Career-best scores of 137* by Kiran Carlson and 84 by Andrew Salter, who shared a record stand of 182 for the sixth wicket, guided Glamorgan to 342-7 at the end of the first day’s play in their Specsavers County Championship match with Gloucestershire at the SSE SWALEC after being put in to bat by the West Country side and losing four wickets in the first hour’s play.
Evening Report
Resuming after tea on 216/5, Kiran Carlson and Andrew Salter were looking to further consolidate on their sixth wicket stand as the Welsh county recovered from the potentially perilous position of 63/4 earlier in the day. With Liam Norwell still hors de combat, Benny Howell had his first spell in the County Championship since August 2016 and the all-rounder was straight driven for four by Salter. Having lofted two sixes against Jack Taylor before tea, Carlson then cover drove Josh Shaw before his partner did the same as Glamorgan acquired a second batting point.
Carlson then cover drove and straight drove Howell as the century stand came up before Carlson fiercely cut Howell for four, followed by an inside-edge for two against Noema-Barnett as the youngster ,who will shortly start his engineering degree at Cardiff University completed his first Championship century on Welsh soil from 216 balls and the second of his fledgling career.
Salter also completed his defiant half-century from 127 deliveries shortly after the visitors took the new ball with Salter pulling Matt Taylor to the ropes at mid-wicket. Carlson also late-cut Payne for four before Salter glanced the left-armer to fine-leg. Carlson then drilled Taylor for four through mid-off prior to a pull for four by Salter as the third batting point was secured in the 86th over.
Another single brought up the 150-run stand and then ten runs later, after an on-drive by Carlson against Noema-Barnett, their efforts beat the previous best by the Welsh county for the sixth wicket against Gloucestershire, surpassing the 159 added by Matthew Maynard and Michael Cann at Sophia Gardens in 1989. It also saw Carlson complete his top score in first-class cricket
Salter also unfurled a superb cover drive for four against Shaw as the shadows started to build across the outfield. He followed this with successive pulls for four and six against Shaw, before being adjudged caught behind off the next delivery as the stand of 182 came to an end. Next over Craig Meschede edged Noema-Barnett to Chris Dent at second slip as Ruaidhri Smith joined Carlson for the closing overs with the youngster cover-driving Shaw in the penultimate over to end the day unbeaten on 137.
Afternoon update
The morning session had seen 30 overs, four wickets and 23 boundaries as Connor Brown, Kiran Carlson and Chris Cooke plundered a series of fours as Gloucestershire strove the make further inroads after opting to bowl first. Carlson and Cooke resumed after lunch having added 64 before the interval.
Carlson struck the first boundary of the afternoon session, but only after miscuing a hook against Josh Shaw, before Cooke nurdled Shaw to third man for four. He duly completed his fifty from 67 balls with an on-drive against Shaw before a similar blow by Carlson brought up the 150. There was then a short delay to attend to a damp patch which had developed around a drain on the outfield, and when play resumed, Cooke dragged the second delivery onto his stumps and departed for 51.
151/5 duly saw Andrew Salter join Carlson who drove Payne to mid-wicket before reaching his fifty from 131 balls by cover-driving the same bowler. Gloucestershire’s cause was not helped by a leg injury to Norwell which saw the seam bowler departed the field and coach Richard Dawson don the whites as twelfth man. Matt Taylor had a second spell at the River End and was struck for successive fours by Salter to square-leg and third man.
Salter nurdled Taylor again for four before cover-driving Noema-Barnett as the total approached the 200-mark and the first batting point. Salter saw his side to the milestone before Carlson drilled Jack Taylor straight for six.
Lunchtime Report
The Welsh county made three changes to their side which lost last week against Northamptonshire at The SSE SWALEC with young opener Connor Brown replacing the Jacques Rudolph, batsman Aneurin Donald playing in place of Jack Murphy and seam bowler Ruaidhri Smith being recalled for Lukas Carey. Brown duly opened the batting with Nick Selman after the visitors opted to bowl first, perhaps thinking about the match in early July at Cheltenham when 25 wickets tumbled on the opening day of the contest at the historic College ground.
Phil Mustard’s decision was vindicated as four wickets tumbled in the opening hour, starting with Selman who departed l.b.w. to the second ball of the innings delivered by David Payne. Colin Ingram then off-drove and cover drove the seamer, before straight driving Liam Norwell for another boundary. Brown got off the mark as he under-edged a delivery from Payne to the ropes at third man. Ingram also bottom-edged a drive against Norwell to the same area before Brown unfurled a pair of flowing cover drives against successive deliveries from Payne.
But with the total on 33, Ingram inside-edged a drive against Norwell as Kiran Carlson became Brown’s new partner as the 20 year-old again cover drove Payne before steering him deftly to third man. Carlson opened his account by twice square-driving Norwell before Brown upper-cut Norwell for four before further adding to his boundary tally by straight-driving the seamer.
Brown then threaded another well-timed front foot drive through the covers when Kieran Noema-Barnett joined the attack but the Kiwi ended the youngster’s impressive debut in Championship cricket as he trapped him l.b.w. for 35.62/3 saw Gloucestershire acquire their first bowling point as Aneurin Donald made his way to the middle for what proved to be a fine-ball stay as in the 15th over of the session he edged Payne into the hands of third slip.
63/4 saw Chris Cooke join Carlson and the new batsman began by glancing Matt Taylor’s third delivery to fine-leg. Carlson then square-drove Taylor for another boundary before Cooke sent the ball like a tracer bullet through extra-cover. He repeated the stroke against Noema-Barnett as the total reached the 100-mark before bringing up the fifty partnership with a pair of off-side fours.
Jack Taylor then replaced his brother shortly before lunch at the River End and was cover-drivin by Cooke as the rally continued,