'We've worked so hard' to get win - Van Buuren

Gloucestershire celebrated their first County Championship victory since September 2022 against Northamptonshire

Captain Graeme van Buuren said Gloucestershire have "worked so hard" after winning their first County Championship match since September 2022.

Gloucestershire beat Northamptonshire by 256 runs on the final day at Wantage Road, to claim their first red-ball victory in 593 days and 20 matches.

The win moved the club up to fifth in Division Two, after drawing three and losing one of their other four matches of 2024 so far.

"We've worked so hard to get to this point, the efforts from everybody was fantastic," Van Buuren told BBC Radio Bristol.

"It was a great team performance and I think we've played some great cricket leading up to this point. To have lady luck on our side for once was amazing."

Miles Hammond scored a century on the first day of play, before Marchant de Lange took his 13th five-wicket haul on day two to lay the groundwork.

Cameron Bancroft's century on day three - his first since returning to the club - then led Gloucestershire to the verge of the win.

"He [Bancroft] did it with so much composure, so much skill, and so much calmness and that's what we've been missing over the last couple of years," Van Buuren said.

"It's so important for us to learn from that and to take it forward."

Pace bowler De Lange then took 3-58 on the final day to help inflict Northamptonshire's first defeat of 2024.

"I can't fault the efforts, the boys ran in for ball after ball and we just knew if we stuck to our plans, stuck to our guns, our rewards would come and they did come in clusters," Van Buuren added.

"I'm not looking too far ahead, all I'm looking for is to play good cricket.

"What we did in this game, we played some fantastic cricket, and looking forward that's all I'm going to ask for the boys - to take it ball by ball, game by game."