Cherries win Cup thriller

Gloucester kept their Heineken Cup campaign on track with a 26-18 victory over the Ospreys at a jam-packed Kingsholm on Friday.

The Premiership leaders recovered from a first-half brace from Sonny Parker to hit back strongly after the break, with Anthony Allen and James Simpson-Daniel both crossing the whitewash.

Gloucester fielded the same back division that tore through Ulster last week and they oozed class at times, but it was the Welsh side that made the early running in front of a record 16,500 fans.

Parker capitalised on an error from Mike Tindall, whose pass was too strong for Iain Balshaw, to weave his way over the line as early as the seventh minute with James Hook adding the extras.

False dawn

Gloucester fly-half Ryan Lamb scored the first of his 11 points with a penalty to narrow the deficit and after Balshaw just managed to nudge Jonny Vaughton into touch with the line in sight, he added another three points.

But it proved a false dawn as Parker restored the Ospreys' advantage in the 23rd minute, benefiting from some good approach play from flanker Marty Holah.

Hook missed the conversion attempt and it proved costly as Lamb narrowed the gap to three on half-time after Vaughton was sin-binned for failing to roll away after being tackled.

Gloucester came out firing after the break, Allen's sparkling side-step taking him clear for a 60-metre sprint to the line - Lamb again kicking the extras.

A Hook penalty made it 16-15 when Gloucester's Alasdair Strokosch was lucky to avoid censure for a cynical trip on Lee Byrne, but prop Carlos Nieto was carded for killing possession shortly after and Hook kicked the points.

But the Ospreys held the advantage for only a short period - and Hook was at fault for handing the hosts easy possession with a lame kick upfield, the resulting counter leaving the Welsh floundering.

Balshaw and Tindall opted to run it from the deep and a pulsating move ended with Simpson-Daniel crashing over in the corner.

Chris Paterson, on for Lamb, kicked the conversion to open up a gap on the opposition for the first time, and a penalty seven minutes from time sealed a thrilling win.