Ton-machine Klinger seals thrilling win

Veteran batsman Michael Klinger played yet another match-winning hand in a domestic match, striking an unbeaten fourth-innings century to help Gloucestershire engineer a bold come-from-behind County Championship win over Worcestershire.

Klinger, who recently replaced Western Australia teammate Cameron Bancroft as the club’s overseas player, brought up both his ton and an incredible victory for Gloucestershire with a straight six off Brett D’Oliveira in the final session of the match.

The win, which propels the Bristol club into second spot on the Division Two table, came after they declared their first-innings 75 runs behind Worcestershire.

Gloucestershire subsequently bowled the home side out for 239 early on day four, leaving them to chase 315 from 70 overs. When allrounder Jack Taylor joined Klinger at the crease at 5-141, their declaration gamble looked like it may have backfired.

But the pair proceeded to put on 179 in just 24 overs for the sixth-wicket, despite coming off for bad light at one stage in their run-chase. Klinger finished not out on 102, his second ton in as many Championship games this season.

His accomplice Taylor, who belted six sixes in on his way to a 72-ball 107, praised the 35-year-old Australian in his fourth stint with Gloucestershire.

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“It was fantastic to get over the line,” Taylor said. “It is a pretty special feeling.

“We were a bit wary of the light affecting things so we said ‘(let’s) get ourselves in and then take strong options’ and go from there really.

“As we got towards the end, we tried to up the tempo and make use of the short (square) boundary and it paid off.

“It was a great innings by Michael Klinger. He has been great for us over the past few years and he is a fantastic player.”

Worcestershire No.10 Jack Shantry blasted a whirlwind century of his own earlier in the match, his run-a-ball 106 helping his side post 439 in their first dig.

Shantry took just 15 balls to move from 48 to 100 as the left-hander ‘shared’ in a 69-run last-wicket stand, with No.11 Charlie Morris remarkably not contributing a single run in the partnership.

At the Merchant Taylors’ School, Middlesex captain Adam Voges led his club to their first Championship win for the season with a comprehensive innings defeat of Hampshire.

Voges (160 not out) was one of three first-innings century-makers for Middlesex, along with Dawid Malan (160) and John Simpson (100 not out), allowing Australia’s Test No.5 to declare on 3-447.

Hampshire then crumbled for 131 and, with Voges enforcing the follow-on, they fared little better second time around, managing 220, still 116 runs away from making Middlesex bat again.

With Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie rejecting a move to join Australia’s coaching staff during the week, his charges repaid his faith in the club by registering a 175-run win over rivals Lancashire in the Roses match.

Yorkshire had their lower-order to thank for the win, recovering from 5-74 to post 308 in the first-innings, then went from 6-89 to 236 in their second innings.

Lancashire were bowled out for under 200 in both innings, as Adil Rashid (88, 34 and seven wickets for the match) and Tim Bresnan (69, 29 and six wickets) starred with both bat and ball.

Chris Rogers’ Somerset claimed a thrilling one-wicket victory over Surrey at Taunton. After conceding a 162-run first-innings deficit, they responded second time around by skittling Surrey for 138 in their second dig, leaving Rogers’ men requiring 301 for an unlikely win.

But fast bowlers Jack Leach and Tim Groenewald put on 31 for the last wicket as Somerset completed an outstanding comeback to win nine wickets down. Visiting skipper Gareth Batty claimed 10 wickets for the match but undoubtedly would have traded them all in for the win.

At Trent Bridge, Notts and Australia seamer Jackson Bird snared the first four wickets of Durham’s first innings before allrounder Scott Borthwick pressed his claims for an England recall with an unbeaten 188.

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Borthwick also claimed eight wickets for the match with his leg-spin, including 5-79 in Notts’ first innings, while former Zimbabwe skipper Brendan Taylor notched tons in both innings for the home side, the second one coming off just 81 balls despite the match petering out to a draw.

The result sees a logjam at the top of the Division One table, with Yorkshire and Lancashire joint leaders on 88 points with Durham (87) and Middlesex (86) breathing down their necks.

In Division Two, a hundred to Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove was the highlight of a weather-affected draw against Kent.

It was Cosgrove’s third hundred in as many matches in his career against the south-eastern County, as Leicestershire were bowled out for 341. Kent were 2-117 before the rain arrived.

In other matches, former Queensland and WA paceman Steve Magoffin claimed six wickets in Sussex’s 10-wicket win over Derbyshire while Division Two ladder-leaders Essex drew with Northamptonshire.