Ruaidhri Smith claimed career-best figures of 5/87 as Durham were dismissed for 295 on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at a cloudy Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, with the visitors leading by 141 runs. In reply, the Welsh county were 79/7 when rain brought an early finish.
Evening Update
There were 50 overs remaining as Glamorgan began their second innings 141 runs in arrears, but their openers began in positive vein with Nick Selman clipping the second delivery from Chris Rushworth to square-leg for four before Jack Murphy off-drove Matt Salisbury for four. Selman then leg-glanced and nurdled Salisbury to fine-leg and third man, before flicking Salisbury to long-leg for four.
Barry McCarthy then replaced Salisbury at the River End and had Selman caught down the leg-side by wicket-keeper Stuart Poynter. 31/1 then became 33/2 as Poynter held a second catch as Murphy outside-edged Rushworth. The seamer struck again in his next over as he bowled Carlson with David Lloyd joining Connor Brown with the scoreboard reading 35/3.
Lloyd responded by defiantly pulling McCarthy for four but with the total on 40 he became the fourth man to depart as he edged McCarthy to a diving Poynter. Brown then steered Salisbury for four through point before clipping him to square-leg for two. Drizzle then started to fall as Axar Patel entered the attack at the River End and in his second over he found the edge of Cooke’s bat as Glamorgan slipped further to 54/5, but as Craig Meschede made his way to the wicket, the rain intensified and the players briefly left the field as two overs were lost.
With the light becoming murky, Gareth Harte entered the attack at the Cathedral Road Endand was square-cut by Brown, before Cameron Steel’s leg-spin was introduced. With his first ball he removed Brown who tried to dab the ball to point, with Andrew Salter joining Meschede with their side on 64/6. Salter duly pulled Steel for four but was then trapped l.b.w. with Glamorgan on 70/7. Smith then late-cut Axar for four but the rains returned and the players left the field shortly afterwards with Glamorgan still 62 runs in arrears,
Afternoon Update
Durham resumed on 175/6 after lunch with a slender lead of 21 runs as Stuart Poynter and Axar Patel faced Ruaidhri Smith and Michael Hogan. Poynter cover drove successive deliveries from Smith for four and three, before next over repeating the stroke as the visitors secured their first batting point having reached the 200-mark. Patel celebrated by pulling Hogan for four as their jaunty stand also reached fifty, before Patel punched Smith off the back foot through extra cover.
Pointer had some good fortune as he inside-edged a drive against Smith to the ropes at long-leg, but next ball Smith found the outside edge of his blade with David Lloyd at first slip completing the regulation catch with Durham on 219/7 as Smith claimed his 50th wicket in first-class cricket. With Barry McCarthy as his new partner, Patel off-drove Hogan for four before on-driving Smith for another well-timed boundary, but on the cusp of a maiden Championship fifty he sent McCarthy back after refusing a second run but his partner failed to beat the accurate through by Meschede as Durham lost their eighth wicket on 237.
Patel then completed his 50 from 55 balls before edging Meschede through a vacant third slip. He then unleashed a booming off-drive for four against the all-rounder, followed by a thick edge through the gully as Durham reached the 250-mark and another batting point. He then added a straight driven four against Carey to his tally as Durham’s lead went into three figures.
Patel edged Meschede again for four before lofting him over long-on for six prior to Andrew Salter entering the attack in tandem with Hogan, and with the total on 284, the latter bowled Salisbury. Patel responded by on-driving Salter for six, but next over Hogan bowled Rushworth as Durham were dismissed for 295.
Morning Update
Durham enjoyed, by far, the better of the exchanges on the opening day of this red-ball encounter as they firstly exerted their right to bowl first under a heavy cloud cover and on a wicket which had been under cover for the previous 48 hours. After a delayed start, seamers Chris Rushworth and Matt Salisbury each exploited the dank conditions as they shared six wickets, and with some smart catches being taken in the slip cordon, Glamorgan were dismissed shortly before tea for 154. In reply, Alex Lees posted an assured fifty on his Durham debut as the visitors reached 75/0 before bad light brought an early finish.
Lees and his partner Cameron Steel were looking to further extend their stand this morning as play began on time, despite overnight rain and drizzle, with Michael Hogan and Lukas Carey resuming the bowling duties. Steel struck the day’s first boundary as he clipped Hogan to mid-wicket before Lees drove Carey through mid-off and mid-on. Steel also clipped Ruaidhri Smith just over the head of Jack Murphy at mid-wicket but next ball he shouldered arms and was bowled.
94/1 saw Gareth Harte join Lees and he began by on-driving Carey before off-driving Smith, but with the total on 112 he also was bowled offering no stroke as Graham Clark became Lees’ new partner. He started with some confident strokes square of the wicket whilst Lees continued to be becalmed by the probing seamers, and in his frustration played and missed several times against Smith, before edging him through fourth slip to the ropes at third man.
However, it was Craig Meschede who removed the opener as he trapped him l.b.w. with his second delivery of the day. 124/3 saw Michael Richardson make his way to the middle, and after a couple of two’s he late cut Smith for four but two deliveries later he edged the persevering Smith into Chris Cooke’s gloves. 133/4 saw Paul Collingwood arrive in the middle, but eleven runs later, Smith struck again as Clark edged to Nick Selman at second slip.
With Axar Patel as his new partner, Collingwood cut Meschede for four before a crisply struck drive to mid-wicket by Patel took Durham into the lead. But with the total on 158 Meschede removed Collingwood as the umpire upheld an l.b.w. appeal. Stuart Poynter then on-drove and straight drove Meschede for four in the penultimate over before the interval.