Bragg makes 93 but Glamorgan are dismissed for 244 at Chelmsford

From a meteorological perspective, today is the first day of summer and, after being frustrated by more autumnal shades of grey last week at Cardiff, Glamorgan's cricketers were delighted to see a veritable kaleidoscope of blue sky plus warm sunshine and thin high cloud as they warmed up for the match against Essex.


The Welsh county made one change to the side which drew against Leicestershire at the SWALEC Stadium with the fit-again Graham Wagg replacing Will Owen whilst Tom Lancefield and Jacques Rudolph opened the batting after Mark Wallace won the toss. For their part, Essex who have been ravaged by injury to their seam bowlers welcomed back Reece Topley into their side, whilst leg-spinner Tom Craddock replaced Monty Panesar.


Topley duly took the new ball and with his third delivery yorked Lancefield with five runs on the board. Will Bragg duly struck the day's first boundary then deftly glanced the left-armer to fine-leg for four, whilst at the Hayes Close End, Matt Salisbury also beat the outside edge of the bat during a lively opening spell, although in his fourth over, the youngster was drilled through mid-wicket by Bragg who came into the game with 450 Championship runs under his belt.


Rudolph also secured a boundary himself as he carefully guided Topley through the large gap between third slip and gully with the ball before Bragg off-drove the tall bowler to the boundary boards. The southpaw also repeated the stroke against Salisbury who was then replaced by Tom Moore who had made his county debut in Essex's previous encounter with Surrey. The youngster from Brentwood began with a maiden before Jesse Ryder also replaced Topley at the River End and was clattered through extra cover by Rudolph, who had spent much of the first hour in watchful reconnaissance.


Bragg greeted the return of Salisbury at the River End by drilling him through mid-off for another high-class boundary as the fifty came up in the 18^th over. James Foster, the home captain, responded by placing a man on the drive on both sides of the wicket to Bragg, as well as a short extra cover, but the batsman remained unperturbed and unfurled a coruscating straight drive to bring up the fifty stand.


It proved to be only a brief return for Salisbury as Greg Smith entered the attack in the 22^nd over, and the off-spinner struck with his seventh delivery as Rudolph was adjudged l.b.w. with the total on 62. Ben Wright announced his arrival by twice sweeping Smith to the ropes at backward square-leg before Topley returned to the attack shortly before lunch and was nonchalently despatched by Bragg off the back foot through point.

Having reached 83/2 at lunch, the visiting batsmen continued to build a decent total on a wicket which had already seen the off-spin of Greg Smith and the wrist spin of Tom Craddock. Indeed, the latter bowled the first over after the interval at the Hayes Close End, but it was the left-arm seam of Reece Topley which ended the stand as, going around the wicket to Wright, he produced a spiteful delivery which found an outside edge with the ball looping up into the hands of third slip.


Bragg by this time had completed his fifty, from 113 deliveries, punching Craddock through the covers for four, and in the process completing 500 Championship runs for the season. Chris Cooke was soon into his stride, cover-driving the leg-spinner as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark, and his early show of aggression prompted the return of Matt Salisbury's seam bowling, with Foster also posting two men on the drive on the leg-side as he strove to dismiss the opener. But the left-hander was not inconvenienced in the slightest as he pulled Salisbury for four, besides punching a couple of other drives which bisected the ring of fielders.


Tom Moore then replaced Salisbury and again kept things tight, but having not conceded more than two runs in any of his eleven overs, he then dropped short to Bragg who punched the youngster off the back foot through backward point. Smith then returned with his off-spin at the River End with Bragg using his feet to twice drive him into the off-side, besides deftly late cutting him through backward point for three before reverse-sweeping him for another three.


With Cooke, after his fireworks on Friday night, dropping anchor at the other end, Bragg continued to play assertively as he leg-glanced Moore for another four before bringing up the fifty stand by steering him again almost to the point boundary for three as he got closer and closer to the second Championship hundred of his career and his second century in first-class cricket this summer.

Shortly before tea Craddock returned at the Hayes Close End, and he ended Bragg's stay at the crease as he steered a delivery into Mark Pettini's hands at slip and departed for 93.

Having lost Will Bragg in the penultimate over before tea, Chris Cooke and Jim Allenby were eager not to lose the initiative in the final session and to build on the good work shown during his 63-over innings. Indeed, Allenby showed positive intent from the outset sweeping Smith's second delivery of the session for six into the Pavilion Enclosure before hoisting a delivery in his second over to mid-wicket for another maximum.


Cooke also swatted a long-hop from Craddock for four to the ropes at mid-wicket before Jesse Ryder returned to the attack. The change did the trick as Allenby edged a drive outside off-stump with James Foster completing the catch with Glamorgan on 191/5. Two overs Mark Wallace nearly became another to fall to the Foster-Ryder combination but this time the ball evaded the outstretched gloves of the Essex keeper and sped away to the ropes at third man as Glamorgan reached the 200-mark and their first bonus point.


Wallace was then nearly stumped as he advanced down the wicket to Smith but a deflection off his body evaded Foster's grasp as he attempted to whip off the bails. With the sluggish wicket appearing to be giving a little bit of assistance to the gentle seam of Ryder and spin of Smith, Essex opted not to immediately take the new ball and Foster's decision was vindicated as Wallace edged Ryder into Tom Westley's hands at slip.


213/6 saw Graham Wagg join Cooke as Essex opted to take the new ball after 83.2 overs with Reece Topley returning to the attack. Cooke duly completed his patient fifty from 126 balls before greeting the return of Matt Salisbury at the Hayes Close End with a sumptuous cover drive for four. Wagg also drilled the seamer straight for four but next over he perished as he edged Topley to Ryder at first slip as Glamorgan lost their seventh wicket on 229.


With eight overs remaining in the day, Dean Cosker joined Cooke who sweetly off-drove Salisbury, but Topley then switched his line of attack to around the wicket and bowled Cosker, before switching back to over the wicket and clean bowling Hogan with his next delivery. Tom Helm duly survived the hat-trick delivery but in the final over Cooke edged Topley to Ryder at slip as he departed for 68 and became Topley's sixth victim with the left-armer taking 4/9 in 38 balls.