Lancashire seized control on a rain-disrupted opening day of their County Championship Division Two clash with Gloucestershire in Bristol, reducing the hosts to a precarious 124-6 before the weather intervened.

After losing the toss and being asked to bowl, Lancashire's attack, led by a superb spell from seamer George Balderson, made the most of gloomy, floodlit conditions. Balderson was the standout, claiming impressive figures of 4-27 from 16 overs, including a devastating burst of 3-5 either side of the lunch break.

His performance was crucial, especially after an early injury blow saw Ajeet Singh Dale pull up with a hamstring issue in the sixth over against his former county. Ollie Price offered the main resistance for Gloucestershire with a top score of 35, but the home side's batting struggles continued after heavy defeats in their first two matches.

The day began with veteran skipper James Anderson setting the tone with a miserly six-over spell. The breakthrough came via a run-out, as Cameron Bancroft was brilliantly dismissed by Josh Bohannon's direct hit. Gloucestershire's 58-run second-wicket partnership between Price and Ben Charlesworth offered hope, but Balderson's crucial wicket of Price on the stroke of lunch swung momentum firmly back to Lancashire.

Further wickets tumbled after the interval, with Balderson at the heart of the collapse, leaving Gloucestershire in deep trouble at 124-6 when persistent rain finally ended play for the day at 14:45 BST.