An audacious and record-breaking 234 from just 136 balls by Aneurin Donald who struck 26 fours and 15 sixes saw the nineteen year-old enter the record books as Glamorgan reached 481/8 at the end of the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Derbyshire at Colwyn Bay. Donald has become the Club’s youngest-ever double-centurion besides reaching 100, 150 and 200 with maximums as he set a new Club record for the number of sixes in an innings and equalled the world record for the fastest first-class 200, set by Ravi Shastri who also hit 200 from 123 balls in India in 1984/85.
Close of play report
Donald’s batting fireworks had taken Glamorgan to 274/4 at tea, with the nineteen year-old unbeaten on a career-best 127. He further added to his tally as he nurdled Will Davis to third man. David Lloyd also drilled Tony Palladino for four through extra-cover before Donald found the boards again as he deposited Davis to square-leg before later in the over dispatching him through extra-cover for four.
Lloyd brought up the 300 by flicking Palladino to square-leg but a couple of balls later he pulled the seamer to mid-wicket where Wayne Madsen held a head-high catch. Donald pulled Davis yet again to deep backward square-leg but the young bowler gained another scalp as Graham Wagg played onto his stumps with the total on 307/6.
Having reached his hundred in the grand manner with a six, Donald did the same to get to 150 as he depositing Critchley onto the Embankment. He had faced just 104 balls and celebrated with another fierce on-drive for six and four later in the over before again plonking successive balls from Critchley onto the Embankment and then over the Pavilion for a pair of mighty sixes.
Craig Meschede then came in and drilled a pair of fluent straight drives, as Glamorgan reached 375/6 when Derbyshire took the new ball after 80 overs. The all-rounder duly greeted the return of Davis by driving him to long-off for four, before Donald edged a cut to third man against Cotton, followed by a massive six into Penrhyn Avenue – his 11th to equal Graham Wagg’s Club record set last year against Surrey at Guildford.
Next ball he drilled Cotton through the covers for four before also reaching his 200 with yet another six over third man – only his 123rd delivery - before plonking another six into Penrhyn Avenue to equal the world record for the fastest 200 in first-class cricket. At 19 years and 210 days old he also became the Club’s youngest double centurion breaking the record set by John Hopkins who made 228 at Worcester in 1977 when 24 years and 30 days old.
Donald then added another against Davis with a ramp shot to fine-leg followed next ball by another maximum over the Pavilion. He then broke Mark Cosgrove’s record of 233, made in 2006, for the highest score for a Glamorgan batsman against Derbyshire with a single to mid-wicket against Davis.
But when one boundary short of the most runs in a day by a Glamorgan batsman he was caught at long-off by Godleman as Palladino claimed his third wicket. The youngster departed to a standing ovation and handshakes from all of the Derbyshire fielders after an astonishing 220 minute innings.
437/7 saw Andrew Salter join Meschede but after cover-driving Palladino he slapped a ball from Davis into the hands of the fielder at point. Morgan began with a crisp on-drive before Meschede took a leaf out of Donald’s book by reaching his fifty as he pulled Critchley for six. Morgan also worked the ball around against a tiring attack as Glamorgan reached 481/8 - the most they had ever scored on the opening day of a Championship match surpassing the 433 made against Durham at Sophia Gardens, 1997
Teatime update
Having reached 83/1 at lunch, Nick Selman and Will Bragg were looking to continue their serene accumulation under the clear blue skies, but in the third over after the interval, Selman on 57 sparred at a short ball from Will Davis and was caught at first slip by Chesney Hughes. Having been joined by Jacques Rudolph, Bragg thumped Palladino through backward point, but next over the Glamorgan captain departed as Wayne Madsen took a fine diving catch at backward point to give Davis his second wicket.
96/3 saw Aneurin Donald make his way to the middle before bringing up the hundred with a clip off his legs. On 31 Bragg had his second life as Ben Cotton spilled a return catch in his follow through with Donald then dispatching Davis through extra cover for an elegantly-struck four, followed by a six into the Pavilion and a rasping square-cut for four.
Cotton then saw Bragg dropped at first slip as the southpaw continued to ride his luck whilst Donald continued to score freely as he clipped Cotton to the ropes at mid-wicket, although he also had a couple of moments of good fortune himself as he inside edged and outside edged a pair of fours to fine-leg and third man respectively.
Bragg on-drove Cotton to mid-wicket to bring up the fifty stand as Derbyshire switched to the spin of Madsen after 45 overs of seam and swing. Donald then took successive fours off Thakor although the latter was through the hands of gully, before completing a 38-ball fifty by clipping Thakor to fine-leg.
Donald also struck successive balls from Thakor to mid-wicket and third man before swatting a ball for four into the Pavilion enclosure. Bragg duly reached his patient fifty from 135 balls as Bragg clipped Madsen to long-leg. Palladino returned at the Embankment End and was deposited over long-on for six by Donald before the young tyro brought up the 200 in the 56th over as he edged a cut against Madsen through the hands of first slip.
Davis then returned to the attack and after being clipped to fine-leg, he ended Bragg's oburate innings as he was caught behind for 60. David Lloyd began with a four to third man and a fierce pull into the car park for six against Davis, before becoming another batsman to benefit from a dropped catch as Madsen at point failed to cling onto at the second chance a fierce cut which he had parried above his head. Donald then pulled Cotton for a massive six over square-leg before cutting Davis
He then completed his maiden County Championship hundred from 80 balls in the grand manner as he struck Madsen over mid-wicket for six to make it a red letter day for the nineteen year-old as he posted the second fastest Championship hundred on record for the county, surpassed only by Gilbert Parkhouse’s 79-ball hundred at Northampton in 1961.
Lunchtime Report
Red is certainly the colour of the day, with Simply Red in concert at The SSE SWALEC and Glamorgan returning to action in red ball cricket, whilst for the Welsh county’s many supporters in North Wales, it’s a red letter day in their diaries as the annual festival of county cricket gets underway at Colwyn Bay as Glamorgan welcome Derbyshire for only the second-ever time to the attractive ground in Rhos-on-Sea, with their previous visit to the ground coming in late August 1966 when the Welsh county staged their inaugural Championship match at Colwyn Bay.
Glamorgan won the toss and batted first with Andrew Salter returning to the county’s line-up with Timm van der Gugten being rested. But the Welsh county lost an early wicket as with four runs on the board Mark Wallace departed l.b.w. in Tony Palladino’s opening over. After being joined by Will Bragg, Nick Selman played a pair of forcing shots off the back foot before clipping Ben Cotton to the boards at mid-wicket and drilling Palladino through mid-off for another boundary.
Selman then greeted the introduction of Will Davis by twice on-driving him for four, before pulling him to the boards at short-leg. After a period of quiet reconnaissance, Bragg unfurled a pristine drive off the back foot against Palladino as he secured his first boundary as Glamorgan reached the 50-mark after a dozen overs.
Selman found the boards again as he clipped Palladino to backward square-leg before Bragg had a moment of good fortune as he dug out a full length delivery from Shiv Thakor with the ball cannoning into the stumps but not dislodging the bails. Selman guided Cotton through the slips for four when the opening bowler switched to the Penrhyn Avenue End before completing his fifty from 80 balls.