Glamorgan draw with Cardiff MCCU after Cooke makes 112*

It had been quite literally a Good Friday for the Glamorgan batsmen as yesterday they amassed 316/4 in the 91 overs that were possible before bad light halted play shortly before the scheduled close. Three batsmen - Ben Wright Will Bragg and Chris Cooke - each posted fluent half-centuries against the persevering student attack, and with the latter still at the crease this morning unbeaten on 66, and Mark Wallace just 17 runs short of his personal landmark of 10,000 runs in all first-class cricket, there was still plenty of business to be done when play resumed promptly this morning under blue skies.


Jack Murphy and Andrew Westphal resumed the bowling duties, with the latter being clipped by Cooke through mid-wicket for the day's first four. But the impressive Murphy ended Wallace's thoughts of reaching the milestone as with his second delivery of the day, he induced a lobbed drive from his county colleague which went straight into cover's hands.


Graham Wagg duly joined Cooke who continued to find the boundary by steering Murphy through the vacant third man position followed by a couple of firmly struck drives through mid-on and extra cover. With the total on 345, Wagg scampered down the wicket from the non-striker's end but failed to make his ground as he ran back with a direct throw by Tim Rouse from short extra cover hitting the stumps.


David Lloyd became Cooke's new partner and he began with a trio of singles followed by a four to third man as Cooke approached his century. He firstly drilled Murphy through mid-wicket for four followed by a series of singles before reaching his hundred with a cover drive for two - his 137^th delivery - as Sean Griffiths briefly entered the attack at the River End.


Cooke celebrated by lofting Dan Lewis-Williams straight for four and Griffiths for six into the River Stand whereby he retired and was replaced in the middle by Craig Meschede. The all-rounder opened his account with a booming off-drive against Lewis-Williams before Lloyd followed suit in the next over. Lloyd also off-drove Lewis-Williams for another boundary as the 400-mark was passed before Meschede lofted Kieran Bull into the River Stand.


Lloyd also drove Bull for a couple of leg-side fours but shortly before the lunch interval Tim Rouse removed Meschede with his third delivery as the all-rounder drilled the ball back to the student.

Following the lunchtime declaration, Cardiff MCCU began their innings after the interval with Jake George and Jeremy Lawlor facing the new ball pairing of Graham Wagg and Ruaidhri Smith. The latter's first delivery was square driven for two by Lawlor who like his county colleague spent his formative years in academia at Llandaff Cathedral School.


However, Lawlor's stay at the crease proved to be a brief one as in Smith's second over he drove in the air through backward point and was caught by Ben Wright. At 6/1 Neil Brand, who had impressed in the one-day match between the two sides last week, made his way to the middle and the South African-born student duly struck the first boundary of the innings as he cover drove Wagg.


George played a couple of leg-side glances but the former pupil of Portsmouth Grammar School departed to the final ball of Craig Meschede's opening over as in trying to leave the delivery he deflected it onto his stumps. 26/2 saw Tim Rouse join Brand who despatched David Lloyd's opened ball for four through extra cover. Four overs later, Rouse also clipped him through point for another boundary, but two balls later, the bowler gained revenge as he clean bowled the student.


At 40/3 Matthew Norris was Brand's new partner and he played and missed several times as Meschede delivered a probing spell at the River End. Wagg then replaced him shortly before tea, whilst Dean Cosker also had a spell at the Cathedral Road End. Norris had more good fortune as he edged Wagg through the slip cordon but there was no fluke about his next four as he sweetly cover drove Cosker.

The students resumed on 68/3 after tea with a notional hour plus 20 overs remaining, but in reality, there were just seventy-five minutes of play with the game ending all square. During this time, Ruaidhri Smith had another spell at the River End whilst Craig Meschede also had another decent trundle at the Cathedral Road End during which he made further inroads into the student's batting. He began by claiming two wickets in his opening over after the interval as he firstly yorked Matthew Norris before two balls later bowling Sean Griffiths as he shouldered arms.


Despite the clatter of wickets at the other end, Neil Brand again displayed his batting talents, elegantly driving Smith through extra cover for four as well as unfurling a range of assertive strokes off the front foot. Jack Murphy lent valiant support as David Lloyd and Dean Cosker also had a second spell but on 46 he edged Lloyd into Wallace's gloves. Next over Cosker bowled Murphy after the youngster had on-driven him for four before Dan Lewis-Williams chipped a ball to Meschede at mid-on as the players shook hands at 5.15pm with Cardiff MCCU on 110/8.