to win or bat out the day for a draw. Karun Nair and George Bartlett initially frustrated Gloucestershire with an 83-run stand, but the introduction of the second new ball proved decisive.Josh Shaw and de Lange removed both set batters, with de Lange bowling Nair for 61 and Bartlett for 74. Ajeet Singh Dale then mopped up the tail, taking three wickets as Northamptonshire's final five wickets fell for just 35 runs.Northamptonshire had started the day brightly, adding 81 runs in the morning session. However, Shaw dismissed George Scrimshaw and Tom Price caught Luke Procter to leave the visitors on 225 for 4.Bartlett and Nair played some fluent strokes before lunch, but Gloucestershire's decision to take the new ball paid dividends. Shaw broke the partnership by dismissing Bartlett, and de Lange then removed Nair and Saif Zaib in quick succession.Liam Patterson-White and Siddharth Kaul offered some resistance, but Singh Dale and Zafar Gohar wrapped up the innings, with Bracey taking four catches behind the stumps.Gloucestershire's victory ended a run of seven matches without a win in the County Championship. It was their first victory since September 2022 and moved them up to fifth in Division Two.

Gloucestershire's hopes of securing their first County Championship victory since 2022 soared on day two of their Division Two clash with Northamptonshire, thanks to a dominant bowling performance led by Marchant de Lange.The South African paceman, who had already claimed a six-wicket haul against Middlesex this season, unleashed a barrage of hostile deliveries to dismantle Northamptonshire's batting lineup. De Lange's 5 for 42 included a double-wicket maiden, leaving the hosts reeling at 171 all out, 238 runs behind Gloucestershire's first-innings total of 409.De Lange also played a crucial role in Gloucestershire's first-innings tally, contributing an unbeaten 36, including two towering sixes, to Josh Shaw's 44. Siddarth Kaul, making his debut for Northamptonshire, managed to complete a five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 5 for 76.Despite their commanding lead, Gloucestershire opted not to enforce the follow-on. Instead, openers Cameron Bancroft (36 not out) and Ben Charlesworth (41 not out) extended the visitors' advantage to 315 runs, reaching 77 for 0 at the close of play.Gloucestershire's innings resumed on 338 for 8, with Shaw and de Lange launching a blistering assault on the Northamptonshire bowlers. De Lange's sixes off Ben Sanderson and George Scrimshaw set the tone for a rapid accumulation of runs, securing a fourth batting point before Kaul dismissed Shaw for 44.Northamptonshire's reply began promisingly, with Ricardo Vasconcelos smashing a six over long leg. However, de Lange's introduction turned the tide, as he dismissed Vasconcelos and Karun Nair in quick succession. George Bartlett and Luke Procter briefly threatened a recovery, but spinner Zafar Gohar and Tom Price chipped away at the hosts' resistance.De Lange returned to claim the wickets of Kaul and Sanderson, while Gohar wrapped up the innings by trapping Liam Patterson-White lbw. Gloucestershire's bowlers had reduced Northamptonshire to 171 all out, leaving the visitors in a commanding position heading into day three.

Gloucestershire's Marchant de Lange, a 33-year-old South African fast bowler, made a remarkable comeback on the opening day of the Vitality County Championship Second Division match against Middlesex at Bristol. De Lange claimed six wickets for 49 runs, reaching his 350th first-class wicket milestone in the process.After Middlesex won the toss and elected to bat, Mark Stoneman and Nathan Fernandes gave them a solid start with a 55-run opening partnership. However, de Lange's introduction turned the tide as he dismissed Stoneman, Max Holden, and Fernandes in quick succession.Leus du Plooy and Ryan Higgins attempted to stabilize the Middlesex innings, but Dom Goodman's delivery induced du Plooy into a false shot, resulting in a catch for wicketkeeper James Bracey. Stephen Eskinazi and Higgins followed suit, leaving Middlesex reeling at 127 for 5.De Lange continued his dominance, removing Jack Davies and Higgins in quick succession. Tom Helm and Josh de Caires briefly halted the slide with a 58-run partnership, but de Lange returned to dismiss both batsmen, leaving Middlesex all out for 203.Gloucestershire's reply began poorly as Chris Dent was dismissed for three. Cameron Bancroft and Ollie Price added 38 runs for the second wicket, but Bancroft fell to Ryan Higgins. Price was caught behind off Tom Helm, leaving Gloucestershire on 82 for 3 at the close of play.De Lange's performance was a testament to his recovery from a thigh injury that ended his season last summer. His 16 rapid overs from the Ashley Down Road End proved too much for the Middlesex batting lineup, which struggled to cope with his pace and accuracy.