County Championship: Tom Price hits ton and takes hat-trick for Gloucestershire at Worcester

Tom Price's previous career-best with the bat was 71 against Glamorgan in Cardiff in 2021

Gloucestershire's Tom Price became only the 15th player in first-class cricket history to make a hundred and take a hat-trick in the same match as he inspired a recovery against Worcestershire at New Road.

After coming in number nine with the visitors 45-7, the 23-year-old smashed four sixes in his maiden century - 109 off 98 balls - before being lucklessly run out.

Having helped his side reach 231, Price then starred again with the ball as the Pears slumped to 118-7 by the close.

He took the wickets of Azhar Ali, Jack Haynes and home skipper Brett D'Oliveira in successive deliveries, all caught behind by wicketkeeper James Bracey.

His ton/hat-trick double is the 17th time it has been done in first-class cricket, twice by the same man, including Price's Gloucestershire predecessor, the great Mike Procter.

Joe Denly once did it for Kent in a T20 game. But Price became only the second player to hit all 100 runs and take a hat-trick on the same day, a feat first performed by Mohammad Mahmudullah for Central Zone against North Zone in the Bangladesh League in May 2014.

It is actually the fifth time a player has raised his bat on the same day as taking a hat-trick. But three of the previous batsmen were not out overnight. All cricket legends - former Warwickshire, Worcestershire and England captain RES 'Bob' Wyatt, in 1927, Lord Learie Constantine of Nelson and the West Indies, in 1928, as well as Gloucestershire and South Africa star Mike Procter, in 1972.

"It's a bit surreal," Price told BBC Sport. "It won't sink in for a while. I'll wake up in five minutes and it will all feel like a dream.

"I don't really know what to say. It has been an amazing day. I'm pretty tired but pretty delighted."

Tom Price took the first hat-trick of his career just 10 months ago against Kent at Canterbury

Having lost Jake Libby, lbw to Ajeet Singh-Dale, in the previous over, Price's second dramatic intervention of the day meant four wickets had gone down in eight balls as the Pears slumped from 58-0 to 59-4.

Price then claimed a fourth wicket when he also had Ed Pollock caught behind by Bracey, this one a superb one-hand diving catch to his right off an inside edge.

Matthew Waite and Ben Cox restored a bit of calm with a stand of 29.

But Singh-Dale came back on to have Cox also trapped lbw before finding Joe Leach's edge in his next over.

Josh Tongue came in to survive 18 balls and help Waite (37 not out) see out the day without any further alarm.

Bizarrely, Price's effort with the ball was the second time in the day that a player had been on a hat-trick, after Worcestershire paceman Ben Gibbon began the morning session in dramatic style.

After Gloucestershire had won the toss and opted to bat, the left-armer removed Chris Dent and Bracey with only the ninth and 10th balls of the day.

Joe Leach then took over, removing Miles Hammond and Australia Test opener Marcus Harris in successive overs before also trapping Ollie Price lbw to reduce the visitors to 24-5.

Dillon Pennington then had Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren caught behind before also tempting Jack Taylor to hole out.

At 45-7, things looked grim for the visitors, but Price, the elder of the two Gloucestershire brothers, flicked the switch into Bazball mode as he carried the attack back to Worcestershire.

He put on 44 for the eighth wicket with Zafar Gohar (22), a further 61 with Marchant de Lange (22) and then 81 more with last man Singh-Dale (22 not out).