Langridge five-for wraps up Gloucesteshire victory

Gloucestershire clinched a second consecutive Rothesay County Championship victory in the battle of the Division Two's bottom two, defeating Lancashire by 105 runs.

The result leaves Lancashire on 100 points in the Division two table, 18 points ahead bottom-placed Gloucestershire who now have 82.

Lancashire resumed the final day on 120 for 6 needing a further 128 runs to win but Gloucestershire made a dream start when George Balderson edged the third ball of the day from JT Langridge to Ollie Price at second slip.

Noman Ali swung R Sai Kishore for six into the vacant party stand but it was Gloucestershire who were celebrating moments later when Ali was plumb in front to the irrepressible Langridge for 9. Mitch Stanley swiftly followed, popping up a bat/pad catch to Kamran Dhariwal at silly mid-off from spinner Sai Kishore.

Rocky Flintoff was the last out for a career-best 65, hitting Langridge to long-off to give the bowler an outstanding return of 5 for 51 in just his second first-class game.

This match was a low scoring affair, between two teams who have only accumulated 16 batting points between them this season, and Gloucestershire won the key moments.

Their bowlers reduced the Lancashire top order to 40 for 5 in the first innings and 64 for 5 in the second, and the Gloucestershire lower order twice added valuable runs; 52 for the seventh wicket between Daaryoush Ahmed and Sai Kishore in the first innings and 70 for the ninth wicket in the second by Kamran Dhariwal - on his first-class debut - and Matt Taylor.

Will Williams with a six-wicket haul in the first innings will also have enjoyed his first visit back to Old Trafford since moving from Lancashire to the south-west, while the on-loan Langridge produced some impressive new ball spells.

The result was tough on Lancashire's Balderson who took eight wickets in the match, and the Red Rose side now travel to Canterbury to face promotion-chasing Kent while Gloucestershire play Middlesex at Bristol.