Langridge five-wicket haul seals Gloucestershire’s 105-run win over Lancashire

Gloucestershire secured their second successive County Championship Division Two win by defeating Lancashire by 105 runs at Emirates Old Trafford. JT Langridge finished with 5-51 in the second innings as the hosts were dismissed for 142. BBC Sport reported that bottom-placed Gloucestershire moved to 82 points, leaving them 18 behind Lancashire with two matches remaining in the season.

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Lancashire resumed on 120-6, still needing 128 runs, but lost George Balderson to the third ball of the morning. The on-loan Langridge found the edge and Ollie Price took the catch at second slip. Noman Ali struck Sai Kishore for six before Langridge dismissed him lbw. Kishore then removed Mitch Stanley, whose bat-pad chance was caught by Kamran Dhariwal at silly mid-off.

Rocky Flintoff provided Lancashire’s main resistance with a career-best 65. He was the last batter dismissed, hitting Langridge to long-off as the seamer completed a five-wicket haul in only his second first-class appearance. Langridge took three of the final four wickets and finished with match figures of 7-94, closing out a contest in which Gloucestershire repeatedly broke through Lancashire’s top order.

The visitors’ first-innings advantage had been built around Will Williams, who returned 6-24 against his former county. Lancashire made 134 in reply to Gloucestershire’s 212, having slipped to 40-5. They were also reduced to 64-5 in their second innings. Balderson’s bowling kept Lancashire competitive: he took 4-44 and 4-31, giving him eight wickets across Gloucestershire’s two innings.

Lower-order partnerships proved important for Gloucestershire. Daaryoush Ahmed, who made 51, shared a seventh-wicket stand of 52 with Kishore in the first innings. In the second, first-class debutant Dhariwal scored 66 and added 70 for the ninth wicket with Matt Taylor, helping the visitors reach 169. Those contributions gave Gloucestershire valuable runs in a match dominated by the bowlers.

Lancashire head coach Steven Croft told BBC Radio Lancashire that the batting remained a concern, while praising his bowlers’ effort and Flintoff’s innings. Gloucestershire captain James Bracey described the result as a confidence boost and highlighted Langridge’s ability to swing the new ball. Gloucestershire collected 19 points to Lancashire’s three and next host Middlesex at Bristol; Lancashire travel to Canterbury to face promotion contenders Kent.