Glamorgan were 149/2 when bad light and rain ended play in mid-afternoon of their Specsavers County Champion ship match against Sussex at an overcast SSE SWALEC, with the Welsh county leading the South Coast side by 118 runs.
Afternoon Update
Having gone to lunch on 91/2, Glamorgan were looking to further extend their lead of 60 runs when play resumed at 2pm after a short shower during the interval and the loss of a further six overs. Will Bragg and David Lloyd continued the second innings against the bowling of George Garton and David Wiese, with the latter being clipped by Bragg to square-leg for four as his first-class tally for the season went past the 900-mark. Lloyd also drilled Wiese through extra-cover for four before pulling Garton for four to square-leg.
Bragg also clipped Garton to the ropes at backward square-leg before Lloyd drove the young left-armer twice through mid-off for four as the lead moved into three figures. Steve Magoffin returned at the River End and was straight-driven by Bragg to the boards at long-off, as a bank of heavy cloud build-up over the ground.
In fact, the umpires had their light meters out on several occasions before David Lloyd edged Wiese for four. But the light had deteriorated soon afterwards and with Glamorgan on 149/2 the players left the field again mid-way through the 46th over. It started to rain soon afterwards and after an early tea had been taken at 3.40pm, the precipitation prevented a prompt resumption after the interval.
The umpires inspected at 4.45pm but the light was still very poor and with drizzle falling, plsay was called off at 5pm.
Lunchtime Report
If the first day of this enthralling contest belonged to Sussex, the second was dominated by Glamorgan after bowling attack, delivering a fuller length and with less width, firstly constrained the visiting batsmen before making inroads during a dramatic afternoon session after taking the new ball. Yet at 232/2 and Chris Nash well-set after a dogged century, Sussex looked like moving in to the ascendancy but Graham Wagg claimed three wickets for no runs in five balls as the visitors collapsed in spectacular fashion, losing their last eight wickets for 51 runs in the space of 25 overs as they secured a modest lead of 31runs.
Despite the early loss of Nick Selman, the watchful Jacques Rudolph – who went past the 19,000 runs aggregate in first-class cricket - and Will Bragg saw the Welsh county to 50 by the close and each batsmen was looking to further consolidate as the third day began, with many of Glamorgan’s former players at the ground for their annual get-together. In fact, had they been present yesterday they could have been forgiven for being transported back to their playing days of the 1960s and 1970s as the scoreboard showed Nash and Davis batting together!
Steve Magoffin and David Wiese resumed the bowling duties with the visitors knowing that the first two sessions were likely to be pivotal in shaping the outcome of this game. Rudolph straight drove a full toss from Wiese for four, before striking successive deliveries from Magoffin through the covers as light drizzle started to fall. It soon intensified and the players left the field at 11.20am.
They returned to the field at 12.30pm with ten overs having been lost from the day’s quota and Rudolph began by punching Magoffin through extra-cover, but later in the over the bowler produced a delivery which rapped Rudolph on his pads, with the umpire adjudging the Glamorgan captain to be l.b.w. for 47. David Lloyd duly joined Bragg and he began by upper-cutting Archer for four before swatting the next delivery to the boards at square-leg.