GLAMORGAN v KENT

Kent lost nine wickets for 50 runs in 19.1 overs as they were dismissed for 138 with David Lloyd taking a career-best 4/11 after the visitors were put in to bat by Glamorgan in their LV=Insurance County Championship match on a green-tinged pitch at Sophia Gardens. At the close, the home side were 109-2 in reply.

Close of Play Report

Glamorgan resumed after tea on 17-1 with David Lloyd and Marnus Labuschagne facing the bowling of Matt Milnes and Darren Stevens. After a series of one’s and two’s, plus some watchful defensive strokes, Lloyd scythed Stevens over the head of the slip cordon, but with the total on 33,the evergreen all-rounder trapped Labuschagne l.b.w.

Billy Root became Lloyd’s new partner as the left-arm seam of Fred Klaassen was introduced with the left-hander square-driving the Dutchman to the boundary boards. However, rain started to fall again in the 16th over and shortly afterwards the players left the field with Glamorgan on 43-2.

A further 12 overs were lost with play resuming at 1750 as Lloyd straight drove Klaassen for four. Billy Root then greeted the introduction of Miguel Cummins by swatting a short ball from the Bajan through backward point to bring up the Glamorgan fifty. Lloyd also pulled him for four before Root unfurled a couple of sublime cover drives for four against Klaassen. Lloyd also straight drove Cummins for four before being dropped at first slip as he edged a drive against Klaassen.

He celebrated his good fortune by clipping the Dutchman for four before Stevens returned for a final salvo. Root clipped him to long-leg before off-driving him for a second boundary in the over. Milnes also had another spell and was cover-driven by Root as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark in the 29th over.

Lloyd also continued his good day’s work by completing his fifty from 85 balls as he clipped Milnes to mid-wicket before punching Stevens off the back foot through backward point.

Afternoon Update

Kent had lost three wickets for five runs in 20 balls before lunch so when play began the Glamorgan bowlers were eager to make further inroads with Michael Hogan and Lukas Carey operating in tandem. The former duly struck in the sixth over of the session as Heino Kuhn, after playing and missing against Carey, was pinned l.b.w. 107-5 saw Ollie Robinson join Zac Crawley and the Kent wicket-keeper began with a cover driven four against Carey before a pull to square-leg.

Timm van der Gugten then returned to the attack and with his first delivery found the edge of Crawley’s bat with Chris Cooke claiming another regulation catch moving to his right. Darren Stevens duly made his way to the middle but the drizzle which had been falling then intensified and forced the players off the field for half an hour.

On the resumption, Darren Stevens on-drove van der Gugten for four before David Lloyd returned to the fray and with the total on 131, he bowled Stevens before two balls later taking a smart catch at second slip as the Dutchman found the edge of Robinson’s bat. The North Walian then trapped Fred Klaassen leg before with Matt Milnes falling in identical fashion next over as the visitors were dismissed for 138 in the 46th over.

This left Glamorgan with half an hours batting before tea as Joe Cooke and Lloyd began the Welsh county’s response against the new ball pairing of Milnes and Stevens. The latter, who celebrates his 45th birthday tomorrow removed Cooke with his third delivery as the opener edged to first slip as Marnus Labuschagne made his way out from the pavilion with the scoreboard reading 1-1. There were few alarms for him as he off-drove Stevens to the ropes in front of the River Stand.

Morning update

Glamorgan welcomed back Marnus Labuschagne, their Australian run-machine, into their line-up following his return to the UK after yet another prolific season at state and international level during 2020/21. Marnus made 112 and 192 in his two most recent innings in first-class cricket in Australia, having made 121 on debut for the Welsh county during 2019, besides passing fifty in seven of his last eight Championship innings for Glamorgan, including centuries in each innings of the game against Worcestershire at Sophia Gardens.

Marnus, who replaced Andrew Balbirnie, was one of four changes to the Welsh county’s team following the seven-wicket defeat by Northamptonshire last weekend, with Timm van der Gugten, Joe Cooke and Lukas Carey also replacing James Weighell, Nick Selman and Dan Douthwaite.

With a green-tinged pitch and a decent cloud cover, Chris Cooke opted to bowl first against Kent, who like Glamorgan are seeking their first win in the competition this year, with Carey and Michael Hogan sharing the new ball. Daniel Bell-Drummond struck the day’s first boundary as he on-drove Carey before his partner Jordan Cox flicked the seamer to the ropes at fine-leg and mid-wicket. Bell-Drummond also off-drove Hogan before Cox did the same.

Cox then edged Hogan just out of Chris Cooke’s grasp as he dived to his right in front of first slip. Van der Gugten replaced Hogan at the River End whilst James Harris had a spell in place of Carey at the Cathedral Road End. Bell-Drummond edged the Dutchman through the slip cordon before unfurling another booming off-drive, followed by a flowing cover drive against Harris as the visitors reached the 50-mark after 15 overs.

But van der Gugten made the breakthrough as he bowled Bell-Drummond with the total on 54 as Zac Crawley made his way to the middle and began with a drive through cover point for four, before clipping Harris to the boards at wide mid-on.

Crawley unleashed another booming on-drive in van der Gugten’s next over but with the total on 88 David Lloyd found the edge of Cox’s bat and Chris Cooke completed a regulation catch. 88-2 then became 88-3 as Lloyd trapped Joe Denly l.b.w. as Glamorgan secured their first bonus point shortly before lunch. They also gained another wicket as Hogan returned at the River End and had Jack Leaning caught behind.

Glamorgan beat Kent by ten wickets on a dramatic second day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Sophia Gardens which saw eighteen wickets tumble with Kent dismissed for 74 in their second innings with Michael Hogan claiming 5/28.

Close of Play report

Kent had gone to tea in disarray on 32-4 and with Heino Kuhn nursing a calf injury. When play resumed after a short shower, and the loss of another over, the visitors were still 27 runs in arrears with the Glamorgan bowlers cock-a-hoop after Michael Hogan’s pre-tea spell in which he claimed 3-16 in a dozen balls. The veteran resumed the bowling at the River End and continued to beat the outside edge with Ollie Robinson eventually making contact as he cover drove Hogan. But next ball he feathered another delivery into Cooke’s gloves as Hogan claimed his 395th first-class wicket for his adopted county.

41-5 saw the arrival of another veteran to the middle, as Darren Stevens joined Jack Leaning with the visitors, still 18 runs in arrears. However, their plight worsened further in the next over as Hogan claimed his fifth wicket of the innings as Leaning departed l.b.w. with Kuhn arriving in the middle with a runner and his side on 46-6. He brought up the fifty by slashing Hogan through point for four.

It then became 54-7 as Darren Steven inside-edged an expansive drive against Lloyd onto his stumps as Matt Milnes joined Kuhn and began with a three through backward point and a glance to fine-leg for four. Timm van der Gugten and James Harris then had a spell in tandem with the eighth wicket pair accumulating in one-s and two’s until the Dutchman removed Kuhn l.b.w. 72-8 then became 74-9 as Milnes departed in identical fashion to James Harris who three balls later yorked Miguel Cummins as Kent’s innings ended on 74.

Glamorgan required 16 to win with David Lloyd upper cutting, cover-driving and off-driving Klaassen for a trio of fours in the second over before pulling Cummins for six to clinch victory in the grand manner.

Teatime Report

Having lost three wickets for four runs in the space of nine balls before the stoppage for rain, Glamorgan were looking to consolidate when play resumed at 1330pm with the Welsh county on 129-5, still nine runs in arrears. Darren Stevens and Matt Milnes resumed their probing spells with Callum Taylor edging the latter through the slip cordon for four before Kiran Carlson cover drove Stevens for four. But to the next delivery, Carlson edged the 45 year-old low to second slip where Zak Crawley completed a good tumbling catch to his right.

140-6 saw James Harris join Taylor and he duly nurdled Stevens through point for four. But with the total on 148 Milnes trapped Taylor l.b.w. with another delivery late jagged back into the batsman. Timm van der Gugten announced his arrival with a rasping straight drive against Milne before lofting Stevens to long-on for four. But in his next over Stevens found the edge of the Dutchman’s bat with Ollie Robinson completing the catch behind the stumps.

159-8 heralded the arrival of Lukas Carey with James Harris also greeting the return of Miguel Cummins to the attack by on-driving him for four. Fed Klaassen also replaced Stevens at the River End and was deftly guided through backward point by Harris. Carey top-edged a pull against the Dutchman over the head of the wicket-keeper before repeating the stroke next over to fine-leg. With the total on 188 Cummins yorked Carey before nine runs later Michael Hogan drove Klaassen into the hands of the fielder at mid-on as the Glamorgan innings ended on 197.

With his side trailing by 59 runs Daniel Bell-Drummond began Kent’s second innings with Jordan Cox, against the new ball attack of Carey and Hogan. Bell-Drummond began with a scythed four over the slip cordon against Carey who, like his partner, delivered a probing spell and again nearly claimed the wicket of the visiting captain who miscued a pull just out of the reach of mid-on.

Bell-Drummond also drove Hogan uppishly through the gully before edging him just short of first slip, but it was Cox who was the first to depart as he departed l.b.w to the evergreen seamer with the total on 18. With his next ball Hogan found the edge of Bell-Drummond’s bat as Chris Cooke completed the catch. Zak Crawley survived a loud appeal for l.b.w. against Carey before Joe Denly on-drove Hogan for four.

But with the total on 30 Crawley shouldered arms to Hogan and was bowled by a beauty which nipped back in before David Lloyd entered the attack and with his first ball trapped Denly l.b.w.

Lunchtime Report

There had been great rejoicing that the Welsh government’s quarantine regulations for elite sport allowed Marnus Labuschagne to play at Cardiff just four days after returning to the Welsh capital. However, his almost messianic return was nearly scuppered yesterday before it had begun as the Australian tumbled down the steps as the Glamorgan team prepared to take to the field after opting to bowl first on the green-tinged pitch.

Thankfully, Marnus was able to bat in his accustomed position at number three later in the day and shared a stand with David Lloyd who grabbed the headlines yesterday with both bat and ball. Firstly, the Glamorgan vice-captain claimed a career-best 4/11 as Kent lost nine wickets for 50 runs in 19.1 overs before he completed a sober fifty by the close.

The net result was that the home county ended the day just 29 runs in arrears but Kent surged back into the contest this morning under heavy cloud and with rain in the air. Lloyd was the first to depart as, after clipping Matt Milnes to mid-wicket besides drilling him to long-off in the opening over, the opener departed l.b.w to Darren Stevens on his 45th birthday. 120-3 then became 124-4 as Billy Root departed in identical fashion to a ball from Milnes which jagged back in and appeared to keep a fraction low.

Chris Cooke was then bowled first ball before Callum Taylor survived the hat-trick ball before Carlson square-drove Milnes but rain started to fall and the players left the field after 41 overs with Glamorgan on 129-5.