REPORT | Morley claims career best figures on dominant opening day

Jack Morley claimed career-best figures of six for 55 as Derbyshire dominated the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match with Gloucestershire at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

Bowling around the wicket from the Ashley Down Road End, the 23-year-old left-arm spinner sent down 18.2 overs, sparking a collapse that saw the home side crash from 68 for no wicket to 187 all out after winning the toss.

Cameron Bancroft top-scored with 58, while James Bracey contributed 47. There were two wickets each for Zak Chappell and Alex Thomson.

By the close of a day in which six overs were lost to rain, Derbyshire had replied with 116 for two, Harry Came unbeaten on 29.

Before play began, players, officials and staff from both clubs stood in line to observe a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for Gloucestershire president and former fast bowler David ‘Syd’ Lawrence MBE, who has passed away at the age of 61 following a long battle with motor neurone disease.

Just 50 minutes play followed before rain forced an early lunch, taken at 12.30pm. By the break, Gloucestershire openers Bancroft and Joe Phillips, the latter making his first appearance of the season, had put 35 runs on the board in 12.2 overs.

There was little sign of the carnage ahead as the resumption at 1.25pm saw Bancroft and Phillips extend their partnership comfortably before Phillips, on 27, drove Morley in the air to mid-on where Ben Aitchison took a good tumbling catch.

It was 82 for two when Ollie Price was bowled on the back foot by a delivery from Morley that hurried through and 86 for three when Miles Hammond advanced down the pitch to the same bowler only to miscue a catch to Aitchison at mid-off.

Bancroft went to a solid 114-ball half-century, with 8 fours, but fell with the total on 102, caught behind trying to pull a short ball from Chappell. Gloucestershire’s plight worsened when Graeme van Buuren went lbw to Thomson, pushing forward on off stump, and Ben Charlesworth followed for a duck, caught at second slip by Aitchison attempting to drive the off-spinner.

At 114 for six, Gloucestershire’s innings looked in tatters. But Bracey and Zaman Akhter stopped the rot with a seventh-wicket stand that was worth 37 by tea, Akhter playing positively before the break, reverse sweeping Thomson for four and off-driving another boundary in the same over.

The England Lions all-rounder continued in the same vein after the interval, timing a sweet straight four off the opening delivery of the session, sent down by Chappell, and quickly following up with a boundary through the covers.

Bracey had begun his innings with two edged fours wide of second slip off Chappell. But under clearing skies and early evening sunshine, he also found his touch as the stand reached 64 before Akhter was bowled by Morley on the back foot for 32.

Australia Test off-spinner Todd Murphy, making his Gloucestershire debut, could score only one before being caught at deep square pulling a ball from Chappell, Aitchison pouching a fourth catch. Ajeet Singh Dale was bowled by a ball from Morley that straightened and when Bracey, having run out of partners, holed out to long-on Gloucestershire had lost all ten wickets for 119 runs in the space of 36 overs.

Derbyshire were left with 28 overs to face before stumps. Openers Lloyd and Caleb Jewell took the score to 49 in the 11th over before Jewell, who had just pulled a six off Akhter, fell to the same bowler, edging a back-foot shot to second slip and departing for 32 off 39 balls.

Murphy, brought on as early as the eighth over, was unable to pose the problems caused by Morley from the same end, but 19-year-old seamer Archie Bailey struck with his eighth ball on seasonal debut as Lloyd, having moved untroubled to 35, cut a catch to point.

Came and Wayne Madsen saw out the remaining overs as Derbyshire reached the close trailing by only 71 runs.

After taking career-best figures of six for 55, Derbyshire left-arm spinner Jack Morley said: “I haven’t been involved in the white ball stuff much, but I played a four-day game for the second XI last week and felt really good.

“Bowling with the Kookaburra ball on a pitch we thought might have been prepared to take spin was encouraging for me. There has long been a tendency to play two spinners in the Kookaburra games and I was able to settle in nicely.

“Ben Aitchison’s catch for my first wicket was the something special we needed to get us going and I just went from there. At the start of the day, we hoped to have them six down by the close, so we are delighted to already have been batting for the best part of 30 overs.

“I am looking forward to seeing how Todd Murphy goes about his business for Gloucestershire. He is a top player in Australia and I am interested to watch him displaying his craft.”