Centuries from Bragg (113*) & Rudolph (111) see Glamorgan to 294/2

Yesterday the sporting headlines were dominated by the Grand National, the gruelling four and a half mile steeplechase at Aintree, whilst this morning another long-distance marathon began with the opening contests in the LV=County Championship - a competition which will be decided in six month's time.


Whilst it was a day yesterday for Many Clouds at Liverpool, this morning at Grace Road there was plenty of sunshine and high, wispy stratus as Jacques Rudolph won the toss and elected to bat first, with Will Owen being omitted from the Welsh county's 12-man squad. After a minute's silence had been observed in memory of Richie Benaud, Rudolph began the innings with James Kettleborough whilst Atif Sheikh and Ben Raine shared the new ball


Kettleborough duly struck the day's first boundary, albeit not quite where he intended as he got an inside-edge to an off-drive against Raine which saw the ball speed down to fine-leg for four. A thick outside edge from Rudolph's blade also just evaded the grasp of the man at third slip before the Glamorgan captain carefully steered the ball from Raine between the slips and gully for another boundary.


Kettleborough then repeated the stroke against Raine but next over, with the total on 27, he edged a delivery from Sheikh into the gloves of wicket-keeper Niall O'Brien. With Will Bragg as his new partner, Rudolph guided Raine to third man twice in the space of three deliveries. The strong blustery wind which had caused several interruptions as the bails blew off led to the umpires dispensing with them shortly after a mis-field in the covers saw Glamorgan reach 50 in 14^th over.


Bragg then unfurled his signature shot, punching Freckingham off the back foot through extra cover for four before Rudolph despatched the same bowler through the same area, but off the front foot. Bragg also clipped Freckingham to the ropes at backward square-leg before deftly glancing Charlie Shreck to fine-leg. Rudolph duly greeted the return of Raine by playing a rasping square-cut when the seamer dropped short. before Rudolph clipped the last ball of the morning, from Shreck to square-leg for four.

Having seen his side reach 102/1 at lunch, the patient Jacques Rudolph moved closer to his half-century as he clipped Raine for three to mid-wicket before spearing a short ball from the all-rounder through backward point for his 7^th boundary as he completed his fifty from 100 balls.. Bragg also clipped a short ball from Shreck through the covers as he also approached his fifty, before bringing up the 100-stand by driving Raine through the leg-side for three.


Bragg then clipped Shreck to the boards at square-leg as he reached 50 from 95 balls before Rudolph sweetly cover drove Raine as the second wicket pairing, quite literally, made hay as the sun shone at Grace Road. Rudolph greeted the return of Atif Sheikh by glancing him to long-leg for four but in the left-armer's next over he survived another chance as a diving Raine at backward point just failed to get his left-hand to the ball.


He celebrated his good fortune by pulling Sheikh for four before guiding Tom Wells to the vacant third man ropes. The 150 stand was then reached as Bragg struck successive deliveries from Sheikh to the ropes at fine-leg and deep backward point before Rudolph sent another delivery from Wells through backward point for another sweetly-timed boundary.


The 200 came up in the 48^th over as the Welsh county secured their first batting point of the summer, whilst it also became their best-ever second wicket stand against the East Midlands side, beating the 173 added by Peter Walker and Alan Jones at Ebbw Vale in 1965 and by Dan Cherry and David Hemp at Leicester in 2006.


Rudolph moved through the nineties with the aid of a four to third man against Freckingham, before deftly cutting the spin of Dan Redfern through backward point to reach three figures from 164 balls with his 14^th four. It was also the earliest-ever Championship hundred for the Welsh county, beating the century made by Mark Wallace on April 18^th, 2004 against Derbyshire at Sophia Gardens.


An exquisite on-drive for four by Bragg against Raine brought up the 200-stand and Glamorgan's best for the second wicket since 2006 when Michael Powell and David Hemp shared a double-hundred stand against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. Shortly afterwards, a mix-up in calling nearly saw the left-hander run out at the bowler's end

Resuming after tea on 247/1, Bragg on-drove the second ball of the session, delivered by Atif Sheikh for four as the second bonus point was secured. But four balls later, Rudolph's innings came to an end as he edged the left-armer into wicket-keeper Niall O'Brien's gloves as the stand which had added 227 in 56.2 overs came to an end, just 25 runs short of the Club's best-ever second wicket stand, held by Matthew Maynard and David Hemp who added 252 against Northamptonshire at Sophia Gardens in 2002.


Rudolph's departure saw another left-handed South African make his way to the crease as Colin Ingram - the leading run-scorer in first-class cricket last winter in his homeland - began his maiden innings for the Welsh county. The spotlight though was on the other end as Bragg steered Sheikh through backward point to reach his century from 183 balls and to record his 14^th boundary.


The cloud cover had increased during the interval but despite the gloom, Bragg leg-glanced Shreck for four before Ingram unleashed a coruscating cover drive for four against the same bowler. With the bank of cumulus continuing to build up over the ground, it was somewhat appropriate that Ben Raine should return at the Bennett End, but his spell was very brief as the umpires - after their fourth consultation - took the players off the field with Glamorgan on 294/2 in the 73^rd over and Bragg unbeaten with a Championship-best 113*.

With rain still falling at 5.15pm and the light reaching Stygian proportions of gloom, play was called off for the day.