83 by Kiran Carlson plus 55 from Craig Meschede and an unbeaten 40 from Timm van der Gugten helped Glamorgan reach 331/8 at the close of play after being put in to bat by Leicestershire in their final match of the season in the Specsavers County Championship at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Close of Play Report
Glamorgan resumed after tea on 228/6 with Ben Mike and Dieter Klein sharing the bowling duties. Meschede began by on-driving Mike before a series of one’s and two’s to reach his half-century from 107 balls. This followed a trio of flowing cover drives for four by Wagg against Mike which brought Glamorgan a second batting having reached 250.
Colin Ackermann had a short spell before the new ball was due and the off-spinner was drilled through mid-off for four by Meschede, but with the total on 268 his valiant stand with Wagg was ended as the umpire upheld an l.b.w. appeal against his partner. Without further addition though, Meschede departed as he skewed a shot off the back foot against Ackermann and was caught by a diving Klein at backward point.
Kieran Bull and Timm van der Gugten then joined forces in a bid to secure a further batting point as Leicestershire took the new ball after 80 overs. Van der Gugten responded by cutting Gavin Griffiths through point for four before drilling successive balls from the seamer through cover and mid-off for further fours. Bull then took Glamorgan to 300 with a fine drive to mid-wicket against Griffiths greeted with plenty of applause from the home crowd.
Van der Gugten celebrated by inside-edging Taylor for four to fine-leg before Bull clipped Mike to the ropes at square-leg. Van der Gugten then drilled Taylor to the boundary boards at mid-on for another four before the Dutchman brought up the fifty stand by cover-driving Mike, followed by a similar stroke against Klein.
Teatime Report
Glamorgan had reached 109/3 by lunch with Kiran Carlson unbeaten on 48, and the young tyro duly completed his half-century by inside-edging the second ball of the session from Dieter Klein to fine-leg – his 70th delivery and eighth boundary. It soon became nine to his tally as he nurdled Tom Taylor’s first delivery to the untenanted third man boundary, and then it was ten as he caressed a half-volley from Taylor through extra-cover.
Carlson then glanced Taylor to square-leg for another four followed next ball by another firm drive through backward point and then two balls later by another glorious cover drive. He repeated the latter in Taylor’s next over as he spanked another ball off the front foot through extra cover, and after a quiet period of reconnaissance, Lawlor clipped Klein to fine-leg. Carlson then greeted the return of Ben Mike by punching him off the back foot through point for another crisp four – this though proved to be his fifteenth and final four as next delivery he chopped the ball from Mike onto his stumps and departed for 83.
148/4 then became 148/5 as Lawlor was trapped leg before by a ball from Klein which appeared to nip back into the batsman. Craig Meschede duly joined forces with Chris Cooke who off-drove Mike for three before driving Klein through the covers for four. Cooke also flat-batted Klein for four through extra-cover before leg-glancing Klein to fine-leg. Meschede also guided Mike through third man for four before Cooke punched him through extra cover for four
Meschede then deftly late cut Parkinson for three before guiding Mike to the ropes at third man, followed by another drive square of the wicket for four to bring up the fifty stand and put his side within a blow of a first batting point. The 200 was duly brought up, accompanied by loud cheers from the faithful supporters, with an on-drive by Meschede against Parkinson. But with the total on 207, Cooke departed as his opposite number Lewis Hill, pouched at the second attempt a top edge as he tried to upper cut Griffiths.
Graham Wagg joined Meschede and opened his account with a deft glance to fine-leg against Griffiths before his partner did the same to Parkinson. Meschede then greeted the return of Taylor by drilling his first ball through extra-cover for four before Mark Cosgrove had a brief trundle before tea.
Morning Report
The Welsh made one change to their side which lost last week by an innings against Kent at Canterbury with Graham Wagg replacing Ruaidhri Smith who had a reoccurrence of a side strain, with Stephen Cook and Nick Selman opening the batting as Gavin Griffiths and Tom Taylor shared the new ball. Selman on-drove both bowlers to the ropes for crisply-struck boundaries, but he departed in the eighth over as Taylor, on his Championship debut for Leicestershire, had an l.b.w. appeal upheld by the umpire.
With Glamorgan on 20/1, Jack Murphy joined Cook, who clipped Taylor to mid-wicket for his first boundary before two balls later adding a second as he drilled the debutant through extra cover. But with the total on 32, Ben Mike at backward point took a fine diving catch to his right as Murphy square-drove Taylor. Kiran Carlson began by clipping Taylor through square-leg before edging Dieter Klein through the slips.
His next scoring stroke though came off the middle as he cut Klein for four followed by a rasping punch off the back foot to see Glamorgan to the 50-mark. Cook then nurdled Griffiths for four when the bowler switched to the River End before Carlson pulled him to mid-wicket. Callum Parkinson’s left-arm spin was introduced after ninety minutes play at the Cathedral Road End whilst Ben Mike had a spell at the River End.
Carlson also steered him through point for four and three before doing the same to Parkinson to bring up the fifty stand as the third wicket pair continued to consolidate before the interval. Cooke also on-drove Parkinson in the penultimate over of the session, but next ball departed l.b.w. to the twirler with his side on 96/3. With Jeremy Lawlor as his new partner, Carlson saw Glamorgan into three figures as he drilled Mike to the ropes at mid-wicket followed by a sumptuous straight-drive for four.