County Championship: Liam Norwell gives Gloucestershire victory over Essex

Liam Norwell (left) took the first wicket to fall on the final day and ended with figures of 4-65 from 16.3 overs

Gloucestershire's bowlers secured a superb 61-run victory from the brink of defeat, taking nine wickets on the final day against Essex at Cheltenham.

Division Two leaders Essex started the day on 16-1 and required just another 197 for victory.

But seam bowlers Liam Norwell (4-65), Craig Miles (3-26) and David Payne (3-40) never let the batsmen settle, and by lunch they had slipped to 124-8.

When Norwell bowled Essex's top scorer Ashar Zaidi for 37, the hosts won.

The match swung in the hosts' favour when Tom Westley, Nick Browne and Ravi Bopara were sent back to the pavilion in the space of five overs to leave Essex on 59-5.

Miles' dismissal of Bopara for three saw him claim a split-innings hat-trick, having also struck with his final two deliveries of the first innings.

He then saw off the potentially dangerous duo of Dan Lawrence and captain Ryan ten Doeschate before James Foster fell with the last ball before lunch for just seven.

Third-placed Gloucestershire then wrapped up victory in the afternoon with little trouble as they aided their promotion bid as they move to just four points behind Worcestershire.