Andrew Hignell reports on day 2 of the Specsavers County Championship clash at The SSE SWALEC
DAY TWO
Close of Play Report
When play resumed after tea, Jacques Rudolph pulled Joe Leach for four as the visiting captain shared new ball duties with John Hastings. His partner Nick Selman also square-cut Leach for four before Rudolph added further fours by drilling Leach to the ropes at mid-off and extra cover.
The Glamorgan captain continued to deal exclusively in boundaries as he straight drove Leach for another four before Selman pulled Hastings to the fence at mid-wicket. Selman duly brought up the 50-stand by on-driving Jack Shantry for four before Rudolph savagely pulled a short ball from Ed Barnard to backward square-leg.
Selman then greeted the introduction of Josh Tongue by despatching his first ball through the covers, but the youngster made the breakthrough in his second over as he yorked Rudolph for 29. 74/1 then became 80/2 as David Lloyd clipped Tongue to mid-wicket for two and four before departing l.b.w. next ball to the Championship debutant. Two balls later Selman edged Barnard into the slips but the ball did not quite carry to Tom Kohler-Cadmore.
Colin Ingram opened his account with a powerfully struck on-drive against Barnard followed by a booming off-drive against Tongue. He then swatted Hastings to the vacant ropes at third man before clipping him for three to fine-leg. But with the total on 108 Selman edged a ball from Hastings into Cox’s gloves. The next two deliveries saw both Ingram and Aneurin Donald edge balls over and through the slip cordon before Ingram unfurled another booming straight drive for four against Hastings followed by a rasping cover drive in the Australian’s next over.
Teatime Update
With Joe Leach having departed to the final ball of the morning session, John Hastings was Ed Barnard’s new partner and the burly Australian was soon into his stride as he biffed Michael Hogan through extra-cover for four, with Barnard reaching his half-century later in the over as he did the same to his 81st delivery. Hastings also clubbed Carey over the heads of the slip cordon for four whilst Barnard continued to accumulate in singles, deftly working the ball around in contrast to his partner’s more muscular approach.
Glamorgan took the new ball immediately it became available after 80 overs and Marchant de Lange ended Barnard’s stay at the crease as he departed l.b.w. with the total on 349. Josh Tongue began by clipping Hogan to fine-leg whilst Hastings drilled the seamer through mid-off for another four. He then greeted the return of Carey by striking him powerfully to the boards at long-off, but with the total on 371, he called for a quick single against Hogan and saw Kiran Carlson make a direct hit from point with Tongue out of his ground.
Later in the over Hastings survived a chance at first slip as Colin Ingram nearly held a good catch low to his left, with the all-rounder celebrating his good fortune by swatting Hogan to the point boundary in the next over and then scything Podmore to the ropes at long on as he completed his fifty from 67 balls. Jack Shantry added to the boundary tally by cover-driving both Carey and Podmore as Worcestershire garnered another batting point as they reached the 400-mark in the 94th over. But the innings ended three runs later as de Lange returned at the River End and Hastings miscued a drive to Jacques Rudolph running around for mid-off.
Lunchtime Report
It seemed to be more like Groundhog Day rather than Good Friday for Glamorgan yesterday morning as for the second successive match, the Welsh county lost eight wickets before lunch on the opening day as Worcestershire exerted their right to bowl first. But after the interval, a swashbuckling stand of 68 in just 8.3 overs for the ninth wicket between David Lloyd and Lukas Carey saw the Welsh county to 207 and a prized batting point.
Lloyd was a dozen runs short of a well-deserved century when he skied a drive to extra cover, but Carey in tandem with the fit-again Michael Hogan swiftly dismissed the visiting openers with just a single on the board. However, during the final session, Worcestershire regained the upper hand with a century stand between Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ben Cox. By the time rain brought an early finish at 6pm, the visitors were just 27 runs in arrears, and the home bowlers knew that they needed early wickets this morning to prevent Worcestershire from building a decent first innings lead.
Hogan and Carey resumed the bowling duties with Kohler-Cadmore flicking the latter to the ropes at square-leg, but Hogan ended the stand in his second over as Cox edged a delivery into the gloves of Chris Cooke. Ed Barnard announced his arrival by cover-driving Carey to bring up the 200 and the first batting point, before a brace of leg byes saw Worcestershire take the lead.
Barnard celebrated by drilling Carey through the covers for four before repeating the stroke against Harry Podmore when the loanee replaced Hogan at the Cathedral Road End. Kohler-Cadmore also greeted the return of Marchant de Lange into the attack by punching him off the back foot through backward point before drilling him off the front foot through mid-off.
In his next over, de Lange was pulled for four and three by Kohler-Cadmore whilst Barnard continued to drive fluently as he sent a ball from Podmore to the ropes at extra cover as Worcestershire moved past 250 and secured another batting point. Kohler-Cadmore added furthers four to his tally by cover-driving and pulling de Lange, before off-driving Podmore for his sixteenth boundary.
On 96 Kohler-Cadmore had a life as he drove Podmore in the air to short extra-cover where a diving Nick Selman could not quite grasp the ball. The batsman duly reached his hundred with a coruscating cover drive for four against Hogan – his 158th delivery – but to the next he feathered a ball from Hogan to give Cooke his fifth catch. With Worcestershire on 283/6, Joe Leach joined Barnard who had also square-driven Podmore with aplomb before greeting Colin Ingram’s leg-spin with a sweep to the ropes at square-leg.
Leach began with a flowing cover drive against Hogan as Worcestershire secured another batting point as they reached the 300-mark shortly before lunch. But in the final over before the interval Leach pulled Carey to mid-wicket where Aneurin Donald completed the catch.