An unbeaten 66 from Aneurin Donald guided Glamorgan to a draw with Leicestershire in their Specsavers County Championship match at Grace Road, with the East Midlands side setting the visitors a target of 355 from 56 overs. At the close the Welsh county were 144/4.
FOURTH DAY
Evening Update
Play resumed at 3.45pm after an early tea and with 44 overs remaining. In the first over after the interval, Ben Raine made further inroads as Colin Ingram departed l.b.w. Aneurin Donald then flicked Raine to fine-leg before Jacques Rudolph off-drove Charlie Shreck for four. The Glamorgan captain then brought up the 50 as he drilled Raine through extra cover, before Zak Chappell returned to the attack. The tall bowler then produced a short rising delivery which Rudolph fended off into the gloves of wicket-keeper Lewis Hill.
57/4 saw Chris Cooke join Donald who pulled Shreck for four before being dropped by Cameron Delport in the gully as he spliced another short ball. He then drove Neil Dexter through mid-on for four followed by a cover drive for three. He then under-cut and square-cut Harry Dearden for successive fours before twice straight-driving Neil Dexter with the latter pressed into bowling action as the home side were handicapped by injuries to Clint McKay and Raine.
Cooke brought up the hundred as he straight drove Chappell before Donald completed an 83-ball fifty by flicking Cameron Delport to fine-leg. Cooke then greeted the return of Charlie Shreck by punching him through point for four, before guiding him through point for another boundary. Cooke also cover drove Shreck before the players shook hands at 6.05pm
Teatime Update
When play resumed at 1.25pm, Leicestershire were leading by 261 runs with a minimum of 71 overs still remaining in the contest. With the new ball three overs away, the spinners continued with Lewis Hill on-driving Colin Ingram to the ropes at mid-wicket and Mark Pettini playing a ramp stroke against Andrew Salter as the pair looked for quick runs. Hill also slog-swept Salter for four but the bowler gained immediate revenge as Hill holed out at long-on next delivery with the home side on 291/6.
Next over Michael Hogan took the new ball before Marchnat de Lange also returned and saw Ben Raine unfurl a lusty drive to long-on for four as the 300 came up in the 82nd over. Pettini then off-drove Hogan for four before being struck on the helmet by de Lange. He continued after treatment and saw Raine club a pair of sixes against the quick bowler before completing his century with an on-drive against Hogan, followed by a drive for six over long-on.
Raine also swatted de Lange over mid-wicket for six before the declaration with the home side on 360/6. Jacques Rudolph began by steering Zak Chappell through the gully for four whilst Nick Selman edged Clint McKay through the slips for four. But later in McKay’s over he trapped Selman l.b.w. with a delivery which kept bit low. With Glamorgan on 11/1, David Lloyd joined his captain shortly before light rain started to fall over the ground and as it intensified the umpires took the players off the field.
Two further overs were lost but ten balls later Lloyd departed as he edged Raine to second slip but another bank of cloud built up over the ground and with Glamorgan on 23/2 after 10 overs an early tea was taken because of bad light.
Lunchtime Report
Around the Grace Road ground this morning, there was plenty of chatter about how the day might unfold, and what target Leicestershire might set the visitors. In the final hour last night, Ned Eckersley and Mark Pettini had shown plenty of positive intent as they extended Leicestershire’s lead and when play began in decidedly more chilly conditions than on previous days, the East Midlands side were 194 runs ahead.
But talk of a declaration was put on hold as Marchant de Lange claimed a couple of early victims. With the eighth delivery of the day, the paceman found the edge of Eckerley’s bat with Nick Selman completing a regulation catch at second slip before in his next over Cameron Delport chipped his fellow Protea to Lukas Carey at mid-off. Hogan was nearly in the act shortly afterwards as the umpire firstly turned down an appeal for a catch behind the wicket against Pettini, before also saying no to an l.b.w. appeal against Lewis Hill.
Lukas Carey then replaced Hogan at the Bennett End and found the edge of Pettini’s bat but to his angst and the rest of the team, the ball flew over the slip cordon. Andrew Salter also had a spell at the Pavilion End and nearly had Hill caught at mid-off with the ball just clearing the out-stretched hands of Ruaidhri Smith who was fielding as substitute. After pulling Carey for four, Pettini completed a 106-ball fifty before Hill on-drove, flat-batted and hooked the teenager for further boundaries.
As the light became gloomy and the floodlights coming on, it was all-spin as Colin Ingram joined Salter in the attack. However, it started to rain shortly afterwards and the players left the field for an early lunch at 1245, with play resuming at 1.25pm