Glamorgan lead Essex by 260 runs at the end of an eventful third day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Chelmsford which saw the Welsh county lose 6/36 in 14 overs before a late rally spearheaded by Mark Wallace saw them close on 293/9, and all after Craig Meschede had returned career-best figures of 5/84 in the home side’s first innings.
Close of Play Report
Glamorgan had gone to tea on 150/4, leading by 117 runs so there was a need for further consolidation when play resumed with David Lloyd and Kiran Carlson in the middle. The former duly struck the first ball of the session from Jamie Porter straight for four before cover-driving the last square of the wicket for another boundary.
But Carlson departed to his first delivery after the interval as he feathered a catch down the leg-side with James Foster completing the dismissal sprawling to his left as Ravi Bopara dismissed the first innings centurion. 158/5 then became 159/6 as Foster took another catch to remove Craig Meschede before Lloyd was trapped l.b.w. by Bopara with Glamorgan’s collapse continuing to 163/7.
Meschede’s departure though had been a bitter-sweet moment for Essex as Porter limped off the field afterwards with what appeared to be a thigh strain, and in his absence David Masters was pressed into service again as Mark Wallace and Owen Morgan joined forces. Wallace struck successive balls from the veteran for four to mid-wicket and cover, whilst Morgan pulled Bopara for four, followed by a square-drive by Wallace against Bopara to the point boundary plus a late-cut for four against Masters.
The game seemingly took on a Twenty20 mode as Morgan drilled a trio of deliveries from Bopara through mid-off for further sweetly-timed boundaries as the 200 came up in the 58th over before Wallace nurdled ten Doeschate through backward point for another four . Wallace then thumped Masters through extra cover for four, but the bowler responded next over by torpedoing Morgan with a delivery which kept low and rapped him on the pads in front of the stumps.
217/8 saw van der Gugten join Wallace who hooked a short ball from Masters to fine-leg for four before Tom Westley returned to the attack at the River End and was clipped by Wallace to mid-wicket for three as the lead reached 200. Bopara also switched to the Hayes Clse End and was nurdled for four by van der Gugten.
Wallace then completed an invaluable and jaunty fifty from 49 balls with a flick off his hips against Bopara who was then drilled through extra cover and point by van der Gugten. Wallace also on-drove him for four before van der Gugten drilled Westley straight for four to bring up the 50-stand.
As the shadows lengthened, Masters returned for a last hurrah at the Hayes Close End with Dan Lawrence’s spin at the River End. Van der Gugten deposited the latter for six over long-on whilst Wallace also late-cut him for four with the lead going past 250. But the late rally ended with the score on 285 as van der Gugten miscued another lusty drive against Lawrence with Bopara completing the catch at cover. Michael Hogan then joined Wallace for the last couple of overs, in which Wallace struck Masters for a pair of fours, the latter off an inside edge..
Afternoon Update
With temperatures soaring again at Chelmsford, many of the Essex supporters took the opportunity at lunchtime of toasting the success of their team in gaining promotion with a chilled glass of champagne and, thanks to the generosity of a local sponsor, many also tucked into jam sandwiches following the issuing of pots of the local produce to members as they entered the ground this morning.
There had been celebrations as well out in the middle by Essex during the final over before lunch as Masters had Selman l.b.w. with Glamorgan 36/1 or effectively 3/1 at the interval. But for the next passage of play, it was Glamorgan who had smiles on their faces as Will Bragg began with a flurry of fours, clipping Masters to the mid-wicket ropes before doing the same to Bopara, followed by a deft leg-glance to the boards at fine-leg.
Bragg duly struck his 1,000th first-class run of the summer with a sumptuous cover-drive against Bopara – a stroke copied by Rudolph next over before he ferociously pulled a short ball from the former England all-rounder to the boards at mid-wicket. With the temperatures and Glamorgan’s lead continuing to rise, Essex switched to spin as Tom Westley entered the attack at the River End.
But Rudolph continued to plunder boundaries against the seamers at the Hayes Close End as he twice pulled Porter for four to square-leg, whilst Bragg on-drove the seamer to the boards at long-on before bringing up the 100 with a deft leg-glance for four against Westley. Bragg then danced down the wicket to the spinner and drilled him to long-on for four.
In the absence of Napier, Bopara performed the role of stock bowler and was dispatched by Rudolph through the covers yet again by Rudolph who completed an excellent fifty from 103 balls with his tenth four. A series of singles then saw Bragg completed his half-century, from 75 balls with a cover drive against Westley.
Ten Doschate then replaced Bopara and with his first delivery, the home captain removed his opposite number as Rudolph chopped a ball onto his stumps and departed for 56. This was the first of two wickets in an over as to the final ball of the over Bragg clipped a leg-side delivery into Foster’s gloves and departed for 54 having just completed his 1.000th Championship run of the summer.
David Lloyd announced his arrival by pulling Westley for four before Aneurin Donald survived a loud appeal for a catch behind against ten Doeschate. Masters and Porter then returned in tandem before tea in a bid to make further inroads, but Lloyd responded with a pair of rasping pull. However, Donald was not so fortunate as he was bowled by Porter as the third Glamorgan wicket tumbled in the space of six and a half overs.
Morning Report
The peace and tranquillity of the ECG in Chelmsford has been shattered by two loud roars. The first came just after 6pm on the first day as Kiran Carlson, to the vocal delight of his colleagues, completed his maiden century – the second and far louder outpouring of euphoria occurred at 5.20pm yesterday as Essex secured the bonus point they required to secure promotion into Division One as Champions of the second tier.
The cheers and applause from the 2,000 strong crowd was repeated at the close of play as celebrations began in the home changing room but the party was relatively restrained as there was still a game in progress with Essex ending the second day’s play eleven runs in arrears with four second innings wickets still to fall and a chance this morning to build a lead.
Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster duly resumed, looking to extend their partnership as the Essex first innings mirrored the Glamorgan one. But the Welsh county were heartened by having a new ball available after an over as Timm van der Gugten and Craig Meschede undertook the bowling duties. Ten Doeschate clipped his fellow countryman to fine-leg for four before a clip by Foster to mid-wicket brought the scores level besides bringing up the century stand.
Three runs later, the stand ended as the Dutch seamer trapped the Essex captain l.b.w. for 117 and his departure saw Graham Napier in his final game at Chelmsford hobble to the wicket with a runner. Foster responded with a flowing cover drive for four but with the total on 297 Napier departed for a duck as he upper-cut Meschede straight to third man where David Lloyd safely pouched the ball.
David Masters duly replaced Napier as Foster straight-drove Meschede to complete his fifty from 110 balls. He celebrated by pulling Meschede for four before launching him over extra-cover for a massive six. Masters then glided Hogan to the third man boundary but next ball tamely chipped the ball back to the bowler. 319/9 saw Jamie Porter make his way to the middle, but his stay was only brief as in Meschede’s next over Foster swatted a ball high to Jacques Rudolph at mid-off as the all-rounder completed career-best figures of 5/84.
With a deficit of 33 runs, and fifty minutes to bat until lunch, Nick Selman and Jacques Rudolph began Glamorgan’s reply with a couple of singles before Selman clipped Porter through mid-wicket for four. Rudolph then unfurled a high-class cover drive, followed by a fierce on-drive against the young seamer. Masters then switched ends and was pulled for four by the Glamorgan captain who then firmly struck Ravi Bopara off the back foot through the covers as the arrears were wiped off. But in the final over before lunch, Selman was trapped l.b.w. by a delivery from Masters which scuttled through.