Captain Bancroft steers Gloucestershire to formidable first-day score
Aussie shares 230-stand with fellow centurion Ollie Price as Glamorgan rue decision to bowl first
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Apr-2025
Cameron Bancroft raises his bat on reaching three figures•Getty Images
Cameron Bancroft marked his first appearance as Gloucestershire captain with a century to lead his side to a formidable 368 for 3 on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Second Division game with Glamorgan at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.The 32-year-old Australian hit 163, off 267 balls, with 19 fours and two sixes, sharing a second-wicket stand of 230 with Ollie Price, who contributed a patient 101, as the visitors were made to rue their decision to bowl first under cloudless skies.The only wicket-takers were Ned Leonard, who struck twice, and Shoaib Bashir, although Zain ul Hassan and Timm van der Gugten were commendably economical as spectators basked in warm sunshine.Bancroft, who only flew into the country to start his third spell as a Gloucestershire player on Wednesday, rode his luck somewhat in the morning session when the Glamorgan seamers bowled without much fortune.On 2, he survived a huge appeal for a catch behind off Asitha Fernando and, having moved to 33, edged the same bowler fractionally short of the diving Kiran Carlson at third slip. A greater escape came on 48 when wicketkeeper Chris Cooke failed to hold a difficult one-handed chance wide to his right off ul Hassan.Those moments apart, Bancroft relished the unseasonable weather, producing an array of sweetly timed shots. He and Ben Charlesworth gave Gloucestershire a solid start with a stand of 62 before Charlesworth, on 19, aimed a big drive at Leonard and nicked through to Cooke.It was Glamorgan’s only success of the morning session as Bancroft went to fifty with a back-foot punch through the off side off ul Hassan to collect his eighth four and Price provided careful support in taking the score to 100 for 1 off 27 overs at lunch.Glamorgan turned to off-spinner Bashir in the afternoon session, but Bancroft greeted him with a glorious square-driven boundary and later a straight six as the England player’s first four overs went for 30 runs.Price had contributed 28 when the century stand with Bancroft was brought up. His partner moved to 99 with two fours through the off side off van der Gugten and two overs later a scampered single off Leonard took him to a 31st first-class ton off 166 balls, with 13 fours and a six. The innings had also taken Bancroft past 11,000 first-class runs.When Leonard opted to bowl short with six fielders on the leg side, the Aussie top-edged a pull for his second six, then made room for a four through the covers. All the while Price was accumulating steadily before reaching a half-century off 140 balls, with seven fours.It was 225 for 1 at tea, with Bancroft on 119 and Price 57. It was the latter who pressed the accelerator with a flurry of boundaries at the start of the final session to move into the nineties.The 23-year-old then cracked successive fours off Bashir to move to his fifth first-class hundred off 220 balls, with 15 boundaries. Two balls later he lost concentration and was pinned lbw on the back foot to make the score 292 for 2 with the second new ball about to become due.It was taken immediately, but did little to dampen Gloucestershire’s day as Bancroft and Miles Hammond batted positively, Hammond cracking five fours in no time to ensure there was no respite for the tiring Glamorgan bowlers.Bancroft progressed to 150 off 259 balls, having extended his boundary count to 16 fours and two sixes, before a tired looking waft at a wide ball from Leonard saw him caught behind.His innings had occupied six hours and 26 minutes. Hammond was unbeaten on 37 at the close of a largely one-sided day.