A career-best 129 from Will Bragg guided to Glamorgan 308/6 at the close of the first day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby (writes Andrew Hignell).
Close of Play Report
The floodlights were on when play resumed after tea with the Welsh county on 184/2, and with just a single added, Derbyshire claimed their first bowling point as Tony Palladino bowled Chris Cooke. Bragg also glanced the seamer to fine-leg for four before Aneurin Donald cover drove Matt Critchley for four before pulling a long-hop from the leg-spinner to the md-wicket ropes
Andy Carter then returned to the attack and he was pulled for four by the young tyro who then dispatched another long-hop from Critchley to mid-wicket. Bragg duly completed his hundred by on-driving Chesney Hughes for his twelfth four having faced 171 balls and shortly afterwards the Peakites took the new ball with the Welsh county on 249/3 after 80 overs.
Donald duly dispatched the first delivery through point as Luke Fletcher returned to the attack. He unleashed another coruscating cover drive later in the over before surviving a chance at slip as he edged a delivery from Carter. It did not prove to be an expensive miss as three balls later, Carter again found the edge with wicket-keeper Tom Poynton safely pouching the ball.
260/4 immediately became 260/5 as next ball David Lloyd was adjudged l.b.w. as he shouldered arms to Carter. Graham Wagg then arrived in the middle and clipped the flame-haired bowler through mid-wicket for four, before Bragg cut the tall seamer to the ropes square of the wicket. He then reached a career-best 121 as he drilled Carter through extra cover for four, followed by a rasping pull for four later in the over.
Wagg again found the ropes as he cover drove Fletcher but with Glamorgan one run short of securing a third batting point, Bragg departed l.b.w. as Durston briefly returned to the attack at the City End. Meschede punched his first deliver for three through the covers, but with two overs to go the light deteriorated and the umpires ended play for the day after 94 overs.
Teatime update
Resuming on 69/1 after a sedate opening session in bitterly cold conditions, Will Bragg clipped the first ball after lunch through mid-off for three. But a couple of deliveries later, Jacques Rudolph edged Tony Palladino into the wicket-keeper’s gloves. The rains then returned as Chris Cooke made his way to the middle and after Bragg had steered Palladino for four through extra cover, the umpires took the players off the field.
It was only a brief stoppage as after ten minutes the rains eased and play was able to resume with Bragg again punching Palladino through the covers for four before regally off-driving the seamer. Cooke then had a life as he was dropped at second slip as Luke Fletcher found the edge of his bat, before dispatching Fletcher in the air through point. Bragg then swatted Fletcher to the cover point boundary before Cooke greeted the return of Wes Durston by pulling the spinner for four, followed by an off-drive for another boundary.
Bragg drilled Andy Carter through backward point for four before Cooke imperiously drove Durston through extra cover as weak sunshine bathed the 3aaa Ground. Bragg completed his fifty by on-driving Durston to complete a 96-ball fifty and then cover driving the spinner’s next delivery. He then steered both Carter and leg-spinner Matt Critchley to the vacant ropes at third man before Cooke brought up the hundred stand with a square-cut against Critchley, followed by a pair of sweetly-timed fours in the final over before tea.
Lunch update
Yesterday was St. George’s Day and in the town centre of Derby, as in other English settlements, there were displays and street theatre reminding passers-by of the story of the Roman soldier who was immortalised for his efforts in the third century by slaying a dragon in Lebanon. Home supporters at the 3aaa ground this morning were looking forward to less bloody incidents, but for their side to remain dominant over the men from the Welsh county – and the mythical land of dragons - who have lost on their four most recent visits to Derby and have not won a Championship match on Derbyshire soil for ten years.
For Jacques Rudolph and his men their crusade to Derby follows a week when the side went down to a ten-wicket defeat at home to Leicestershire in the opening Championship match of the summer. This was the first time since 1984 that they had lost their first game by such a margin and overall, it was their heaviest defeat in the opening four-day game since they were trounced by 201 runs by Sussex in 2010. Six years ago Glamorgan bounced straight back by defeating Middlesex at Lord’s by 78 runs, so the Glamorgan side will be hoping that history will repeat itself at Derby over the course of the next four days.
Glamorgan made one change to their side with Andrew Salter replacing Mark Wallace, and after winning the toss, Jacques Rudolph opted to bat. Together with James Kettleborough, he made a patient start against the new ball pairing of Tony Palladino and Luke Fletcher, before the Glamorgan captain dispatched successive balls from the former through the covers for the day’s first boundaries. Kettleborough then on-drove Fletcher for three before Rudolph swatted Andy Carter through backward point, followed next ball by a sumptuous cover point for another boundary.
Wes Durston’s off-spin was introduced in the 18th over and Rudolph greeted his appearance by drilling him through mid-off for four as the openers reached the 50-mark with Kettleborough cover-driving Palladino for four, Next over, he did the same to Durston but in the following over – with the total on 58 – he was bowled shouldering arms to Palladino. Will Bragg duly made his way to the middle and began with an off-driven four against Palladino as light rain started to fall shortly before lunch.Bragg biffed another four off the back foot against Fletcher