Glamorgan declare on 410/9 at Chesterfield before keeping Derbyshire's batsmen in check

There was nothing very regal about the conditions at Queen's Park for much of yesterday with rain and bad light restricting play to 32 overs. After opting to bowl first on a green-tinged surface and under a heavy cloud cover, Derbyshire claimed a couple of early wickets but during the final session, as the sun finally made an appearance, Colin Ingram drew on all of his nous and experience to score an unbeaten 73 as he and Craig Meschede launched a fierce counter-attack, feasting on a plethora of four-balls from the home bowlers.

In all, 16 fours were struck by Ingram as together with Meschede they plundered 94 runs from 79 balls as Glamorgan made hay in the late evening sun, and all despite Mark Wallace having to retire hurt with a dislocation after being struck on his left thumb by Tom Taylor. The medical prognosis was better this morning with the long-serving wicket-keeper looking to resume his innings later today.

After the profligacy of Derbyshire's attack yesterday evening, Tony Palladino and Mark Footitt briefly bowled with greater control this morning, with Ingram striking his first boundary - and 17^th in all - by clipping Palladino to square-leg. Another drive square of the wicket by Ingram against Palladino brought up the century stand shortly afterwards. Meschede opened his account this morning by crisply glancing Footitt to fine-leg for four but with the total on 198, and with his side within two runs of a first batting point, Ingram's high-class innings as he was caught by Palladino at third man to give Footitt his second wicket.

Graham Wagg duly joined Meschede who completed his half-century from 58 balls by drilling Palladino through mid-on for four - his ninth boundary. He added another four to his tally as he pulled Footitt to fine-leg, but shortly afterwards, it started to rain and the players left the field with Glamorgan on 216/4 in the 43^rd over.

The rains briefly eased, with the players and umpires looking to return to the outfield, but a second band of precipitation literally damped these prospects of a swift resumption and the umpires called for an early lunch at 12.30pm.

Play resumed at 1.20pm after an eighty minute interruption for rain, with Craig Meschede and Graham Wagg resuming the batting, with the latter - who had got off the mark with a booming off-drive for four - eager to maintain the run rate which had been in excess of five an over. After Mark Footitt had completed the interrupted over, Shiv Thakor beat the outside edge of Meschede's bat as drizzle started to fall again over the Queen's Park ground. Thakor also spilled a caught and bowled chance as Meschede drilled the ball back at him. Later in the over, Wagg also had a life as Billy Godleman at third slip dropped a thick outside edge. He responded by bludgeoning a couple of fours against Thakor, but with the total on 238, Godleman atoned for his lapse by safely pouching an edge from Meschede who departed for a hard-hit 70 from 94 balls.

David Lloyd was quickly into his stride as he found the ropes on two occasions as Alex Hughes entered the attack. He continued to pepper the boundaries as the Derbyshire seamers, now using a softer and older ball, failed to contain either the all-rounder or Lloyd. In a bid to stem the flow of runs Wes Durston entered the attack in the 57^th but he was lofted straight for six by Lloyd before Wagg continued to put bat to ball, reached his fifty from 52 balls, as he twice struck the spinner back over his head for six from successive balls to record yet another sublime half-century as his seasonal tally in first-class cricket soared in excess of 600.

Following the harsh treatment of Durston's spin, Tony Palladino duly returned to the fray at the Lake End whilst Tom Taylor resumed at the Pavilion End. But Wagg continued his turbo-charged assault flat-batting the seamer over mid-off before surviving a run out chance at the bowler's end, but he then departed for 62 in equally spectacular fashion as Taylor sent his off-stump cartwheeling out of the ground as Derbyshire secured their second bowling point.

325/6 duly saw Mark Wallace return to the middle, ironically against Taylor who had struck the batsman on his left thumb but he showed no ill effect as struck Taylor for a brace of fours in the space of six balls as Glamorgan hurried towards the 350-mark and another batting bonus point. Lloyd continued to fluently work the ball around against the seamers, but on 349, Wallace departed as he inside-edged Footitt onto his pads with the ball ballooning to third slip where Durston held onto the ball.

Andrew Salter duly joined Lloyd, with the spinner immediately ducking under a bouncer from Footitt which evaded the grasp of wicket-keeper Harvey Hosein and sped away for four byes. Lloyd continued to fluently work the ball around for one's and two's before Alex Hughes replaced Palladino, and was struck for four back over his head by Salter as he also showed positive intent with the ball speeding towards the duck pond beyond the boundary's edge. Salter then square-cut Hughes for four before a no-ball from the bowler sped past Hosein who standing up to the stumps and sped away for four byes to long-leg.

Shiv Thakor then returned at the Pavilion End and was steered through backward point for four by Lloyd who completed a 57-ball fifty. Later in the over, Salter also punched Thakor off the back foot through extra cover for four, but in Hughes' next over Lloyd was bowled for 55 as he attempted to strike the ball into the leg-side. With Glamorgan on 389/8 Ruaidhri Smith arrived at the crease and got off the mark with a leading edge which flew over point for four, before Salter brought up the 400 in the 78^th over as he despatched Hughes through mid-off in the final over before tea,

Having raced to 403/8 at tea from 78 overs, Glamorgan added a further seven runs before losing their ninth wicket in the second over after the interval as Salter was caught off the spin of Chesney Hughes. Glamorgan thereupon declared leaving Derbyshire to face the 40 remaining overs before the close. Michael Hogan was soon into a probing spell at the Pavilion End, whilst his new ball partner Craig Meschede twice found the inside-edge of Hamish Rutherford's bat before the Kiwi struck a more assertive boundary later in the over as he drilled Meschede through mid-off.

Billy Godleman also despatched Meschede for a couple of fours through point as the home side also started briskly before Wagg replaced Hogan at the Pavilion End and Salter came on at the Duck Pond End. The spinner duly was clipped for two to square-leg as the fifty came up in the 14^th over, but the scoring rate dipped as the pair of bowlers kept the Derbyshire batsmen in check.

Following a series of dot balls and singles, Rutherford swept Salter for four before Ruaidhri Smith replaced the feisty Wagg who had peppered the Derbyshire opening pair with a series of short balls. After a series of near misses with run outs, Derbyshire's opening pair got into a muddle once again with their communication as Rutherford found himself short of his ground at the striker's end with Derbyshire on 77/1.

Later in the over, there was nearly a second run out as Godleman was joined by Chesney Hughes, but six runs later , Hughes was trapped l.b.w. by Smith. Wayne Madsen, the home captain, opted for watchful defence as he looked to stabilise his team's innings as the cloud cover increased. After a series of dot balls, Madsen steered Smith square of the wicket for four, before a nudged single into the leg-side brought up the hundred in the 32^nd over. Hogan then returned for the final four overs at the Pavilion End, with Madsen pulling a short ball for his second boundary. David Lloyd also had a brief spell, but the third wicket pair held firm as Derbyshire ended the day on 122/2.