Nailbiting draw helps neither side

Number 10 Steve Kirby batted out the last over from Garnett Kruger to secure a draw for Gloucestershire

Glamorgan and Gloucestershire lost ground in the LV= County Championship Division Two promotion race in a dramatic draw at the SWALEC Stadium.

Gloucestershire were set a target of 296 to chase on the final day in Cardiff, but fell agonisingly short on 281 for nine after 100 overs, as both sides searched for the victory to take them into the promotion places.

With one round of matches left next week Glamorgan and Gloucestershire find themselves 10 and 11 points respectively behind second-placed Essex with champions Kent already promoted. Northamptonshire and Derbyshire are also in the hunt.

Will Porterfield's battling 81 from 248 balls and three wickets for Robert Croft and Jamie Dalrymple all proved in vain.

Glamorgan chose not to bat on after declaring overnight leaving them with 96 overs to bowl out Gloucestershire.

James Harris struck in the third over when Jim Allenby took a smart slip catch to dismiss Steve Adshead.

A Garnett Kruger over yielded 22 runs with Hamish Marshall despatching the South African for five fours to allow Gloucestershire to reach 50 in the 10th over.

Harris took the wicket of former New Zealand international Marshall, whose whirlwind innings of 35 from 29 balls was ended by a smart leg-side catch from Mark Wallace.

Marshall's departure failed to bring any respite with captain Alex Gidman passing 1,000 runs for the season and bringing up his 50 in 73 balls.

The Gloucestershire skipper was dismissed by Croft for 52 when he guided the ball straight to Rees at short-leg, ending the third-wicket stand of 72.

The run rate slowed as Chris Taylor joined the patient Porterfield at the crease with a fourth-wicket partnership of 37 in 20 overs.

It was captain Dalrymple who broke the resistance in his second over when Taylor's forcing drive was brilliantly caught by Allenby at slip.

Glamorgan unsurprisingly turned to their spinners, Robert Croft (pictured) and Jamie Dalrymple, in their victory charge

Dalrymple struck again when he trapped James Franklin lbw with Gloucestershire losing their fifth wicket with 119 runs still required.

Porterfield, who was joined by usual opening partner Kadeer Ali, who had dropped down to number seven after injury, finally brought up his half-century in 199 balls.

Gloucestershire reached 186 for five at tea still needing 110 runs but Kadeer and Porterfield looked untroubled after the interval until the introduction of the second new ball.

Porterfield struck Kruger for a six before Glamorgan made a vital breakthrough with Allenby taking a third slip catch from a Croft delivery to end Porterfield's five-hour vigil.

Richard Dawson struck some lusty blows for his 15 before Will Bragg's catch at cover gave Croft his third victim while Kruger delivered a brilliant yorker to dismiss Kadeer.

Allenby dropped Steve Kirby with Gloucestershire 43 runs short of thair target, before Jon Lewis was caught behind in the penultimate over from Dalrymple for 28.

Though Kirby survived the last over from Kruger to save the match, it does neither side much good.