County Championship: Wickets fall at Leicester as Foxes hold sway over Gloucestershire

Ben Charlesworth had a good day, making 33 and taking the catch that earned younger brother Luke his maiden first-class wicket

Leicestershire held, lost and then regained the upper hand over Gloucestershire on an eventful second day.

On a pitch that continued to make batting hard work, Gloucestershire closed on 179-8, with a lead of 134 after Tom Scriven (3-43) increased his match return to seven wickets.

But promotion-chasing Leicestershire's points haul from this match may be under threat as a result of their slow over-rate, the scoreboard showing minus five as they left the field.

Earlier, Leicestershire had surrendered what could have been an even stronger position.

They lost their last eight first-innings wickets for just 54 runs as Zaman Akhter (4-46) and Luke Charlesworth, who took 3-54 on his first-class debut, led a spirited fightback from an inexperienced Gloucestershire attack.

Rishi Patel, top scorer with 73, became Charlesworth's maiden first-class victim, hanging his bat out at one that swung away. And the 20-year-old right-armer's older brother Ben took the catch at first slip, but Umar Amin's debut lasted four balls, ending with an expansive drive edged to second slip.

Charlesworth capped a memorable debut by also dismissing Leicestershire's other debutant Ben Cox for just 3.

Only when Miles Hammond (46) and Ben Charlesworth (33) were adding 70 for the third wicket did Gloucestershire threaten to turn that to their advantage.

At 95-3 at tea, 50 in front, there was still potential for Gloucestershire to establish a lead that might set a test for Leicestershire in the fourth innings but the return of Chris Wright and Wiaan Mulder made that less likely.

Mulder squeezed one between a defensive bat and pad to trap Miles Hammond in front before Wright did for Harry Tector with one that kept a shade low.

Scriven then had James Bracey and Josh Shaw caught behind and Zafar Gohar taken at slip.

But Akhter's late unbeaten 22 from 30 balls could yet be important in a low-scoring contest.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.