Specsavers County Championship division two day one

Gloucestershire v Glamorgan

MARCHANT de Lange recorded his best first-class bowling figures for Glamorgan as the visitors made a fine start to their Specsavers County Championship game with Gloucestershire.

The 27-year-old South African took five for 62 as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 236, before Glamorgan reached 26 without loss at stumps on day one of the Division Two contest.

If the day finished with De Lange taking the plaudits, it began with the impressive young seamer Lukas Carey taking centre stage.

Having come into the game with 48 first-class wickets to his name, the 20-year-old right-armer was soon celebrating a milestone 50th.

First, he sent back Gloucestershire captain Chris Dent with a ball that knocked the left-hander's off stump out of the ground, before he trapped fellow opener Benny Howell lbw for 11.

Gloucestershire lost a further two wickets before lunch with Gareth Roderick edging Michael Hogan to Nick Selman at slip, and Jack Taylor bowled comprehensively by De Lange.

James Bracey, who looked in decent touch before lunch, saw his 72-ball innings come to an end off the very first ball after the interval.

Having struck six fours on his way to 34, the young left-hander chanced his arm once too often and was snapped up at slip, once again by Selman, off De Lange.

It was left to Ryan Higgins and Graeme van Buuren to steady the ship.

The pair, who did well to survive some decent bowling from De Lange and Carey, progressed nicely on a wicket that appeared to improve throughout the second session.

However, having added 38 for the sixth wicket, Van Buuren missed a decent ball from Hogan and was adjudged lbw.

Higgins was undeterred by Van Buuren's dismissal and he, along with Kieran Noema-Barnett, had the measure of Glamorgan's five-man attack.

But Higgins finally departed for 43, to leave Gloucestershire 168 for seven, when he became De Lange's latest victim.

Noema-Barnett continued to frustrate the bowlers either side of tea, but he too fell short of a half-century. Having reached 46 without too many concerns, the 30-year-old New Zealander became Carey's third victim of the day, to a ball that cut back off a length.

That left Daniel Worrall to carry the side through to a total that many would have felt way beyond them at lunch He added 23 with Matthew Taylor for the ninth wicket and finished unbeaten on 36 as Gloucestershire were bowled out in the 86th over, as De Lange mopped up the last two wickets.