COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO ROUNDUP: The pair of matches in the second tier are finely poised after three entertaining sessions at Bristol and Derby
Bristol (day one of four): Gloucestershire 252, Leicestershire 91-4 - Leicestershire are 161 runs behind with six first-innings wickets remaining
Ben Green notched his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as Leicestershire bowled out Gloucestershire for 252 on the opening day of the County Championship Second Division match at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.
The 27-year-old all-rounder, on loan from Somerset, exploited overcast conditions to claim 5 for 63 from 17 overs with his medium-paced seamers. Ian Holland weighed in with three for 36, while James Bracey's unbeaten 93 helped the hosts to respectability from a perilous 88 for 7.
By the close, Leicestershire had struggled to 91 for 4 in reply, having been 37 for 4 at one stage, Lewis Hill was unbeaten on 38, and his side trailed by 161 runs.
Related: Early frontrunners Leicestershire show mettle to back up impressive first weeks
Related: David Lloyd's redemption milestone fails to floor defiant Middlesex
David Lloyd missed out on a century in his first meaningful knock since his permanent move to Derbyshire (Getty Images)
Derby (day one of four): Derbyshire 267-5, Middlesex
Derbyshire opener David Lloyd emerged from a poor start to the season before Middlesex fought back on the opening day of the County Championship Division Two match at Derby.
Lloyd made 93 from 197 balls, his highest innings since September 2022, and shared a second wicket stand of 156 with Harry Came who scored 73 after the visitors put the hosts in to bat.
Although the in-form Caleb Jewell was out for a duck, there was little in the pitch for the Middlesex bowlers until late in the day when the second new ball did the trick.
Toby Roland-Jones bowled Wayne Madsen for 49 to finish with figures of 2 for 47 from 20 overs as Derbyshire closed on 267 for 5.
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