Chris Dent compiled an assured 102 not out on the second day of the match against Glamorgan as Gloucestershire’s batsmen finally produced the goods in a Championship match at the Bristol County Ground; writes Richard Latham

Glamorgan posted 433 in their first innings, teenager Aneurin Donald top-scoring with a career-best 98.

But Gloucestershire fought back and reached the close on 243 for three, courtesy of a third wicket stand of 137 between Dent and Hamish Marshall.

They still trail by 190 runs, but are handily-placed to avoid a fifth defeat in six red ball matches at Nevil Road, where first-innings runs have been in short supply this summer.

For once, Gloucestershire made a decent fist of batting in the face of scoreboard pressure, Dent finishing the campaign the same way he began it in the opening game at Northants, by scoring a hundred.

Marshall weighed in with an enterprising 58 and Benny Howell contributed an unbeaten 40 as the home side made the most of an easy-paced pitch.

If the first day belonged to Glamorgan batsman Donald, this was definitely Dent’s day, the left-hander registering his third century of the summer to extricate his team from a potentially hazardous situation. In the process, he became the first Gloucestershire batsman to register three figures in a Championship match at Bristol this year.

When Will Tavare and Gareth Roderick fell for single-figure scores to Craig Meschede and Michael Hogan respectively, the home side were 32-2 and under pressure on a pitch still offering a modicum of assistance to the seam bowlers.

Dent and Marshall summoned admirable resistance in a third-wicket partnership of 137 in 31 overs as Gloucestershire fought back.

Marshall required six balls fewer than his partner to reach 50, but the New Zealander was unable to convert his half century into a really imposing total, fending a rising delivery from Hogan to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.

Dent raised his 50 from 89 deliveries before pressing down hard on the accelerator. He faced a further 65 balls to realise three figures, bringing up that landmark by clipping Meschede behind square leg for four before bad light forced a premature conclusion with 17 overs unused.

Fuller had earlier underlined his value to Gloucestershire, returning figures of 4-59 to lead a spirited fight-back during the morning session. Resuming on 338-4, Glamorgan lost their last six wickets for 95 runs.

There was frustration and disappointment for 18-year-old Donald, who fell two runs short of eclipsing Matthew Maynard and becoming Glamorgan’s youngest-ever century-maker in the Championship.

The Gorseinon-born batsman had scored a career-best 98 when he chased a wide delivery outside off-stump from Fuller and offered a catch to Dent at second slip.

Howell then mopped up the tail, accounting for Meschede, Andrew Salter and Hogan in quick succession to finish with 3-28 from 8.3 overs.

Gloucestershire centurion Chris Dent said: “It was about time I scored a hundred in Bristol, because it has been a long wait. When I got into the 90s, I really wanted it to come quick, because I didn’t want to have to come back again tomorrow and start all over again.

“The first day was really disappointing and a case of after the lord mayor’s show following the (Royal London Cup final) win at Lord’s on Saturday. We spoke about it in the dressing room and said it could be a very long four days if we continued to play like that.

“Fortunately, we fought back well today and, if we could manage to force a win, it would be a great way to top off the season after winning the cup. Maybe we can arrange something, or else bat on and build a decent lead tomorrow.”

Glamorgan skipper Jacques Rudolph said: “It’s essentially a good pitch and you need to put the ball in the right areas consistently if you are going to restrict scoring and take wickets. Unfortunately, we did not manage to do that enough.

“It is a case of fine margins and we need to do better. Tomorrow is another day and we have an opportunity to put right the things we got wrong today.

“I thought the way we batted on the first day was a blueprint for putting ourselves in winning positions in matches and we will probably have to repeat that later on in the game.”