Glamorgan drew with Essex on the final day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at The SSE SWALEC after Will Bragg made a career-best and unbeaten 161 as the Welsh county left the visitors a target of 334 runs in a minimum of 70 overs. At the close they were 160/5.
Close of Play Report
Essex had reached 77/3 by tea with Glamorgan needing quick wickets after the interval in order to press for their first Championship win of the summer and Michael Hogan gave them the perfect start as with his first delivery he bowled Daniel Lawrence as the youngster shouldered arms to a delivery which bounced more than he expected and deflected the ball onto his leg stump.
78/4 saw Jesse Ryder join Browne as. Andrew Salter resumed the bowling at the Cathedral Road End. Browne cut and pulled the spinner to the ropes before pulling a full toss to mid-wicket. He duly reached his half-century by on-driving Salter – his 132nd delivery – as Ryder resolutely defended at the other end. Timm van der Gugten and Graham Wagg each returned in a bid to breach the defences, but with the light deteriorating after an over of waspish swing, Wagg had to continue in spin mode.
Browne responded by pulling van der Gugten for four as Ryder continued to stoutly defend against Wagg, whilst Salter also returned and was on-driven for four by Ryder. But Wagg, still in spin mode, removed Browne l.b.w. with the total on 122 and 17.2 overs remaining and the two spinners with a gaggle of close fielders continued in tandem until the light improved with forty minutes remaining for van der Gugten to return in a last throw of the dice.
But the Essex sixth wicket pair defended stoutly and with just half an hour remaining, the players shook hands as the match ended all square.
Teatime Report
Essex had lost Jaik Mickleburgh in the over before lunch so when play resumed, it was Tom Westley who joined Nick Browne with Essex on 12/1 and requiring a further 322 to win. Westley began by clipping Graham Wagg to square-leg before Browne on-drove van der Gugten for another four, though his next boundary was less assured as he under-edged a drive against the Dutchman with the ball skimming past fourth slip.
But van der Gugten was not to be denied another victim as in his fifth over he found the edge of Westley’s bat with Aneurin Donald completing the regulation catch at second slip.30/2 saw Ravi Bopara join Browne and he began by gliding Wagg through the gully for four.
Craig Meschede and Michael Hogan then had a spell in tandem with Browne striking boundaries against each bowler to mid-off and square-leg respectively. But wickets continued to fall at the other end, as Essex slipped to 46/3 as Bopara edged Hogan to Donald at second slip. Daniel Lawrence duly joined Browne with batsmen playing and missing as, under the cloud cover, the home seamers found lateral movement plus a little bit of swing.
Lawrence duly found the ropes in David Lloyd’s opening over before edging the all-rounder to the vacant third man position. Van der Gugten then returned for another salvo at the River End and once again had Browne playing and missing, before Andrew Salter’s off-spin was deployed shortly before tea, with Lawrence under-edging a cut to third man.
Lunch Report
Over 400 youngsters have visited The SSE SWALEC during the course of this enthralling match, including pupils from schools throughout South Wales as well as groups from colleges in France. For the latter, it has been their first-ever sight of a cricket match, and a marvellous initiation into this wonderful summer game. So well have Glamorgan bowled and batted over the past two days, these first-time visitors could have been forgiven for thinking that the Welsh county were the side at the top of the Division Two table, already with handsome victories to their credit and Essex were the team at the foot of the table, still searching for their first success of the summer.
Indeed, Glamorgan moved into the ascendancy yesterday afternoon thanks to a resolute hundred from the unflappable Will Bragg. The left-hander shared determined partnerships with Mark Wallace, Chris Cooke and Aneurin Donald, with all of the Glamorgan batsmen making sure that the scoreboard steadily ticked over as the lead grew and grew, and the form book was turned completely upside down.
The freedom with which Bragg and, in particular, Donald scored during the post-tea session as Essex took the new ball, bore further testament to the accuracy and persistence of the home attack in restricting the Essex batsmen on the second day of this outstanding advert for the virtues of Championship cricket. Through their combined efforts, Glamorgan had reached 295/3 by the close and a lead of 242 which they were looking to build upon this morning before setting Essex a run chase on a surface which was expected to offer some assistance to the spinners later in the afternoon.
Bragg immediately picked up where he had left off last night by clipping Jamie Porter to backward square-leg for four before taking a series of singles off David Masters’ bowling as the veteran delivered off-cutters with the wicket-keeper standing up. Another clip into the leg-side against Masters saw Bragg surpass his previous Championship best score of 129 at Derby, shortly before Donald did the same to complete a composed half-century from 117 balls, followed by a single against Graham Napier to bring up the century stand.
Bragg celebrated by swatting Napier to third man for four followed by an upper cut for four against Masters, whilst Donald also biffed the veteran through extra-cover for another well-deserved four. But it proved to be his last as, with the total on 332, he miscued a pull against Napier with Foster, running around to leg gully pouching the skier. Bragg then clipped Napier to third man before David Lloyd did the same to Napier as the lead approached the 300-mark.
But with the total on 342, Lloyd edged Masters to slip where Nick Browne held a smart catch. With Graham Wagg as his new partner, Bragg completed his 150 from 287 balls with a clip into the leg-side against Napier before Wagg harpooned Tom Westley for six and four to the leg-side ropes. But next over he was bowled heaving at a slower ball from Napier, before one run later Craig Meschede smashed a ball from Westley into the hands of extra cover. Andrew Salter then flayed a four through cover before holing out at deep mid-wicket whereupon Glamorgan declared on 386/8 leaving the visitors a target of 334 runs from a minimum of 70 overs.
Essex had four overs to face and after each batsman had slashed a ball over the slips, Jaik Mickleburgh edged van der Gugten to fourth slip where Hogan completed the catch.