Gloucestershire spin to 329-run thrashing

Leicestershire 295 and 351 for 4 dec beat Gloucestershire 159 and 158 by 329 runs
Scorecard

Leicestershire sent Gloucestershire spinning to an emphatic 329-run defeat at Grace Road, claiming the five wickets they needed for victory in 46 overs for the addition of 80 runs. Spinners Claude Henderson and Jigar Naik took four of the wickets and 19-year-old seamer Nathan Buck sealed the win by having last man Anthony Ireland caught at slip 40 minutes before tea.

Buck finished with 3 for 25 to give him match figures of 6 for 72. It was Leicestershire's sixth win of the season and the 21 points they claimed lifted them above Gloucestershire in the Division Two table.

Gloucestershire, who resumed the final day on 78 for 5, still 410 runs behind, were all out for 158 with the only resistance coming from James Franklin and Ed Young, who shared a stubborn seventh-wicket stand of 63 spread across 28 overs. But when 38-year-old left-arm spinner Henderson had Franklin caught off bat and pad by Matthew Boyce for 31 it signalled the end for Gloucestershire, with their last four wickets falling for just seven runs.

The biggest worry for Leicestershire was the unsettled weather. Early morning rain delayed the start by 45 minutes and another shower sent the players off again after an hour's play for an early lunch. There was a further brief interruption at the start of the afternoon session before Leicestershire clinched the victory they thoroughly deserved.

The home side had the perfect start to the final day when Alex Gidman, having added only one run to his overnight 28, dragged the ball back into his stumps trying to cut a delivery from Henderson. But that proved to be Leicestershire's last success for some time as Franklin and Young showed plenty of determination and application to keep them at bay for 28 overs.

Franklin's departure triggered the collapse, though, with Jon Lewis lbw to Naik and then Young beaten and bowled by a superb flighted delivery from the same bowler. And when Buck had Ireland well caught by Greg Smith at slip, Leicestershire had claimed the victory that always looked on the cards for them. Henderson finished with figures of 3 for 62 in 34 overs and Naik with 3 for 35 off 25 overs.

Gloucestershire took only three points from the match to end their slim hopes of challenging for a promotion spot.