Glamorgan draw with Somerset at Taunton Vale

There may have been Gayle warnings in the West Country yesterday following Somerset's signing of the hard-hitting West Indian batsman for the NatWest T20 Blast, but there was plenty of blue sky and sunshine at Taunton Vale this morning as the players gathered to resume the two-day friendly. There had been plenty of early season fare in the contest yesterday with thirteen wickets tumbling for just 163 runs, and had Glamorgan not fumbled a couple of chances or delivered a series of short balls, the tally of victims might well have been higher.


Somerset duly resumed this morning on 69/3 with play starting at 10am following the loss of the final hour last night to bad light. Chris Cooke donned the wicket-keeping gauntlets whilst Mark Wallace had a spell in the outfield, with Lewis Gregory twice cover driving Dewi Penrhyn Jones for four prior to surviving a loud shout for l.b.w. against Will Owen and another half-chance in the slips.


After a probing spell from both seamers, David Lloyd and Craig Meschede had a spell in tandem, with Gregory square-cutting the latter for four to bring up the hundred. Gregory then completed his fifty, from 97 balls, by crisply on-driving Lloyd for four. He repeated the stroke a couple of overs later as Somerset came within a run of wiping off the deficit after an hour's play.


But with the total on 129 Lloyd's accuracy was rewarded as Gregory edged into Cooke's gloves with Peter Trego joining Alex Barrow. Dean Cosker duly replaced Lloyd at the Town End whilst Owen returned at the Northern End. Barrow then scored his first boundary of the day as he glided Owen through backward point before two balls later despatching him to long-off for four. Trego then used the long handle against Cosker heaving the twirler through the legside for two lusty fours and three.


Barrow completed his fifty by cover driving Cosker - his 111^th delivery - before Trego greeted the appearance of Andrew Salter's off-spin by striking his first two balls for four through point and extra cover, followed by a lofted on-drive from Barrow in the spinner's second over. Trego then unleashed a coruscating straight drive for four against Salter to bring up the 200, followed by a fierce slash through the offside to finish one short of his fifty before lunch.

Resuming after lunch on 212/4, Peter Trego completed his half-century in the opening over of the session, and from his 50th delivery as he swatted Dewi Penrhyn Jones square of the wicket for a single. He celebrated next over by crisply on-driving Will Owen for four, whilst Ales Barrow began with a deft glide to long-leg against Penrhyn Jones. Craig Meschede was then drilled through mid-off by Trego with Barrow also pulling Owen to the ropes in front of the pavilion.


Trego then off-drove Meschede for a straight six before getting an inside-edge to an on-drive against Owen, as well as a more authentic glance to long-leg for four, followed by a pair of massive drives over wide mid-wicket for six. But his merry spree ended next over as he edged an expansive drive against Meschede and was safely caught by Cooke who dived across in front of first slip.


274/5 then became 274.6 as three balls later Barrow miscued a drive against Cosker straight into Andrew Salter's hands at mid-on. Nine runs later, the spinner was in the action again, as at second slip he safely pouched an edge from Max Waller's bat as he spliced a drive against David Lloyd. Tim Groenewald announced his arrival by pulling Cosker for six over mid-wicket before Somerset declared on 314/7 half an hour before the interval.

James Kettleborough and Will Bragg opened the Glamorgan second innings, with the former clipping Tim Groenewald to square-leg for four. But in the sixth over, the bowler gained revenge as he bowled the opener for 9 as Glamorgan reached 21/1 at tea.

Resuming after tea on 21/1, Ben Wright struck an early boundary as he swatted Adam Dibble through extra cover for four before crisply on-driving the bowler for another four. Will Bragg then steered Jamie Overton to the vacant boundary at third man whilst Wright found the ropes again firstly at mid-wicket with a firm on-drive against Dibble, followed by a cover drive against the same bowler. He then plundered successive fours to mid-wicket and backward point before sweeping Jack Leach for four to backward square-leg.

Bragg also cover drove the spinner before forcing Groenewald through point for four, whilst Wright also square-cut Groenewald en route to fifty from 67 balls which he reached with his tenth four as he guided Groenewald through the slips. Shortly afterwards, he straight drove Lewis Gregory to bring up the hundred as well as lofting Jack Leach to long-off and long-on with another pair of assertive blows.


Bragg also straight-drove Gregory for four but with the total on 125 he was caught behind as Overton returned to the fray. Chris Cooke duly joined Wright who reverse-swept Leach for four as the game quietly moved towards its conclusion as bad light ended play at 5.05pm.