Essex end the day on 51/2 chasing 364 to win at Cardiff

At the halfway stage, this contest is finely balanced, despite the loss of 49 overs on the first two days. With Essex still 131 runs in arrears and six wickets in hand, Glamorgan knew that early wickets this morning, and then runs later in the day from their batsmen, could propel the Welsh county into a commanding position from which to press for a first Championship victory of the summer.


Essex though had grounds for an equally optimistic outlook as, on 183/4, and with Ryan Ten Doeschate at the crease and big-hitting all-rounder Graham Napier yet to bat, they knew that by batting well into the afternoon session against a Glamorgan attack handicapped by the absence of David Lloyd with a hamstring strain , they could secure a decent position going into the final day, especially if their lower order could replicate the free-flowing hitting of Craig Meschede whose 68 from 52 balls threatened to take Glamorgan into the stratosphere.


It was Meschede who resumed the bowling in tandem with Michael Hogan who was twice nurdled to third man by ten Doeschate. A rising delivery from Meschede then evaded the edge of the Dutchman's bat and the outstretched gloves of Mark Wallace before speeding away for four byes before Essex reached 200 and secured their first batting point in the 53^rd over. But next over Ten Doeschate top-edged a cut against Meschede to give Mark Wallace a regulation catch behind the stumps.


Kishan Velani began by slashing Meschede high over the head of the gully fielder before playing a more controlled flick for four to mid-wicket against Hogan. But the complexion of the innings changed dramatically as Graham Wagg replaced Meschede with Essex in the course of the next twenty minutes losing their last five wickets for nine runs in the space of 26 balls.


With his first delivery Wagg removed Taylor as the teenager drove uppishly to Hogan at mid-on. 212/6 immediately became 212/7 as Napier edged Wagg and Wallace at full stretch to his right held a fine diving catch low in front of the slip cordon. Adeel Malik then drove Wagg in the air through cover for four but three balls later the left-armer bowled Velani with another beauty. Next over, Meschede returned and had Malik caught at mid-on by Hogan as the Pakistani scooped a drive in the air, before Wagg bowled Jamie Porter in his next over as Essex were dismissed for 221 with Wagg completing a return of 5/54.


James Kettleborough and Jacques Rudolph opened the Glamorgan second innings with a lead of 93 runs and with the former receiving a couple of sharply rising balls in the opening over from Masters, one of which he edged over the head of the slip fielders for four to third man. He also edged Masters just short of the slips in the fifth over whilst Porter also beat the edge of the bat on several occasions during a waspish spell at the Cathedral Road End before he found the edge of Rudolph's bat with Nick Browne at first slip completing the catch.


16/1 then became 20/2 as Kettleborough .edged a ball from Masters into short leg's hands as he propped forward to the veteran seamer. It nearly became 23/3 as a mix-up in calling almost saw Colin Ingram run out before he had scored but Will Bragg in the penultimate over of the morning clipped Masters to mid-wicket for four

Glamorgan resumed after lunch on 28/2, with David Masters and Jamie Porter continuing the bowling, with the former having an unusual slip cordon with the helmeted Kishan Velani standing several metres in front of his colleagues at third slip. But he wasn't called into play as the third wicket fell with Masters trapping Will Bragg leg before with a delivery which jagged back into the southpaw.33/3 saw Chris Cooke join Ingram who steered Porter through point for a rare boundary, but Cooke then became another l.b.w. victim for the youngster.


Ingram off-drove Porter three times in the next over for four as Glamorgan reached 50 in the 16^th over before Mark Wallace also unfurled a pair of booming off-drives. Ingram also pulled a short ball from Graham Napier for four to mid-wicket as the lead went past the 150-mark. Wallace then cover drove Napier before Ingram went into Twenty20 mode, dancing down the wicket to lofted Masters back over his head for four.


But next over, with the total on 78, Porter returned at the River End and had Ingram caught at deep square-leg as the Springbok pulled a short ball high into Ryan ten Doeschate's hands. With Wagg as his new partner, Wallace steered Napier for fours through extra cover and mid-wicket, whilst Wagg followed suit against Porter through the covers.


Wallace then pulled Napier for six into the Pavilion seats before being dropped by Daniel Lawrence at second slip later in the over. The hundred then came up courtesy of four byes as a bouncer from Napier sailed over Wagg's head and Foster's gloves. In Napier's next over, Wagg also cheekily upper-cut another short ball over the wicket-keeper's head before steering Masters over the head of the gully fielder for another invaluable four as the fifty stand came up in just 48 balls in what could prove to be a decisive partnership as the ball got softer.


A brace of scampered two's saw Wallace complete a 53-ball fifty before Wagg, like an angry bear swatting away an errant fly, despatched Masters to the mid-wicket ropes. Wagg then struck successive deliveries from Masters to the ropes at mid-off and backward point as the lead soared past the 250-mark, followed by a booming cover drive against Napier.


Wagg also cut the all-rounder into and out of Jaik Mickleburgh's hands at gully as he also had a life, before Adeel Malik's leg-spin was introduced in the hope of breaking the sixth wicket stand. Wallace responded by sweeping the Pakistani for four but Napier ended the doughty partnership as he bowled Wagg for 43. Craig Meschede soon picked up where he had left off as he drove Malik for four and three, before lofting Napier high over long-on and dabbing the seamer to the vacant third man boundary. Wallace repeated the stroke shortly afterwards as Glamorgan's lead reached a formidable 300 shortly before tea. The wicket-keeper celebrated by cover-driving Napier but in the penultimate over of the session he departed l.b.w. as David Lloyd with a runner made his way to the middle.. Meschede then dabbed successive balls from Napier to third man before being caught behind as he attempted to glance Napier.

The session between lunch and tea had seen Glamorgan plunder the small matter of 200 runs, in contrast to the pre-lunch session when eight wickets had tumbled, and the efforts of Mark Wallace and Graham Wagg during the afternoon had put their side into the ascendancy, despite the loss of Craig Meschede in the final over before tea. David Lloyd and his runner were duly joined by Andrew Salter as play resumed with the Welsh county 321 runs to the good.



Lloyd showed little discomfort as he cover drove Jamie Porter for four before Salter deftly late cut Adeel Malik, but the Pakistani then held onto a return drive by Lloyd as Glamorgan lost their ninth wicket on 240. Andrew Salter responded by cover-driving Porter before Hogan used the long handle to scythe David Masters for a pair of fours followed by some lusty blows against Malik, but in attempting to loft him over mid-off he holed out to Porter as Glamorgan's 2^nd innings ended on 270, leaving Essex a minimum of 117 runs in which to get 364 runs.


Given the way that wickets had tumbled to the new ball earlier in the day, Glamorgan were eager to make early inroads but Nick Browne made a fluent start driving Hogan through the covers before Jaik Mickleburgh did the same to Wagg. But claimed the 17^th wicket of the day as the opener departed l.b.w. in the 8^th over and four balls later it nearly became 25/2 as Colin Ingram at first slip dropped an edge from Mickleburgh as Craig Meschede entered the attack.

Daniel Lawrence then cover drove Wagg for four and three, before Hogan and Andrew Salter joined forces with eight overs remaining. The spinner had success with his eighth delivery as Mickleburgh over balanced playing forward to Salter and was deftly stumped by Mark Wallace. 43/2 saw night-watcghman Jamie Porter join Lawrence