Gloucestershire 268 (van Buuren 76, Guthrie 4-50) and 264 for 7 (Bracey 75*, Bancroft 64, Guthrie 3-59) lead Northamptonshire 465 by 67 runs
The left-arm seamer, who contributed a career-best 52 with the bat earlier in the match, took 4 for 50 to dismiss the visitors for 268 in their first innings and added another three wickets after Northamptonshire enforced the follow-on.
Gloucestershire battled their way to 264 for 7 at the close, but will need something special on the final day to stave off a sixth defeat in seven games.
With 83 needed to avoid the follow-on at start of play, Gloucestershire’s prospects were not helped when Graeme van Buuren – having added just a single to his overnight 75 – swung at Saif Zaib’s wayward full toss and top-edged to backward square.
The other not-out batter Jack Taylor followed suit in Zaib’s next over, holing out to mid-on and, having initially spurned the option of the second new ball, Northamptonshire’s change of heart four overs later paid dividends.
Guthrie’s first delivery of the day dug back to hit Daz Ahmed on the pads – albeit perhaps fractionally too high – and the left-armer followed it up with an inswinger that sent Matt Taylor’s off stump flying. Kristian Clarke, who had looked accomplished for his 21, then walked across to the next ball from Harry Conway and Gloucestershire’s openers were immediately invited to strap their pads on again.
Bancroft and Joe Phillips gave their side a brisk start second time around, advancing at four an over as the skipper thrashed Raphy Weatherall over cover for six and then flicked a leg-side four to raise the team’s 50 prior to lunch.
Bancroft’s personal half-century duly arrived in the afternoon session, but by then Phillips had gone, caught behind fishing outside off stump and Ricardo Vasconcelos took another one low down to remove Tommy Boorman.
Luke Procter delivered a challenging spell from the David Capel End, beating the bat and he was unlucky not to claim the wicket of Miles Hammond, whose sharp edge just eluded George Bartlett at third slip.
However, when Procter made way for Guthrie, the left-armer’s second delivery squared Hammond up and the ball popped into the hands of Bartlett – who had just been switched to gully. It was Guthrie who finally prised out Bancroft, steering to second slip and another inspired change brought Northamptonshire’s fifth success as van Buuren chopped James Sales’ first ball onto his stumps.
Bracey remained defiant, absorbing pressure and timing his shots nicely as he leg-glanced Conway for four and then drove him for another boundary to post his second half-century in as many days. He lost Jack Taylor, who became Guthrie’s third victim of the innings with a pull to deep midwicket, but Clarke contributed a valuable 22, steering Sales to the rope at third man to take Gloucestershire into positive territory.
Sales was close to removing Bracey, finding the edge only for Vasconcelos to fumble the chance as he dived in front of slip and Ahmed helped to delay Northamptonshire’s progress, slamming Calvin Harrison for six to reach stumps on 28.
