This game had long since been destined to finish as a draw, following the loss of most of the first two days to rain, but the teams managed to conjure an entertaining battle for bonus points nonetheless.
Derbyshire eventually emulated Gloucestershire by picking up a full hand of batting points after Chris Rogers, their Australian captain, made a fluent century in his first championship innings of the season. His side are unbeaten after four matches, while Gloucestershire remain on top of the second division table, having won two of their first five.
After missing Derbyshire’s first three championship matches due to visa problems, Rogers was in fine form on a flat pitch against an attack in which only Steven Kirby threatened consistently. Driving crisply down the ground and through the covers, Rogers, the diminutive left-hander, reached his hundred from 132 balls with seventeen fours. Having missed out on a place in Australia’s Ashes squad, he is determined to enjoy his summer leading Derbyshire.
“It’s always disappointing to miss out on the chance of playing for your country,” Rogers, 31, said. “But I always enjoy my time in county cricket and it was good to get going with a hundred here.” In tandem with Garry Park, Rogers added 146 in 38 overs for the second wicket before he was leg-before trying to pull a Jon Lewis ball that was slightly too full. Park had made 62 when he top-edged a paddle-sweep off Grant Hodnett and was caught behind, one of three victims for Steve Snell, that included a stumping down the leg-side to dismiss Dan Redfern.
Redfern, the England Under-19 batsman and another left-hander, made an attractive 74, his highest score from four first-class fifties. He was reprieved when he had made 17, when Craig Spearman dropped him at first slip off Lewis, but he went on to reach his half-century from 62 balls with nine fours.
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On a decidedly chilly day, Derbyshire elicited a warm reaction from a sparse crowd when they clinched their fifth batting point on passing 400, whereupon they promptly declared to deny their opponents the chance of picking up another bowling point.
Gloucestershire: First Innings 403 for 5 dec (H J H Marshall 158, A P R Gidman 135)
Derbyshire: First Innings
S D Stubbings b Ireland 6
*C J L Rogers lbw b Lewis 104
G T Park c Snell b Hodnett 62
D J Redfern st Snell b Taylor 74
W W Hinds c Snell b Ireland 30
G M Smith c Taylor b Kirby 24
†D J Pipe c and b Dawson 0
G G Wagg c Spearman b Lewis 28
T Lungley not out 29
I D Hunter not out 29
Extras (lb 10, w 6) 16
Total (8 wkts dec, 95 overs) 402
M A K Lawson did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-177, 3-201, 4-262, 5-293, 6-298, 7-334, 8-345.
Bowling: Kirby 22-8-51-1; Ireland 14-2-77-2; Lewis 17-3-71-2; Dawson 25-3-118-1; Gidman 5-1-23-0; Marshall 1-0-4-0; Hodnett 6-0-41-1; Taylor 5-3-7-1.
Umpires: S A Garratt and M A Gough.