da casino： Derbyshire’s batsmen at last found form on another dayof high scoring at the County Ground
Nigel Gardner21-Jun-2001Derbyshire’s batsmen at last found form on another dayof high scoring at the County Ground.Jeremy Snape made his maiden first-class hundred outof 560-8 declared – Gloucestershire’s highest againstDerbyshire – but the home side responded with 142-1 bythe close.Snape had waited ten seasons for his century and whenhe went past his previous highest Championship scoreof 98 not out with his 15th four, his celebrationswere shared by Jack Russell who embraced theall-rounder.Russell marked his 500th first-class appearance forGloucestershire with a half-century but by then Snapehad gone, bowled by Lian Wharton for 119 in the secondover after lunch.Gloucestershire’s previous best against Derbyshire,520 at Cheltenham in 1993, had been passed whenRussell was bowled for 53 and Mark Alleyne’sdeclaration left Derbyshire to make 411 to avoid the follow-on.That was a daunting task for a team out of form withthe bat and they lost Luke Sutton for 13 in the tenthover when he was bowled playing back to Ben Gannon.But Chris Bassano showed no sign of nerves on hisChampionship debut and he and Steve Stubbbingsdemonstrated how little there is in the pitch for thebowlers.Even the sound of fire engines arriving to put out ablaze in a building close to the Grandstand at theDerby ground could not disturb their concentration asthey played through to the close.Stubbings passed fifty for the third time this seasonand ended on 83 while Bassano was not out 40 asDerbyshire ended 418 runs adrift.