Glamorgan ended the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Kent at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on 273/9 after a second wicket stand of 126 between Shaun Marsh (76) and Jack Murphy (54) helped them wipe off the arrears on first innings before a clatter of wickets late in the day saw them end with a lead of 193 runs.
Evening Update
Resuming after tea, on 178/4 Glamorgan were looking to build further on their lead of 98 as Chris Cooke and Kiran Carlson made their way to the middle. The former began by cover-driving Ivan Thomas whilst the latter bisected slip and gully for another boundary, but with the total on 191 Cooke feathered a catch into his opposite number’s gloves as Stevens claimed another wicket.
David Lloyd duly joined Carlson, showing no ill effects from his earlier blow in his face and pulled Thomas for three to mid-wicket, before his partner clipped Thomas to the ropes at fine-leg. Lloyd greeted the return of Will Gidman by driving successive deliveries to wide long-on and straight long-on, followed later in the over by a deft nurdle to third man for three.
But with the total on 228, Carlson edged Gidman into Rouse’s gloves as Glamorgan lost their sixth wicket just 148 runs ahead and with the new ball due in seven overs. To hasten its arrival, Joe Denly had a spell at the River End with the wrist spinner being pulled for four by Salter who then biffed Gidman through extra-cover for another boundary before Matt Henry and Darren Stevens returned to the attack with the new ball after 80 overs with Glamorgan on 247/6.
Lloyd responded by straight-driving Henry for four followed by a thick outside edge to the ropes at third man but Salter, in trying to leave a ball from Henry, edged the delivery into Rouse’s gloves with the Welsh county on 260/7. Shortly afterwards, Stevens bowled the second full toss of his spell and was removed from the attack leaving Harry Podmore to complete the over, with Lloyd cover-driving his former colleague for four.
Lloyd then drove henry for four in the penultimate over before edging the next delivery to second slip where Heino Kuhn completed a regulation catch. Two balls later Harry Podmore had Marchnat de Lange l.b.w as the day ended with Glamorgan on 273/9 and a lead of 193.
Afternoon update
Glamorgan began the afternoon session on 74/1 still six runs in arrears, as Shaun Marsh and Jack Murphy looked to further consolidate on Glamorgan’s position with batting conditions appearing to have eased in the sunny weather . Marsh drove Podmore to the ropes at long-on whilst Murphy cover drove Henry, before Marsh unfurled another booming on-drove for four against Podmore to complete a 65-ball fifty.
Murphy then drilled Will Gidman to the topes at long-off before pulling Henry to the ropes at mid-wicket to see Glamorgan into three figures. Marsh then greeted the return of Stevens into the attack by scything him through backward point, before Murphy brought up the century stand with a rasping cover drive against Gidman.
Marsh twice cover drove Stevens for four whilst Murphy steered Thomas through point for four. With the total on 136, Marsh top-edged a pull against Thomas and was nearly caught by Stevens at long-leg, but it did not prove to be an expensive miss as next ball, the Australian was run out for 76 by Will Gidman at mid-wicket as Murphy attempted a quick single with Marsh short of his ground at the striker’s end as Gidman made a direct hit.
Glamorgan were therefore 57 runs ahead as Kiran Carlson joined Murphy, who found the ropes again as he nurdled Thomas for four to third man before completing his maiden Championship fifty from 119 balls by clipping Podmore to fine-leg. But on 54 – a career-best – he steered a ball from Henry to Heino Kuhn in the gully with Glamorgan losing their third wicket with a lead of 79.
158/3 then became 159/4 as Aneurin Donald was trapped l.b.w. by Podmore shortly before tea. Chris Cooke announced his arrival by square-cutting the former Glamorgan seamer as Kent pressed to make further inroads.
Morning update
The first day of this contest saw nineteen wickets tumble inside two bizarre sessions at the Sophia Gardens ground. The opening session saw Glamorgan reach 57/0 from 31 overs, before thirteen wickets tumbled in 30.4 overs between lunch and tea, followed by a further six before bad light brought an early finish. Some high-quality seam bowling from both teams accounted for the clatter of wickets in the overcast conditions with Timm van der Gugten posting Championship-best figures of 6/40, and when Kent’s final pair resumed this morning under clear blue skies, the Dutchman was one wicket away from surpassing his all-time best figures of 7/68, achieved in 2014 for the Netherlands and Namibia in Windhoek, having yesterday also claimed his 100th wicket in all first-class cricket when he dismissed Sean Dickson.
There was a dramatic opening over as Harry Podmore and Ivan Thomas resumed against Michael Hogan whose second delivery struck David Lloyd on the nose forcing the slip fielder briefly off the field for treatment . Next ball Podmore cover drove Hogan for four, before van der Gugten beat the outside edge of both batsman’s bat. But the Dutchman was rewarded for his persistence as Thomas miscued a pull and lobbed a return catch to the bowler to give van der Gugten career-best figures of 7/42 as Kent’s innings ended on 174.
Glamorgan resumed facing a deficit of 80 with Nick Selman guiding Matt Henry for four to third man before driving Darren Stevens’ first ball through mid-off for four. But the evergreen all-rounder responded by trapping the opener l.b.w. with his next delivery. Shaun Marsh arrived at the crease with the Sophia Gardens scoreboard reading 11/1, and it nearly became 12/2 as the Australian inside-edged a drive against Henry. He celebrated by cover-driving the Kiwi for successive fours before Jack Murphy deftly glanced Henry to fine-leg.
Marsh was then the recipient of four overthrows as he scampered a single, before swatting a no ball from Stevens over point for six, with Murphy clipping Stevens through mid-wicket for four to bring up the fifty in the ninth over. Marsh added another boundary to his tally by late-cutting Podmore before cover-driving him for another four. Ivan Thomas then entered the attack at the River End and struck Murphy a painful blow on his left forearm as the opener was struck by a rising delivery.