Bancroft hits fourth ton of his county stint

Australian opener Cameron Bancroft smashed a fine century to help Gloucestershire claim the first victory of their English One-Day Cup campaign with a 37-run win over Surrey.

Bancroft's fifth List A hundred perfectly anchored Gloucestershire's innings, cracking 100 from 109 deliveries - with eight fours and a six - to provide the backbone of the visitors' 301 with 51 from Miles Hammond and 44 from captain Jack Taylor.

The 31-year-old also previously hit two List A tons for Durham and two for Western Australia.

"We had to think our way through it out there and it was nice to get to 300," Bancroft said after his county's victory. "I think we left 20 or 30 out there. But it was a much better performance from us."

Ryan Patel top scored with 87 in response and wicketkeeper Josh Blake weighed in with 50 but Surrey were dismissed for 264 as Matt Taylor claimed four for 44.

Bancroft's ton is his fourth this season for the Bristol-based club having posted three in their second division County Championship campaign so far. The right-hander has 745 runs at 57.30 in the four-day competition, the most of any Australian.

Elsewhere in the United Kingdom overnight, Matthew Short's Northern Superchargers chased down Southern Brave's 8-146 thanks to Nicholas Pooran blasting five sixes en route to a 34-ball 62 in the men's Hundred competition.

Short chipped in with the wicket of Leus du Plooy but then fell lbw for 12 to a Jofra Archer slower ball in the Powerplay.

Pooran and captain Harry Brook (34 off 20) got the Andrew Flintoff-coached side home with 15 balls to spare at Headingley.

That came after a tie in the women's game earlier in the day at the same venue as both the Superchargers and the Brave finished on 100 as several Aussie bowlers prospered on a slow surface.

Annabel Sutherland (1-10) and Georgia Wareham (1-12) led the way for the Superchargers in their 20-ball allocations. But Lauren Cheatle (0-17 from 15 balls) then helped turn the screws for the Brave as Phoebe Litchfield's 24 from 32 went in vain.

Needing three off the final delivery of the match, veteran Kate Cross could only manage a two to long-on off a full ball from Lauren Bell, whose player-of-the-match effort of 4-11 was not enough to secure victory.

"The ideal final ball was a straight yorker and I don't think I was too far away from executing. Maybe we should have just looked at the field a bit but what can you do, hindsight is lovely," said Bell.

- with PA