Glamorgan defeat Kent by an innings and 11 runs

Despite losing the toss, Glamorgan have bossed this game with stellar performances by Michael Hogan with the ball in the visitor's first innings and then a pair of top-class hundreds from Jacques Rudolph and Jim Allenby, ably assisted by forthright half-centuries from Mark Wallace, Chris Cooke and Graham Wagg, with their collective effort allowing Glamorgan to enter the final day of this enthralling contest needing just five more wickets with Kent still 137 runs in arrears, thereby reviving memories of the contest here in 2011 when Glamorgan defeated the English county by an innings and eight runs.


Starting the day on 137/5, the overnight pairing of Darren Stevens and Sam Billings faced the feisty Graham Wagg and Michael Hogan, with each batsman securing a boundary in the pair's opening over, with Billings squirting a ball from Wagg to third man whilst Stevens off-drove Hogan. But to the fourth delivery of the Australian's opening over, Stevens drove the ball straight into the hands of Ben Wright at short extra cover.


Billings then edged successive fours through and over the slip cordon in Wagg's next over before Ball edged a rising delivery from Hogan to third man. Wagg then found the edge of Billings' bat and Mark Wallace diving across in front of the slips completed the catch to leave the visitor's on 164/7.


Mitch Claydon and Adam Ball then joined forces with the latter cover driving Wagg before Andrew Salter replaced Hogan at the River End, whilst Ruaidhri Smith replaced Wagg. Claydon clattered a couple of drives through the off-side against Smith before adopting a more circumspect approach against the young spinner. A pull for two by Claydon against Smith saw Kent reach the 200-mark.


Dean Cosker then replaced Salter and he immediately went past the outside edge of Claydon's bat before second ball, he induced an edge which Jim Allenby safely pouched at slip. The all-rounder then returned to the attack and was drilled through the covers by Ball, before being pulled to mid-wicket by the Kent batsman. Adam Riley also briefly came out of his shell to pull both Allenby and Salter for four.

In what appeared to be the penultimate over of the session, Ball completed a 79-ball fifty but next over he chopped Hogan onto his stumps. With Robbie Joseph as his final partner, Riley used the long handle against Salter as he twice heaved him to mid-wicket before Joseph off-drove Hogan for four as well as edging him to third man for another boundary. He was also nearly caught at short-leg but next ball Hogan claimed his tenth wicket to end the contest as joseph edged to second slip where Jacques Rudolph parried the ball and Allenby one-handedly caught the rebound.