Half-centuries by Graham Wagg and Mark Wallace helped Glamorgan to recover from 56/5 to 252 after the home side were put in to bat by Sussex on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship at The SSE SWALEC. By the close, the visitors were 111/1 in reply.
Close of Play Report
There were 35 overs remaining in the day’s allocation when Chris Nash and Ed Joyce began Sussex’s reply, with Craig Meschede and Timm van der Gugten sharing the new ball. Nash pulled and cut van der Gugten for four whilst Joyce steered Meschede square of the wicket as well as driving him through extra cover for further boundaries.
Nash also swatted a short ball from Meschede through backward point before greeting the introduction of Michael Hogan with the same stroke. Joyce then steered Graham Wagg’s first ball through extra cover for four before repeating the stroke later in the over as Sussex eased to fifty in the 12th over with the openers finding life easier than their counterparts this morning with the wicket having noticeably changed hue under the warm sunshine.
Nash then pulled a short ball from Wagg to the ropes at square-leg before cover-driving both Hogan and Wagg. With the score on 74/0 Owen Morgan’s left-arm spin was deployed at the River End but the opening pair quietly worked him around as they whittled away at the deficit in largely untroubled manner. Van der Gugten also had a second salvo and was steered through gully for four by Nash as he completed an 81-ball fifty.
Two overs later, Nash thick-edged van der Gugten just wide of second lip as the 100 came up in the 29th over. Meschede then returned and was cover-driven by Joyce who reached 1,000 Championship runs for the season but the bowler made the perfect riposte next over as Joyce edged into Wallace’s gloves with the total on 111. Night-watchman Danny Briggs duly joined Nash for the closing overs.
Teatime Report
In many ways, the morning session here at Cardiff had been similar to the pre-lunch session last week at Worcester, but whereas decent swing bowling by Glamorgan had seen the clatter of wickets at New Road, some high-quality seam bowling on the green-tinged surface had reduced Glamorgan to 87/5 at lunch.
There had been a hint of a Glamorgan revival as Graham Wagg imperiously off-drove Jofra Archer in the final over before lunch and the combative all-rounder looked eager to continue in this vein as play resumed as he biffed Steve Magoffin through extra-cover. Donald also began assertively by steering Magoffin through the slip cordon for four before pulling the veteran for four to mid-wicket as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark in the 33rd over.
A cover drive by Donald against Jofra Archer brought up the 50-stand but next ball the young tyro appeared to inside-edge another drive onto his stumps as Glamorgan lost their sixth wicket on 106 and Sussex secured their second bowling point. With Mark Wallace as his new partner, Wagg drove Magoffin for fours through mid-on and mid-off.
Wallace then had a life as he was dropped at third slip before Wagg steered Magoffin through point for another boundary. He then greeted the return of David Wiese by driving him to the ropes at mid-wicket before repeating the stroke two balls later to complete a 55-ball fifty. Just for good measure, he played the stroke again later in the over before Wallace steered George Garton through point for another rasping four.
But with the total on 150, Wagg’s counter-attack ended as he straight drove a delivery straight back into the hands of Wiese. His departure saw the arrival of Owen Morgan at the crease who began by nurdling Wiese for three, before Wallace upper-cut Garton for four.
Wallace then greeted the return of Jofra Archer by steering him through the gully for four, whilst Morgan outside-edged him over second slip for another boundary. Wallace then twice pulled Wiese for fours over the head of the fielder at deep square-leg, followed by a rasping square-cut. The flurry of fours saw Danny Briggs’ left-arm spin being employed at the River End, but Wallace continued to find the ropes as he glanced Briggs to fine-leg and square-leg to complete a 51-ball fifty.
Wallace duly swept Briggs to bring up the 200 before pulling Archer for four, but the young Bajan made the perfect riposte as Wallace top-edged a pull and Ben Brown completed the catch running back towards fine-leg. Timm van der Gugten, who had returned from international duty with Holland in place of Lukas Carey then off-drove Archer for four before falling l.b.w. next ball.
Morgan then pulled Garton for four to mid-wicket before Hogan drilled Archer through the covers for three. Later in the over, Morgan again pulled Archer for four to long-leg before Hogan deposited Garton over long-on for six. He used the long handle again to drive Archer back over his head for four, followed next ball by a rasping cut for four to see Glamorgan to 250 and another batting point, but next over he smeared Garton to mid-on where Archer completed the catch.
Lunchtime Report
The last time Sussex played a Championship match in Wales during August a quite remarkable and run-laden game unfolded at Colwyn Bay with Steve James making the Club’s highest-ever individual score of 309*, Today (August 23rd) is the anniversary of that innings as the opening batsman became the first, and so far only batsman to score a triple-hundred.
By coincidence, Sussex had opted to bowl first but their plan backfired as the opening day of the contest had seen Glamorgan make 457/1 with James ending the day unbeaten on 193. On the second day – exactly 16 years ago – James made a further 116 runs to reach the historic landmark, sand Sussex were hoping that a similar scenario would not unfold after inserting the Welsh county.It did not as wickets steadily fell during the morning session.
Both Glamorgan openers departed inside the opening twenty minutes, with Nick Selman – for the third successive innings – being dismissed in the opening over as he was bowled by Steve Magoffin’s fifth delivery. Jacques Rudolph then steered Jofra Archer through the slips for four before Will Bragg clipped Magoffin to the boards at square-leg. But in Archer’s third over, the Glamorgan captain top-edged a pull into the wicket-keeper’s gloves.
18/2 saw David Lloyd join Bragg and he responded by swatting his first delivery for six over square-leg. He then cover drove Archer for four, before quietly working the ball around for one’s and two’s with Bragg. But with the total on 41, Sussex gained their first bowling point as Lloyd edged David Wiese, with Chris Nash at second slip deflecting the ball into the hands of Danny Briggs at first slip.
Aneurin Donald joined Bragg and began by on-driving Wiese for four. Magoffin duly returned to the attack as the veteran Australian switched to the Cathedral Road End, and in his second over he induced an edge from Bragg’s bat which Wiese at first slip held low down.
45/4 saw Craig Meschede make his way to the middle and after guiding Magoffin to third man he clipped him to the fence at mid-wicket. But next over, he became another batsman to depart to a smart catch in the slips as he edged Wiese to Briggs as Glamorgan lost their fifth wicket on 56. Shortly before lunch, Archer retirned at the River End and after edging the West Indian through the slips, Graham Wagg had a life as Brown dropped a sharp chance down the leg-side.Donald also inside-edged the Bajan for four with the ball missing leg-stump by a whisker before Wagg slapped a short ball from Geoge Garton for four through cover point as well as off-driving Archer for four in the cloisng over of the session