Northamptonshire beat Glamorgan by an innings and 22 runs on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Wantage Road as they dismissed the Welsh county for 187.
Close of Play Report
Craig Meschede joined Kiran Carlson after tea with Glamorgan on 117/6 and needing a further 92 to avoid the innings defeat. The former drilled Sanderson through mid-off for three before Carlson scythed White through point. Meschede also lofted White to long-on for four before driving him to long-off for another firmly struck four. But the bowler gained revenge as in his next over he bowled Meschede with Glamorgan on 139/7.
Carlson upper-cut Sanderson for four to third man before lofting White over the head of the fielder at short extra-cover. Harry Podmore opened his account by clipping White to square-leg but Rory Kleinveldt returned and had the youngster caught behind by Adam Rossington. 154/8 then became 157/9 as Carlson hooked Kleinveldt to long-leg where Nathan Buck pouched the ball at the second attempt.
Lukas Carey defiantly pulled Kleinveldt for four whilst de Lange straight drove his fellow countryman for four. Carey also square-cut and straight drove successive balls from White for four, before de Lange swatted Nathan Buck through the covers for four. But the contest ended next ball as de Lange drilled Buck to mid-on where Ben Sanderson completed the catch to seal th victory by an innings and 22 runs.
Afternoon Report
Glamorgan resumed on 32/3 after lunch, still 177 runs in arrears, with both Colin Ingram and Aneurin Donald straight-driving Nathan Buck for four. But Ben Sanderson continued his probing spell at the Pavilion End and with the total on 49, he had an l.b.w. appeal upheld against Donald. With Chris Cooke as his new partner, Ingram brought up the fifty by cover-driving Buck for four.
A couple of overs later Ingram repeated the stroke against Buck before greeting the introduction of Steven Crook into the attack by nurdling him through backward point for four. Cooke also opened his account with a fierce cut through point against Crook before straight-driving Rory Kleinveldt for four to long-off. He then drilled Crook to the boards at long-on before Ingram greeted the return of Buck by flicking him to fine-leg for four.
A savagely struck square-cut for four by Ingram against Buck brought up the fifty stand, but Sanderson then returned to the attack and removed Cooke who pulled a short delivery into Crook’s hands at mid-wicket. Kiran Carlson saw Glamorgan into three figures as he squirted a ball from Sanderson through backward point whilst Ingram also cover drove Sanderson for four.
Buck returned at the Pavilion End and was driven through point for four by Carlson but in the final over before tea, Graeme White bowled Ingram for 47.
Lunchtime update
Forty thoroughbreds and their intrepid jockeys will later this afternoon take part in the Grand National at Aintree as the famous racecourse in Liverpool stages the four and a half mile steeplechase. It’s fifty years since the dramatic race in 1967 which saw 100/1 shot Foinavon benefit from a massive melee at the 23rd fence, and come from last to first to win the famous race. After events yesterday in the East Midlands, Glamorgan’s cricketers were hoping to do the same as they started the second day of their contest against Northamptonshire 167 runs in arrears, with the visiting batsmen producing a pile-up of runs in their second innings and regaining the ascendancy.
Indeed, the pattern of the game might have been very different had Alex Wakely, with his side on 27/3, not been bowled by a no-ball before next delivery surviving a dropped chance in the slips. With the momentum having swung in his side’s favour, Rory Kleinveldt almost holed out on the boundary’s edge when on 5 before rubbing salt into Welsh wounds by bludgeoning an unbeaten 71 from just 42 balls in the evening sunshine.
But after bringing up the century stand with Steven Crook in the opening over this morning, their partnership was ended by Lukas Carey who trapped the latter leg before. Graeme White began with a pair of fours against Carey – the first through extra cover and the second to fine-leg, whilst after a series of prods for one, Kleinveldt scored his first four of the day as he late-cut de Lange for one. But with the last ball of the over, and Northants on 291, White edged the paceman into Nick Selman’s hands at second slip.
Four runs later, Kleinveldt drilled Carey into the hands of Aneurin Donald at extra cover. Ben Sanderson drove de Lange for boundaries through mid-off and mid-wicket before being struck on the helmet ducking into a short delivery from the Springbok paceman. The Northants innings ended shortly afterwards on 310 as Sanderson sparred at Harry Podmore’s first delivery and edged to second slip where Selman completed another sharp catch.
With his side facing a deficit of 209, Jacques Rudolph took 11 runs off Kleinveldt’s first over with a series of assured drives before steering Sanderson for four to third man and then languidly driving Kleinveldt through the covers for another boundary. But on 21 he under-edged a pull against Sanderson and was caught behind by Adam Rossington.
Selman opened his account by straight-driving Kleinveldt, but next delivery, the opener chopped the ball onto his stumps. 25/2 then became 25/3 as David Lloyd edged to first slip. In the penultimate over of the session, Colin Ingram square drove Kleinveldt for four as Glamorgan went to lunch on 32/3.