GLEN CHAPPLE was today aiming to build on his best spell of the season.

Lancashire's highly-rated young paceman has been struggling with the knee injury which plagued him for much of last year, missing five games in all competitions including the Benson and Hedges Cup quarter-final victory over Gloucestershire.

But there was no sign of an injury in the Old Trafford Championship clash with Gloucester as he charged in to claim three of the first five wickets.

Although the game is being played on the slow pitch used for the Texaco Trophy earlier this week, Chapple beat Tony Wright and Rob Cunliffe for pace to reduce the visitors to 13-2. Then he returned after tea to surprise Gloucester dangerman Andrew Symonds with extra bounce for Warren Hegg to take a spectacular catch.

"Glen did extremely well," said captain Mike Watkinson today. "He has had a few niggles this season so it was good to see him hitting the gloves. We had to bowl really well to put them in early trouble at 35-4 on a slow pitch."

Hegg had already claimed his 500th first class victim, trialist opener Nick Trainor off the bottom edge.

But after that, as Watkinson said: "It became a bit of a patience game," as Mark Alleyne was joined by Jack Russell in a painstaking unbroken sixth wicket stand of 59 in 30 overs which guided Gloucester to 157-5 which progressed to 170 today, Alleyne reaching his half-century.

Chapple's recall was bad news for Ian Austin, left out for the second successive Championship game.

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