Half-centuries from Craig Meschede and Mark Wallace, plus a parsimonious spell of spin bowling by Dean Cosker saw Glamorgan secure a 47-run victory in their 50 overs friendly against Cardiff MCCU at the SWALEC Stadium.
By the time the clocks go forward over the weekend, Glamorgan will have completed their pre-season preparations, with today's 50-overs contest against Cardiff MCCU being the Welsh county's final practice game before the start of the domestic first-class season next week.
After being put in to bat, Glamorgan's opening pair of James Kettleborough and Will Bragg faced the new ball attack of Jack Murphy and Harry Powell, with Kettleborough cover driving his county colleague Murphy in the third over to register the day's first boundary. But later in the over, Murphy yorked Bragg with the total on 10 as Ben Wright made his way to the middle. He began by despatching Murphy to the cover boundary for four and three in successive balls, before Kettleborough also cover drove the left-armer.
The opener then turned his attention to Powell who he drove square of the wicket for four before pulling the youngster through mid-wicket. He then hooked Kemau Leverock to long-leg for four as the fifty came up in the eleventh over, before bringing up the fifty stand by threading a drive through the leg-side. However, with the total on 60, Leverock ended Wright's stay at the crease as he chopped the young Bermudan onto his stumps.
Chris Cooke announced his arrival by square-cutting Sean Griffiths for four, but next ball he edged an intended glide to third man into wicket-keeper Tom Cullen's gloves as Glamorgan lost their third wicket on 69. David Lloyd also began with a crisply driven four to the ropes at long-off but two balls later he also edged a drive into Cullen's gloves.
79/4 saw Mark Wallace join Kettleborough who unleashed a coruscating drive square of the wicket before Wallace harpooned Griffiths for four and six to deep square-leg before cover-driving Leverock for four. But the latter then claimed the fifth wicket as Kettleborough, on 48, miscued a pull against Leverock and was caught at mid-off.
With Craig Meschede as his new partner, Wallace reverse-swept the left-arm spin of Aron Nijjar for four before the students opted for spin at each end as Kieran Bull's off-breaks were introduced at the River End. Meschede duly despatched him through mid-off for four before surviving a chance at mid-on against Nijjar as well as a run-out scare in the left-arm twirler's next over. He celebrated his good fortune by hoisting him over long-on for six before doing the same to Bull.
Meschede greeted the return of Griffiths by savagely pulling him to the ropes at mid-wicket shortly before Wallace reached his fifty from 58 balls. Meschede then hoisted Bull over mid-wicket for six before another rasping blow nearly decapitated both bowler and umpire as Alex Wharf swiftly ducked out of the way of the rapidly returning object. A square-cut for four against Griffiths and a drive for one saw Meschede complete his fifty from 41 balls.
Glamorgan then took their batting powerplay on 193/5 after 35 overs with the new ball bowlers returning to the attack. Murphy duly ended Meschede's lusty innings as the ball cannoned off his pads and onto the stumps. 200/6 became 207/7 as Murphy struck again as he bowled Ruaidhri Smith. Eight runs later Wallace departed for 64 as he pulled Griffiths straight into Leverock's hands on the square-leg boundary.
Andrew Salter and Will Owen then garnered some late runs until the former edged Murphy's final ball into the wicket-keeper's gloves after adding 30 with Owen who was then bowled by Leverock in the final over. Owen and Smith then took the new ball as the students began their quest of 248, and Tom Cullen got the scoreboard moving with a pair of scampered singles before square-cutting Owen, but in the third over, Owen clean bowled the youngster. This heralded the arrival of Neil Brand, who played for much of last season for Glamorgan 2
nd XI, and the South African-born youngster was quickly off the mark with a pair of cover driven fours against each bowler, followed by a booming off-drive against Smith.
Brand - who posted a century in a game during the student's pre-season visit to Potchefstroom - continued to impress by square driving Craig Meschede as the students reached the 50-mark in the 17
th over. Matthew Norris who had quietly accumulated from the outset celebrated by cutting Andrew Salter for four before driving Dean Cosker inside-out through the covers.
After a series of dot balls, Brand opened his shoulders to despatch Salter to the ropes at mid-wicket, whilst Norris square-cut Salter for four, but the scoring rate noticeably dropped when the spinners were able to take the pace off the ball. David Lloyd also had a trundle at the River End and kept things tight, and with the asking rate rising, Norris was stumped in the 32
nd over as he advanced to the wily Cosker, leaving the students requiring 146 from 18.5 overs.
Tim Rouse announced his arrival by cover-driving Cosker for four before Brand did the same against Lloyd to complete an 86-ball fifty. But the boundaries had become few and far between, and in an attempt to up the tempo, Brand perished as he drilled Lloyd into Dewi Penrhyn Jones' hands at mid-off and departed for 57 with his side on 122/3 in the 37
th over. Bradley Scriven, the student's captain, duly joined Rouse but their partnership was brief as the latter was trapped l.b.w. by Cosker in his final over.
Dewi Penrhyn Jones also had a short spell after the powerplay overs had been completed as Glamorgan eased to what duly proved to be a comfortable win. The young pace bowler claimed the wicket of Bradley Scriven as he edged a pull, before Jack Scriven atoned for his brother's departure by lofting Penrhyn Jones straight for six before flat-batting Meschede to long-on for four. But in Penrhyn Jones' next over he miscued another violent blow and holed out at mid-wicket. Murphy duly joined Griffiths for the closing overs with the latter pulling Penrhyn Jones for a couple of fours as the shadows lengthened over the Stadium.