Allenby takes 5/56 as Essex are dismissed for 286 at Swansea

There are some personal landmarks looming on the horizon with Michael Hogan having 47 first-class wickets to his name with the tall fast bowler requiring a further three victims to reach the fifty-mark for the second time in his county career. He was soon in action as Essex won the toss and batted first, with Hogan sharing the new ball with Graham Wagg. Tom Westley began with a firm clip to mid-wicket, followed by a pair of booming off-drives against both bowlers.


His opening partner Nick Browne also drove assertively, including one well-timed stroke off the front foot through mid-off when Jim Allenby entered the attack at the Pavilion End, with James Harris - who had yesterday travelled back to Lord's to appear for the injury-struck Middlesex Panthers against the Notts Outlaws in the Royal London One-Day Cup - also coming on to bowl at the Mumbles Road End.


Indeed, it was Harris who was driven through mid-on and mid-off for a pair of fours by Westley as Essex reached the 50-mark in the 15^th over. Westley despatched Harris for a pair of fours in his next over with the ball being drilled to long-off and backward point, before on-driving Allenby for his tenth four to complete a 62-ball half century.


After seventy-five minutes play Dean Cosker entered the fray and in his second over he was swept for four by Westley. But next over, the canny spinner made amends as he bowled the opener as attempted to repeat the stroke. 79/1 saw Ravi Bopara make his way to the middle before Browne clipped Allenby through mid-wicket for four and three from successive deliveries. But Cosker struck again in his fourth over as Bopara edged to Allenby at slip with Essex on 91/2.

Jesse Ryder survived a loud appeal for l.b.w. and played and missed several times before off-driving Hogan to bring up the hundred shortly before lunch.

After a probing pre-lunch spell in which he took two wickets and had a loud l.b.w. appeal rejected against Nick Browne, Dean Cosker continued in tandem initially with Michael Hogan, with the wily twirler keeping things tight. Browne also edged Hogan through a vacant fourth slip besides playing and missing several times. Cosker's sequence of maidens was broken by a pair of slog-sweeps from Ryder for four and six.


The Kiwi also clipped Hogan through backward point for four before the Australian was replaced at the Pavilion End by Andrew Salter. The off-spinner duly made the breakthrough as with the final ball of his opening over, he saw Ryder top-edge a cut into Mark Wallace's safe gloves as Glamorgan claimed their first bowling point with Essex on 126/3.



With James Foster as his new partner, Browne square-cut Cosker for four, before Foster did the same to Salter, swiftly followed by a sweep and another cut in an over which yielded three boundaries. Browne also employed a sweep stroke against Cosker with the ball just evading the outstretched arms of Murray Goodwin at deep square-leg, but in trying to catch the ball, the fielder headed the ball over the ropes. His efforts could have earned him a place in the Swansea City squad for their visit to Old Trafford tomorrow but, as far as the men in whites at St.Helen's today were concerned, it saw Browne complete a 126-ball fifty.


The left-handed opener then celebrated by greeting the return of Graham Wagg by square-cutting him for four before Foster lofted Cosker to long-on, but just out of the grasp of the diving fielder, followed by a huge drive over the sightscreens for six. His aggression prompted the resting of the spinner and the return of James Harris who induced a miscued pull by Foster with his first delivery, but the ball bisected a trio of advancing fielders and landed safely on the turf.


Browne then clipped Wagg to long-on for four before pulling Hogan for four to mid-wicket, but the return of Harris ended Foster's stay at the crease as he edged a drive into Wallace's gloves with Essex slipping to 196/4 shortly before the tea interval.

Resuming after tea on 207/4, Essex's fifth wicket pairing of Nick Browne and Ryan ten Doeschate faced the spin of Dean Cosker and the seam of Jim Allenby as the Welsh county looked to make further inroads. The ploy worked as after ten Doeschate had drilled Cosker to long-on, Browne edged Allenby into Wallace's gloves and departed for a patient 73. 220/5 then became 224/6 as Allenby and Wallace combined again as Glamorgan secured their second bowling point in the 70^th over.


Graham Napier began with a brace of two's before ten Doeschate lofted Cosker into the Mumbles Road for a straight six followed by a rasping pull for four. He then nearly drove a ball back into Allenby's hands as the all-rounder nearly struck again in his twelfth over. But he was not to be denied next over as Napier miscued another expansive drive and lobbed a catch to Michael Hogan at mid-off.


252/7 saw the arrival of Sajid Mahmood who made his intentions clear from the outset by driving Coker to long-off and wide mid-wicket for four, followed by a thick edge through the slips against Allenby. Hogan then returned and was cover driven by Mahmood. But Hogan made the perfect riposte as he trapped the former England bowler l.b.w. as Essex's post-tea collapse continued to 272/8.


Ten Doeschate then leg-glanced Hogan for four before driving Allenby through mid-on, but the all-rounder then trapped him leg before before two balls later doing the same to Monty Panesar as Essex ended on 286 having lost six wickets for 81 runs after tea, with Allenby ending with exemplary figures of 5/56.


Will Bragg and Jacques Rudolph then had a dozen overs to face, initially against the seam of Napier and Salisbury. The Springbok struck elegant fours through the off-side against both bowlers, before Bragg drilled Salisbury through extra cover for a handsome four. Panesar then entered the attack after five overs but Bragg regally despatched him through backward point for four in his opening over. However, two overs later the left-arm spinner had Bragg caught behind as Andrew Salter joined Rudolph as night-watchman and saw Glamorgan to the close.