A forthright 69 by Chris Cooke saw Glamorgan to 175/7 at the close of the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Derbyshire at Swansea after rain delayed the start until 3.20pm causing the loss of 50 overs.
For the cricketing cognoscenti, the annual four-day match at Swansea is one of the highlights in the domestic calendar. For a start, it is the only county cricket ground in the U.K. where you can watch the ebb and flow of the tides, besides feeling the maritime breeze coming off Swansea Bay. It also holds a special place in cricket history as it was at St. Helen’s where Glamorgan secured a dramatic two-day victory over the 1951 South Africans; where the guile and spin of Johnnie Clay confounded and becalmed Australian batting legend Don Bradman; where during the late 1940s, John Arlott sat in the BBC radio commentary box, alongside Swansea’s favourite son, the famed poet Dylan Thomas; where in 1976 West Indian legend Clive Lloyd struck the world’s fastest double-hundred; where Matthew Maynard struck an astonishing hundred on first-class debut in 1985; where Glamorgan defeated the Australians on successive tours in 1964 and 1968, and where - during the latter season - Garry Sobers became the first man in cricket history to hit six sixes in an over.
The fiftieth anniversary of Sobers’ feat against the occasional left-arm spin of Malcolm Nash sees another piece of Glamorgan history being made at Swansea – coincidentally also involving a left-arm spinner - as nineteen year-old Prem Sisodiya becomes the first Welsh-born cricketer with Asian parents to play in first-class cricket for Glamorgan. The product of Cardiff CC, Whitchurch HS and Clifton College comes into the Glamorgan side on the back of some excellent performances for Glamorgan 2nd XI - as well as for the England Under 19 side last winter – as the Welsh county made three changes from the side which were beaten last week by Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Kiran Carlson – another former pupil of Whitchurch HS who himself has an Indian mother – also returned followed the completion of his university exams, alongside Fit-again Michael Hogan. The latter won the toss and opted to bat as Nick Selman and Jack Murphy opened the batting, with Ravi Rampaul and Duann Olivier opening the bowling. Murphy on-drove Rampaul for four before clipping Olivier to the ropes at square-leg. Tony Palladino then replaced Rampaul at the Pavilion End and in his second over he removed Murrphy who edged to second slip. 27/1 then became 31/2 as Selman was trapped l.b.w. by a delivery from Olivier which nipped back in.
Next over, Derbyshire claimed their first bowling point as Palladino struck again as Owen Morgan, having cover drove the previous ball, then edged the next ball into the gloves of wicket-keeper Gary Wilson. 35/3 saw Carlson join Khawaja with the latter opening his account with a deft leg glance for four but Palladino continued to get some lateral movement and in his sixth over, he bowled Khawaja.
Chris Cooke brought up the fifty by cover-driving Palladino but Rampaul returned at the Mumbles Road End and removed Carlson who edged to first slip as Glamorgan slumped further to 52/5. After tea, Rampaul returned to the Pavilion End and was pulled by Cooke for four who then square-cut Olivier for a pair of rasping fours. David Lloyd also off-drove Rampaul for four as well as nurdling him through point for another welcome boundary.
Lloyd then greeted the return of Palladino by driving him to long-off and mid-wicket for successive fours, as well as glancing him to the ropes at long-leg. Cooke did the same to Olivier before upper-cutting him to third man as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark in the 28th over.
Cooke then cover-drove Rampaul but the West Indian ended their stand later in the over as Lloyd edges a drive into Wilson’s gloves as Glamorgan lost their sixth wicket on 110. Andrew Salter joined Cooke and drilled Palladino through extra-cover before Cooke completed his fifty by clipping his 51st delivery to square-leg. He celebrated later in the over by cover-driving Olivier with Salter also on-driving the Protea for three.
Cooke then steered Olivier for four to third man before pulling him for six over mid-wicket, but shortly afterwards Palladino ended Cooke’s spritely innings as he inside-edged a ball onto his stumps. 162/7 saw Sisodiya make his way to the middle and he nonchalantly clipped his first ball to fine-leg before flicking Matt Critchley for another single to square-leg and guiding Palladino through the slips for four. The debutant then pulled Critchley for four in the day’s final over.