DERBYSHIRE v GLAMORGAN

Evening Update

Glamorgan had reached 231-2 at tea with Colin Ingram unbeaten on 114 and after three balls he was on 118 as he despatched a wide half-volley from Anuj Dal through the covers. Sam Northeast also began in assertive vein by steering Zak Chappell through backward point for four before Ingram unleashed another booming cover drive against Dal.

Ingram also displayed placement rather than power by deftly steering the all-rounder through the gully for four. However, with the total on 249, Northeast miscued a pull against Chappell with Dal at mid-wicket completing the catch as Kiran Carlson joined Ingram. He began by guiding Chappell to third man for four before bisecting the wicket-keeper and first slip with an outside edge which sped to the ropes.

Ingram also deftly guided Dal to the vacant ropes at third man but next ball, he was bowled by a delivery from the all-rounder which appeared to keep low and cannon off his pads into the stumps. Billy Root made his way to the middle with the total on 273-4 but as he was taking guard the drizzle which had been falling intensified and sent the players from the field for twenty minutes.

When play resumed, Root dabbed Dal through point for four before Carlson upper-cut George Scrimshaw for four. He then had a moment of good fortune as Haider Ali at second slip dropped an outside edge before celebrating his good fortune by carving Scrimshaw through point for four. Derbyshire took the new ball after 84 overs with the Welsh county on 331-4 with Root guided the first delivery, from Connors, through the gully for four before flat-batting the seamer for four through the covers.

Root also steered Conners through point before Carlson unleashed a glorious off-drive as Glamorgan raced to the 350-mark and another batting point in the 87th over. Carlson then pulled Fletcher for four before guiding Conners to third man to complete his fifty from 65 balls. But seven runs later he drilled Luis Reece low into the covers where Conners dived to pouch the ball.

380-5 saw Chris Cooke join Root and started with a pair of hooks for four plus a cover drive against the left-armer. Root then cover-drove Chappell en route to his fifty from 59 deliveries before the 400 came up in the 93rd over as Cooke outside-edged Reece through the slips. This was the first time that Glamorgan had reached such heights on the first day of a Championship match after being put in to bat since 2000 and the infamous game at Colwyn Bay when Sussex invited Glamorgan to bat first with the Welsh county making 457-1.

Shortly before the close Anuj Dal turned his ankle over whilst bowling from the Racecourse End. Derbyshire also secured a second bowling point when, in the penultimate over of the day, Reece trapped Root l.b.w. as he shouldered arms.

Afternoon Update

Colin Ingram was unbeaten on 51* at lunch having reached his fifty from 79 balls in the penultimate over before the interval as his team resumed on 107-1. Zain ul Hassan struck the session’s first boundary as he clipped a full toss from Luis Reece to the ropes at square-leg. Ingram then cover-drove Sam Conners to bring up the century stand before ul Hassan swatted a wide ball from Reece through extra-cover.

Ingram also flicked Reece to fine-leg for four before scything Zak Chappell through backward point for a pair of coruscating fours. He then biffed Anuj Dal through point for another rasping four and then clipping the all-rounder to mid-wicket. ul Hassan then brought up the 150 with a drive against Alex Thomson’s off-spin before Ingram steered him through backward point. Ingram then lofted Thomson over long-on for six.

After a series of singles the resolute opener completed his maiden Championship fifty from 148 balls before celebrating by drilling the next delivery from Dal through extra-cover to bring up the 150-stand. Ingram then drove Thomson over the head of extra-cover before ul Hassan crisply swept Thomson to the boards at fine-leg as the pair broke the record for the best-ever second wicket stand by Glamorgan against the Peakites set by Emrys Davies and Gilbert Parkhouse who added 177 at Cardiff Arms Park in 1951.

Scrimshaw then returned to the attack at the City End and was pulled for four by Ingram as he completed his eighth first-class hundred for Glamorgan from 146 balls and his first since this time last year when he made 139 during the run-fest at Leicester. Ingram also celebrated by pulling another short delivery from the pace bowler behind square-leg before ul Hassan swatted Conners to the fine-leg boundary. But ul Hassan’s valiant innings ended shortly before tea as he got a leading edge to a delivery from Scrimshaw and chipped the ball back to the tall bowler.

Morning Report

After the draw on Sunday against Gloucestershire, the Welsh county’s players have travelled to Derby for their next match in the four-day competition and hoping for better weather following the rain-affected game at Cheltenham as well as the soggy draw with Leicestershire the previous week at Cardiff. Despite the interference from the weather in these two contests, Glamorgan have secured sufficient bonus points to remain in the hunt for promotion and start the match with bottom-placed Derbyshire just six points behind second-placed Sussex.

Glamorgan made one change to their line-up with Jamie McIlroy replacing James Harris, as David Lloyd and Zain ul Hassan opened the batting, fresh from their century stand at Cheltenham against the new ball duo of Zak Chappell and Sam Conners. Lloyd started in the grand manner by pulling Conners for a pair of sixes before sublimely cover-driving Chappell for four. However, Lloyd then edged the next delivery into Brooke Guest’s gloves as Colin Ingram made his way to the middle.

Ingram began with a flick to fine-leg before ul Hassan on-drove Conners to the ropes, with Ingram also unfurling a booming off-drive through mid-off with ul Hassan nurdling Chappell for four to third man. Ingram greeted the introduction of Luis Reece by pulling a long-hop for four before flat-batting the next through extra-cover. ul Hassan also on-drove Anuj Dal for four before clipping Reece to square-leg for four.

Ingram also cover-drove Reece for four before square-cutting another short ball through point, with ul Hassan square-driving Chappell when the tall seamer switched to the Racecourse End. The opener also cover-drove George Scrimshaw when he appeared at the City End for the 23rd over with Ingram also swatting the paceman through the gully for four as the hundred came up in the 26th over.

Afternoon Update

Derbyshire had reached 16-0 at lunch with Reece and Came facing McIlroy and van der Gugten. Came on-drove the latter for four before Zain ul Hassan had a spell at the Racecourse End with McIlroy continuing to probe away at the City End. Reece also on-drove McIlroy for four before Andy Gorvin entered the attack and was cover-driven by Reece for a trio of fours.

Van der Gugten switched ends and was on-driven for three by Came before Mitchell Swepson returned to the fray and was driven to long-on for four by Came. Reece also flicked van der Gugten to square-leg for four before reaching his fifty from 118 balls by cover-driving Zain ul Hassan. The Peakites were 95-0 at tea during which rain started to fall and prevented a resumption. With the rain still falling at 5pm, play was called off for the day.

Morning Update

After being invited to bat first on a pitch which was indistinguishable in colour from the rest of the outfield, Glamorgan’s batters must have wondered whether they would secure a solitary batting point, never mind four. But, by the close of play, this was exactly the situation they found themselves in having cruised to 408-6 thanks to Colin Ingram’s first century of the season and a fine second wicket stand of 193 with Zain ul Hassan who helped to blunt the home attack with a career-best 69. Further fifties from Kiran Carlson and Billy Root further consolidated Glamorgan’s position against a lacklustre attack on a day when 61 fours and 3 sixes were struck, as the visitors posted their highest first day total after being put in to bat since 2000 when, at Colwyn Bay, Sussex invited Glamorgan to bat first with the Welsh county ending a boundary-laden day on 457-1.

Luis Reece and Alex Thomson resumed the bowling as Chris Cooke and Andy Gorvin looked to push on towards another batting point on 450 and the 500-mark. Cooke pulled a long-hop from Reece for four before scything him for another boundary through point. The boundaries continued when Anuj Dal returned to the attack as he was pulled for a huge six by Cooke followed by a couple of thick edges through the slips for two further fours as he completed a 40-ball fifty.

Cooke also flayed Dal through point as the 450 came up before lofting Thomson over the ropes at mid-wicket for six. He then punched the off-spinner off the back foot through the covers for four beforte edging Dal into Haider Ali’s hands at slip and departed after a belligerent 70 from 51 balls. 472-7 saw Timm van der Gugten join Gorvin and he began by also edging Dal to third man as Glamorgan’s total became their best-ever on Derbyshire soil, surpassing the 474 at the ground in 2004.

Van der Gugten added two more steers to the vacant third man position before Gorvin spliced a ball from Sam Conners into the gloves of Brooke Guest as Mitchell Swepson joined the Dutchman. He began by lofting Dal over mid-on for four before upper cutting Conners over Guest’s head for another jaunty four followed by a deft nurdle to third man. Glamorgan declared an over later on 521-8 with their bowlers having half an hour before lunch in which to make early inroads into a Derbyshire line-up missing Wayne Madsen who is playing for Italy in the ICC World Cup qualifiers.

Harry Came and Luis Reece opened the batting as Jamie McIlroy shared the new ball with van der Gugten. Came began with a thick outside-edge for four to third man+

Close of Play Report

Derbyshire had gone to tea on 309-6 still 212 runs in arrears, with Alex Thomson striking the first boundary of the session as he on-drove Mitchell Swepson for four but Andy Gorvin struck in his second over as Thomson flayed at the all-rounder and gave Chris Cooke his fourth catch of the innings. 316-7 then became 316-8 as, next over, Swepson trapped Tom Wood l.b.w. and it might have been 316-9 as Zak Chappell edged Gorvin just wide of Sam Northeast’s outstretched right hand at second slip.

But later in the over, Chappell edged to third slip where Colin Ingram completed the catch and gave Glamorgan a third batting point. Next over, George Scrimshaw was run out by Andy Gorvin and Chris Cooke as Derbyshire were dismissed for 318 and, for the first time since 1969 at Derby, Glamorgan enforced the follow-on as Harry Came and Luis Reece opened the innings with the latter returning to the middle barely two hours after he had left it during Derbyshire’s first innings.

After his probing spell after tea, Andy Gorvin was entrusted with the new ball in tandem with Jamie McIlroy with the all-rounder, in his third over, nearly bowling Came as the ball almost cannoned from his pads onto the stumps. Reece then flat-batted Zain-ul-Hassan through the covers for four before van der Gugten returned to the attack and was straight-driven and square-cut for four in successive balls by Reece.

Came then on-drove ul Hassan for four before Reece thick-edged van der Gugten to the ropes at third man as Derbyshire reached the 50-mark. Reece then survived a loud appeal for l.b.w. against Swepson before sweeping him to the ropes at fine-leg as he completed an 84-ball half-century.

Afternoon Update

Luis Reece went to lunch unbeaten on 99, with the players leaving the field ten minutes early because of rain, and the opener duly reached three figures with an outside-edge to third man - his 195th delivery. Leus du Plooy drove van der Gugten for a pair of fours through the covers before guiding Andy Gorvin through point. The home captain continued to up the tempo by square-driving the Dutch international for four.

Mitchell Swepson returned at the City End and was swept for four by Reece as Derbyshire’s acceleration continued. Du Plooy also outside-edged ul Hassan for four before Kiran Carlson nearly pulled off a wonder catch at mid-off as he dived one-handed to his left as Reece drove a ball from Swepson before the Du Plooy also edged the spinner in and out of slip’s hands. But Glamorgan were not going to be denied a third wicket and a bowling point as Reece chanced his arm by sweeping Swepson again but got a top edge which a diving David Lloyd safely pouched at slip.

239-3 saw Haider Ali make his way to the middle and he began by square-cutting Swepson for four before du Plooy edged ul Hassan to fine-leg as Derbyshire reached the 250-mark and their first batting point in the 84th over. Ali then pulled Swepson for a pair of fours before the new ball was taken with Derbyshire on 265-3 as van der Gugten and McIlroy returned to the attack. Ali fiercely square-cut van der Gugten for four but McIlroy found the edge of du Plooy’s bat with Cooke doing the honours diving to his left in front of the slips.

274-4 then became 276-5 as Ali edged van der Gugten into Cooke’s gloves, and it nearly became 276-6 as later in the over Anuj Dal edged to third slip where Colin Ingram was struck a glancing blow on his cap but a diving Sam Northeast alongside him at second could not grasp the rebound. Dal then benefitted from four overthrows but his curio of an innings ended next over as he edged McIlroy into Cooke’s gloves with Glamorgan securing a second bowling point on 297.

Shortly before tea, Wood saw his team to a second batting point with a cut for four against van der Gugten

Morning Update

Rain saw the loss of 32 overs after tea yesterday, with the ECB regulations allowing 8 overs to be made up today in less damp conditions with Derbyshire resuming on 95-0. Their openers Harry Came and Luis Reece had faced more accurate bowling than their counterparts from Glamorgan on the opening day with just 8 boundaries being struck in 40 overs yesterday afternoon compared with the 78 in 118 overs struck by the visiting batters when the Peakites were bowling.

Jamie McIlroy and Timm van der Gugten opened the bowling this morning with Reece flat-batting the former through extra-cover for four. He then survived a loud appeal for l.b.w. against the Dutch international before unleashing a fierce drive through mid-off plus another later in the over through mid-wicket. Came also flicked van der Gugten to the ropes at square-leg before nudging Zain ul Hassan for a single to complete a patient and 162-ball fifty after three and a half hours at the crease.

Reece twice swept Mitchell Swepson for four when the leg-spinner bowled at the Racecourse End before Came on-drove the Australian for four. Reece also drilled him through mid-wicket for an all-run four before van der Gugten returned at the Racecourse End and found the edge of Came’s bat with Chris Cooke completing a diving catch in front of the two slips. 165-1 saw the arrival of Brooke Guest who scored centuries in each innings in last year’s match at Derby. However, he was trapped l.b.w. to his fourth delivery as the Dutch international struck again.

Close of Play Report

Derbyshire were 297-0 at tea, with the only feature of note in the final session - which saw Colin Ingram keeping wicket - was whether Luis Reece and Harry Came could break Derbyshire’s all-time best opening stand in Championship cricket of 333 which Reece had shared with former captain Billy Godleman against Northamptonshire in 2017.

Kiran Carlson bowled in tandem with Sam Northeast, as well as David Lloyd - in off-spin mode - as well as Billy Root before the landmark was duly reached as the latter was cover-driven by Came for a single. In his next over, Billy Root bowled the final ball with his left-arm before Reece cut Zain Ul Hassan, who was bowling spin, for four to complete a maiden double hundred.

The declaration came at 4.50pm with Derbyshire on 360-0 with the stand not being the highest ever against Glamorgan, which remains the 362 added by Martyn Moxon and Michael Vaughan for Yorkshire at Sophia Gardens in 1996

Teatime Update

Derbyshire had reached 185-0 at lunch with the new ball fifteen overs away as Kiran Carlson and Mitchell Swepson continued the bowling duties. Luis Reece on-drove Swepson for four before the arrears were wiped off as Came pulled Carlson for four to mid-wicket. He then swept Swepson for four before Reece danced down the pitch and lofted Carlson to long-on for four. Reece then swept Carlson to the ropes before Came repeated the stroke, followed by a rasping cover drive and fierce square-cut against the Australian wrist spinner.

Came then completed his hundred by lofting Carlson to long-on for four before swatting a full toss from Carlson to mid-wicket as the opening stand became Derbyshire’s best-ever against Glamorgan beating the 247 added by Adrian Rollins and Michael May at Chesterfield in 1997. Reece slog-swept Swepson for four before Glamorgan took the new ball after 80 overs with Timm van der Gugten and Jamie McIlroy returning to the attack.

It was though only a brief spell as, after six overs, Carlson returned in tandem with Andy Gorvin as Reece completed his 150 from 263 balls. Came then nurdled Gorvin for four to third man before square-cutting Carlson for four.

Morning Report

Harold Wilson was the UK’s Prime Minister and Thunderclap Newman’s “Something in the Air” was on top of the pop charts the last time a Glamorgan captain was able to enforce the follow-on at Derby. The date was 24 July 1969 with Malcolm Nash taking 4/32 and 5/56 as Glamorgan raced to a comprehensive victory inside two days against a Derbyshire side missing in their second innings the obdurate batting of Phil Russell.

Obduracy had been the watchword yesterday morning as Luis Reece and Harry Came added 165 for Derbyshire’s first wicket in 63.1 overs before Leus du Plooy attempted to up the tempo against the probing Glamorgan bowlers. Jamie McIlroy had beaten the bat on several times during the morning session but he returned after Glamorgan took the new ball and duly removed the home captain who was the first of seven batters to depart for just 44 runs in the space of 16.1 overs either side of the tea interval before a gleeful David Lloyd was able to emulate Tony Lewis and ask Derbyshire to bat again.

For the second time in the match Reece and Came adopted a watchful approach as they guided Derbyshire to 78-0 at the close of play, still 125 runs in arrears, under clear blue skies. This morning, though, there was more cloud cover as McIlroy and van der Gugten looked to make an initial incision. The two batters pushed and nudged a series of one’s and two’s before Came punched van der Gugten off the back foot through extra-cover.

Reece then on-drove the Dutch international to bring up their second century stand of the match before Mitchell Swepson and Andy Gorvin returned to the attack, with Reece flicking the latter to square-leg for four. He also on-drove the leg-spinner for four before Came outside-edged Swepson to the boundary boards at third man. Came then flicked Swepson to mid-wicket to complete his fifty from 138 balls.

Kiran Carlson also had a spell at the City End as Swepson switched to the Racecourse End and was slog-swept for four by Reece as the 150 came up. He then completed his second century of the match by pushing Swepson for a single from the 177th delivery he had faced. Reece also swept the Australian for another boundary as he continued to chisel away at the deficit.