Round-Up: Gloucestershire dig deep to foil Tudor and Gough

Alex Gidman and Steve Adshead batted Gloucestershire out of trouble on the opening day of the Liverpool Victoria County Championship match with Essex at Bristol yesterday.

After winning the toss, the home side slipped to 139 for 5, despite 70 from opener Craig Spearman, as Alex Tudor claimed three wickets and Darren Gough two. But Gidman (87) and Adshead (68) then added 129 for the sixth wicket and Gloucestershire closed on 355 for 8, having gained four bonus points in bright sunshine on a true pitch.

Gough added another wicket later to finish the day with 3 for 65, alongside Tudor's 3 for 64.

Hampshire are able to welcome back Shane Warne and Sean Ervine for their First Division match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge today. Neither Warne nor Ervine has played for Hampshire since the club's last Championship match against Durham at the Rose Bowl on 20 June. Warne has returned from Australia after receiving treatment on his shoulder, while Ervine was rested from the recent Twenty20 campaign to spend time strengthening the knee that he had reconstructed in October.

Yorkshire are without Michael Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard but Tim Bresnan is back as the First Division strugglers go looking for their first Championship win at Durham.

Hoggard is on international duty, while Vaughan faces a lengthy lay-off after another operation on his knee. Bresnan returns to the side after his spell with the England one-day team. Mitch Claydon and Joe Sayers have also been named in a 12-man squad.