Chris Taylor kept Gloucestershire in the game with his second hundred of the season on a dry pitch which is expected to assist Monty Panesar in the final innings. Thanks to Taylor, who hit his second fifty from 47 balls, Gloucestershire managed to restrict the deficit to 60 runs, which Northamptonshire more than doubled after tea.
Their innings went into freefall when Johan van der Wath, consistently shaping the ball away at good pace, claimed three wickets in 18 balls, but Steve Kirby, the nightwatchman, survived the whole first session as he helped Taylor to repair the operation, facing 149 balls for his 37.
Batting was at its trickiest with Van der Wath and Panesar in tandem, but runs flowed when they left the attack. Taylor and Steve Adshead added 102 in 22 overs for the seventh wicket as Taylor found a short boundary regularly with crisp shots off his legs. Once Adshead pulled a long hop to long leg, however, the returning Panesar made short work of the tail.
During the lunch break, Panesar was presented with a commemorative edition of the 2007 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack by Brian Reynolds, a stalwart of Northamptonshire cricket, having been chosen as one of the five players of the year.