Langridge takes five as Gloucestershire beat Lancashire by 105 runs

Gloucestershire secured back-to-back County Championship Division Two wins by dismissing Lancashire for 142 to complete a 105-run victory at Emirates Old Trafford, BBC Sport reported. JT Langridge finished with 5-51 in only his second first-class appearance. Gloucestershire collected 19 points to Lancashire’s three, leaving the bottom club on 82 points and 18 behind their opponents with two matches remaining.

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Lancashire began the last day on 120-6, still requiring 128 runs for victory, but lost George Balderson to the third delivery. Langridge found the edge and Ollie Price held the catch at second slip. Noman Ali then hit Sai Kishore for six before falling lbw to Langridge, as Gloucestershire quickly moved towards wrapping up the match.

Kishore removed Mitch Stanley, whose bat-pad chance was caught by Kamran Dhariwal at silly mid-off. Rocky Flintoff was Lancashire’s final wicket, caught at long-off off Langridge after making a career-best 65. His resistance could not prevent defeat, with Lancashire adding only 22 runs to their overnight total. Kishore ended the innings with figures of 3-37.

The result followed a first-innings performance in which former Lancashire bowler Will Williams took 6-24 on his return to Old Trafford. Lancashire were dismissed for 134 in reply to Gloucestershire’s 212, giving the visitors a 78-run advantage. Gloucestershire’s attack had reduced the hosts to 40-5 in that innings and again broke through early in the second, when Lancashire slipped to 64-5.

Important lower-order partnerships helped Gloucestershire establish their winning margin. Daaryoush Ahmed, who scored 51 in the first innings, shared a seventh-wicket stand of 52 with Kishore. In the second innings, first-class debutant Dhariwal made 66 and added 70 for the ninth wicket with Matt Taylor. Those contributions helped Gloucestershire reach 169 and set Lancashire a target of 248 in a match dominated by the bowlers.

Balderson’s eight wickets were not enough for Lancashire: he returned 4-44 and 4-31, while Stanley took 3-34 in Gloucestershire’s second innings. BBC Sport noted that the two counties have accumulated only 16 batting bonus points between them this season. Lancashire next visit promotion-chasing Kent at Canterbury, while Gloucestershire host Middlesex in Bristol.