Welcoming as the Cheltenham Festival always is, Gloucestershire may rue extending some of that hospitality to their promotion rivals.

Greg Smith was dropped within minutes of arriving at the crease on day one, as was Chris Rogers, and the pair racked up 81 and 126 respectively to save face for Derbyshire after opting to bat first. They were bowled out for 326.

Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby led from the front, producing inspired hostile spells in the second session, but they will know a chance to take total command of the contest has been missed.

Both Rogers and opening partner Wayne Madsen were given early reprieves, James Franklin and Hamish Marshall spilling at slip in the second and third overs respectively.

A brilliant diving catch behind the stumps by Steve Snell ensured Madsen departed without doing too much damage, Lewis the beneficiary from the Chapel End.

Marshall's aberration proved more costly, as Rogers marched past 50 with the aid of nine boundaries, but momentum shifted spectacularly immediately after lunch.

Lewis struck again in the fifth over of the restart, Garry Park's faint nick taken by Snell, and Derbyshire were three down for 117 when Dan Redfern edged Kirby to the grateful Marshall at second slip.

The big wicket came next, Rogers finding himself cramped for room and chopping Lewis onto his stumps, and the ex-England seamer was only denied a fourth scalp by another error in the slip cordon.

Craig Spearman was the guilty party, spilling a routine opportunity to dismiss Smith for two, but the ball kept flying there and Marshall was on hand again to dismiss Wavell Hinds off Kirby.

Smith and Jamie Pipe did the initial rebuilding job, the former taking the attack back to the hosts with some ferocious shots square of the wicket.

The pair had added 64 when Pipe tried to charge slow left-armer Vikram Banerjee and was bowled, leaving Smith and Graham Wagg to secure the first batting point.

Intervals are clearly not to Derbyshire's liking, Wagg falling to the first ball after tea when he prodded at Anthony Ireland and snicked behind to Snell.

But the majestic Smith was unaffected, smashing Banerjee for a straight six on his way to a 125-ball ton.

He shared in a further stand of 90 before his partner Tim Groenewald perished to a flying catch by Marshall at gully, Franklin breaking through with the new ball.

Smith finally left the stage when caught behind off Franklin, and the New Zealand paceman set up a hat-trick tilt in Derbyshire's second innings when last man Steffan Jones' wild swipe was taken by Marshall.

Gloucestershire CCC openers Kadeer Ali and Spearman negotiated a five-over spell at the death with no alarms.