GLOUCESTERSHIRE Over 70s delivered another battling all-round display to hold off Wales by 12 runs at Stroud in their latest ECB Championship outing.
The home side, who lost the toss, had to fight all the way to total 158-7 from their 45 with Keith Daniels heroically holding the innings together with a dogged 95 from 134 (nine fours, two sixes).
So dominant was the opener that the next highest scoring batter was Graham Clarke with 14 as Wales kept a tight rein on proceedings.
Gloucestershire, the defending national champions, also gave nothing away in the field with Rick Carman (3-21) and Andy Howe (3-25, both from nine) making inroads. John Turton was as parsimonious as ever, finishing with 1-18 from his spell while there were also wickets for Howard Johnson and Graham Clarke as the home side kept their nerve in the tense final overs.
It was a good week also for Gloucestershire Over 50s who comfortably dispatched Shropshire by six wickets at Whitchurch.
The visitors won the toss but had an almighty struggle to reach 101-8 from their 45 against the combined efforts of Jason Loud (3-18) and Craig Whiting (2-25) while Steve Bridge finished with memorable figures of 1-7 and Keith Knight 1-15, all from nine.
Simon Hygate (34) and opener James Gammon (33) then led Gloucestershire to the spoils in less than 14 overs to complete an excellent performance.
The 50s 2nds, though, slipped up by eight runs away to Wiltshire at Malmesbury despite Srini Kamath’s 55.
And the 50s 3rds went down by six wickets away to Cornwall, and then by seven runs away to Wales where Paul Turner (65), Chris McCormack (58) and Mike Gray (44) could not quite get their side over the line.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE Seniors went down to a 50-run defeat against a Gloucestershire Pathway XI in a unique challenge match at Cheltenham.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S Ed Gordon Lennox top scored with an unbeaten 83 from 68 as England Over 60s chased down a target of 198 to defeat Pakistan by seven wickets in Stoke on Trent.