18 year-old off-spinner Kiran Carlson took 5/28 on his first-class debut – and the best-ever by a spinner - as Northamptonshire were dismissed for 269 on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship against Glamorgan at Wantage Road.BY the close, the Welsh county were 23/0 in reply.
Evening Update
If the morning session belonged to Northants, with the home side making 140/1, the afternoon session definitely belonged to Glamorgan with the visitors claiming five wickets as they reduced Northants to 230/6. After Kiran Carlson had completed the over from before the interval, Michael Hogan returned at the Pavilion End and was clipped to mid-wicket by Rory Kleinveldt.
But with the total on 244 the burly all-rounder then became the third batsman to be bowled by Carlson as the spinner re-arranged his stumps. With Chad Barrett as his new partner, David Murphy drilled Hogan through point to bring up the 250, but next over Carlson struck again as Murphy miscued a drive to short extra-cover where Graham Wagg took a fine low catch.
Next over, Wagg and Carlson joined forces again as Graeme White miscued a cover drive against the spinner to short extra-cover as the former pupil of Whitchurch High School took a fifth wicket on his Championship debut. Wagg then mixed bowling spin with his usual quicker mode, before Owen Morgan returned to end the innings as Ben Sanderson was caught behind.
Carlson duly lead the team off the field to applause from his colleagues having taken 5/28, the second best figures on debut for the county surpassed by Ezra Moseley’s figures of 6/102 against Essex at Swansea in 1980. His figures though were the best-ever by a spinner on debut and at 18 years and 107 days, Kiran is the second youngest bowler to claim at least five wickets on first-class debut, with only Darren Thomas at 17 years and 206 days having been younger when he claimed 5/80 against Derbyshire at Chesterfield in 1992..
This left Glamorgan with eleven overs to face with Jacques Rudolph and Nick Selman opening the batting. The latter began with a flurry of singles before the former pulled Sanderson for four. Rob Keogh’s off-spin was then introduced at the Lynn Wilson End in the seventh over, with Graeme White‘s left-arm spin at the Pavilion End starting eighth over. Rudolph responded by off-driving White for four as Glamorgan ended the day on 23/0.
Teatime Update
Northants had looked like batting through the morning session without losing a wicket but with the final ball before lunch, eighteen year-old Kiran Carlson bowled Ben Duckett for 80 and captain Alex Wakely duly joined Rob Newton when play resumed with the home side on 140/1. The young leg-spinner briefly continued at the Pavilion End and was lofted to mid-wicket and long-on by Wakely, whilst Michael Hogan returned at the Lynn Wilson End and was top-edged over the slips by Wakely..
Graham Wagg also replaced Carlson at the Pavilion End before David Lloyd had a second spell at the Lynn Wilson End, with the second wicket pair consolidating on their pre-lunch progress. Newton clipped Lloyd to fine-leg for four but a couple of overs later he inside-edged Wagg onto his stumps and departed for 78.
185/2 saw Rob Keogh join Wakely and the new man began by edging Lloyd through the slips for four. Timm van der Gugten also had another spell at the Pavilion End and was on-driven for four by Wakely. Keogh then smeared Lloyd over the head of point to see his side to the 200-mark and the first batting point, But three balls later, the visitors secured their first bonus point as Will Bragg at slip took a good low catch diving to his right as Wakely edged Lloyd.
Saif Zaib began by clipping Lloyd to fine-leg for four but, with the total on 207, van der Gugten returned at the Pavilion End and bowled Keogh with a full length delivery which rearranged the batsman’s stumps. David Murphy greeted the return of Owen Morgan’s left-arm spin by off-driving him for four. Carlson also had another spell shortly before tea at the Lynn Wilson End with Morgan switching to the Pavilion End, and with his first delivery the left-armer removed Zaib who tried to straight drive him back over his head, but ended up lobbing the ball in the air with Jacques Rudolph taking a fine running catch, plucking the ball one-handed out of the air.
Carlson's spin then deceived Steven Crook in the final over before tea, as the eighteen year-old bowled the all-rounder with Glamorgan claiming their second bowling point.
Lunchtime Report
Glamorgan made one change to their line-up with Kiran Carlson, the 18 year-old batsman from Cardiff CC, replacing Craig Meschede who is resting with a slight back niggle. Consequently Graham Wagg shared the new ball with Timm van der Gugten who with 37 first-class wickets is the Club’s leading wicket-taker who last week claimed his fourth five-wicket haul for the Club. In fact, no other bowler has claimed more “five-for’s” in Championship cricket this summer and the Dutchman was soon into his stride as Rob Newton and Ben Duckett opened the Northants 1st innings as he beat both batsmen for pace in his opening salvo.
Duckett began with fours to third man and cover against Wagg before Newton guided van der Gugten to third man and square-leg for further boundary. Duckett literally had an early slice of luck as he slashed a ball over the head of the slip cordon for four, before top-edging Michael Hogan’s first delivery high over long-leg for six. He then greeted the introduction of David Lloyd into the attack by driving successive deliveries through the off-side for four.
Duckett also cover drove Hogan before Newton did the same to Lloyd, followed by a thick outside-edge through the slip cordon. Duckett duly reached his half-century with a firmly struck on-drive against Hogan – his 65th delivery – whilst Newton twice cover drove van der Gugten for four when the Dutchman switched to the Pavilion End.
With the total on 91 Owen Morgan joined the attack with the left-arm spinner being driven to long-off and long-on by Duckett in his opening over as the home side reached 100 in the 24th over. In the spinner’s next over, Duckett also drove him to long-off before edging van der Gugten for four to third man. Shortly before lunch, Newton pulled van der Gugten for four to complete an 81-ball fifty.
Carlson then delivered the final over of the morning session and with the final ball of his over, the 18 year-old off-spinner bowled Duckett for 80.