Renshaw falls short of a ton, Aussie veteran gets Stokes

Matthew Renshaw has continued his hot streak in the County Championship, narrowly missing a second successive century on a strong day for Somerset in Division One.

Renshaw was dismissed for 94 after a 172-run opening stand gave Somerset the perfect start against Gloucestershire after being sent in to bat by the home side.

The Queenslander hit 16 fours in his 141-ball knock, before he was bowled six short of a century when Zak Chappell got one to duck in and beat the inside edge of the left-hander's back-foot defence.

Renshaw had hit 129 in his previous match against Warwickshire, to go with scores of 48 against Surrey and 45 against Essex in his previous games, giving him 333 runs at 55.50 this season.

After seeing off the new ball, Renshaw and opening partner Tom Lammomby batted with assurance as the recent Australia A call-up accelerated nicely.

Renshaw's fifty came from 85 balls and featured nine fours, and with little in the pitch to assist Gloucestershire's seamers, the pair looked well set in the hour after lunch.

But Chappell was rewarded for his efforts with two quick wickets, first dismissing Lammonby, who tried to guide a ball over the slips and miscued to gully, before he produced his best ball of the day next over to beat Renshaw's defences and deny him a 15th first-class century.

Somerset finished the day on 4-319, with another former Test opener in Marcus Harris waiting for his chance to bat with Gloucestershire.

In Division Two, Marnus Labuschagne struck a painful blow against new England skipper Ben Stokes, who bottom-edged a seaming delivery into his groin in Durham's match against Glamorgan.

But Stokes had the last laugh, depositing Labuschagne for a pair of sixes as he made 82, although it was not quite the same tempo as his all-out assault from the previous round.

Stokes came to the crease with Durham at 4-130 and survived some early LBW appeals before top-edging Labuschagne for a boundary.

Veteran Australian seamer Michael Hogan claimed Stokes' wicket with the second delivery with the new ball as he took the last three Durham wickets to finish with 4-67.

Michael Neser had made an early breakthrough with the new ball and struck again later to claim 2-26, with Durham bowled out for 311.

Labuschagne remained 16 not out from 25 balls overnight after Durham struck twice late in the day to leave Glamorgan 2-31.

There was little joy for Nathan McAndrew as Northamptonshire piled up 2-372 against his Warwickshire side, although McAndrew did claim the wicket of century-maker Ricardo Vasconcelos for 156 at Edgbaston, breaking a record opening stand of 287.

At Lord's, Middlesex skipper Peter Handscomb was left to rue a dropped catch at first slip as Nottinghamshire piled up 5-329, with Haseeb Hameed scoring 112.

Recalled seamer Tim Murtagh had an early breakthrough and should have had Ben Duckett caught at slip, but the left-hander instead put on 99 in a second-wicket stand with Hameed.