Glamorgan lose to Kent by 316 runs at Cardiff

The overhead conditions and cloud cover, which had been the bane of Glamorgan's batsmen in their first innings, came to their aid yesterday afternoon, as facing the mammoth task of making 554, or batting through 155 overs for a draw, bad light wiped out the final session with the Welsh county on 101/2, with James Kettleborough unbeaten on 52. Rain fell overnight and first thing this morning as the players started to arrive ahead, and there were large pools of water on the protective sheets which covered the entire square.


Mopping up operations began in earnest and after a series of further heavy showers play duly began under sunshine at 11.15am with a dozen overs lost from the day's allocation. Kettleborough duly on-drove the first ball of the day from Darren Stevens to the ropes at wide mid-on, whilst Colin Ingram also struck his ball for four as he deftly guided Matt Coles to third man.


But with the total on 109, and in the third over of the day, Stevens ended Kettleborough's stay at the crease as he clean bowled the opener. Ingram completed his fifty from 81 balls with a glance into the leg-side, but Stevens made further inroads in his next over as he had an l.b.w. appeal upheld against Chris Cooke.


117/4 saw Aneurin Donald join Ingram and the young tyro edged his first ball just wide of third slip. Ingram then cover drove Stevens for four, but next over Stevens struck again as he bowled Donald with another sharply in-swinging delivery before doing the same with the next ball to Graham Wagg, which also kept a little bit low. Craig Meschede survived the hat-trick ball but shortly afterwards another heavy shower descended over the ground and forced the players off with Glamorgan on 130/6.


After a fifteen minute delay, play resumed at 12.15pm with a further four overs trimmed for the quota. Refreshed by the short break Stevens and Coles continued the bowling duties and the latter struck in his second over after the interruption as he trapped Meschede leg before.

Stevens' spell of 4/10 in 17 balls during the truncated morning session had filleted the Glamorgan middle-order so when play resumed under bright sunshine there were still 66 overs remaining as the eight-wicket pairing of Mark Wallace and Colin Ingram resumed the Welsh county's second innings on 143/7. Ingram deftly leg-glanced Stevens, but in the all-rounder's next over he claimed his fifth wicket as Wallace edged into the gloves of his opposite number Ryan Davies who was standing up to the stumps.


155/8 saw Andrew Salter make his way to the middle and he opened his account by leg-glancing Coles for four before edging Stevens between second and third slip. Ingram then pulled Coles to deep- mid-wicket for a defiant four. It was also the end of Coles' spell as Matt Hunn returned at the River End and was delicately clipped to fine-leg for four by Ingram, before the South African despatched him through extra cover for another coruscating boundary.


Stevens continued at the Cathedral Road End and the wily 39 year-old nearly added another scalp to his season's best tally as Salter edged just short of first slip. But his fourteen over spell, in which he had claimed 5/33 came to an end as Coles switched ends. Ingram greeted him by unfurling another sweetly-timed cover-drive. Salter then pulled Hunn for four before steering Coles through point as the fifty stand came up. But Coles responded by causing Salter to miscue a pull as Joe Denly completed the catch at deep backward square-leg.


Michael Hogan then lofted Hunn over the slips for four before Ingram cover drove and leg-glanced Hunn to complete his maiden Championship hundred for Glamorgan from 174 balls. Shortly, afterwards an inside-edge for four by Hogan against Hunn prevented Glamorgan from subsiding to their heaviest defeat by the margin of runs in Championship cricket, which had occurred at the hands of Yorkshire at Swansea in 2001 when they lost by 328 runs.


Ingram added a 17^th four to his tally as he swatted Coles for four to mid-wicket before Hogan carved Hunn through backward point but shortly afterwards he chopped the ball onto his stumps as Glamorgan ended on 237 with Kent completing a comprehensive victory by 316 runs.