Glamorgan drew with Cardiff UCCE in their friendly at Sophia Gardens.
Close of Play Report
Cardiff UCCE began the final session of the match on 97-8, just 109 runs ahead, as Lukas Carey and David Lloyd resumed the bowling duties. Andrew Gorvin and Tegid Phillips defended stoutly against the seamers, and continued this approach when Billy Root returned to the attack. But after forty minutes of defiance, Gorvin was bowled by Carey. Alex Simpson joined Phillips and off-drove Root for four but he then holed out at deep backward square-leg as the students were dismissed for 117.
With 20 overs remaining, Glamorgan needed 130 to win as Nick Selman and David Lloyd began the run-chase. They began with a flurry of singles against Tim Wyatt and Gorvin before Selman pulled Wyatt for four. However, with the total he perished attempting to repeat the stroke as Gorvin pouched the skier at deep backward square-leg. Andrew Balbirnie joined Lloyd who opened his shoulders by lofting Gorvin for six and three to long-on before swatting both bowlers for fours to the ropes at square-leg.
Lloyd continued to strike boundaries as he drilled Gorvin through mid-off but he then lofted Wyatt to deep square-leg where Harrison Ward completed the catch. 42/2 in the 9th over saw Chris Cooke make his way to the middle with Balbirnie nurdling Salman Saeed for four. But later in the over Cooke was run out by Phillips attempting a quick single as Dan Douthwaite marched out to the middle with 78 needed from 60 balls. However, after clubbing a single he under-edged Saeed onto his stumps.
56/4 saw Callum Taylor arrive in the middle as the equation became 72 from 48 balls and he began by reverse-sweeping Tom Bevan for four but there were few boundaries on offer as the pair were restricted largely to singles, with 55 needed from 30 balls. Balbirnie then swept Bevan for four before Taylor straight drove him for another boundary as the task became 36 from 18 balls.
Another series of frantic one’s and two’s saw the equation become 30 from 12 balls whereupon Balbirnie was bowled by Bevan. Root began with some deft dabs but could not find the ropes as Glamorgan entered the final over needing 26 to win. Saeed drew on his U19 experience with Pakistan by bowling a blockhole yorker before having Taylor caught behind with the captain’s shaking hands as the match ended in a draw.
Teatime Report
Cardiff UCCE began the post-lunch session on 53-2 but they soon lost a third wicket as Chris Gibson edged Dan Douthwaite’s first delivery into Chris Cooke’s gloves as the all-rounder, who had taken the last two wickets in successive balls in the student’s first innings, completed a hat-trick.
54-3 then became 63-5 as firstly Andrew Balbirnie nonchalantly took a fine one-handed catch low down at first slip to remove Lorenzo Machado before two balls later Tom Bevan departed l.b.w. as Douthwaite claimed his third wicket. Sam Pearce and AJ Woodland then dropped anchor before Lukas Carey and Billy Root had a spell in tandem.
With the total on 90 Woodland’s innings came to an end as he edged Carey into Cooke’s gloves and seven runs later David Lloyd struck with his fourth ball as Pearce departed l.b.w. Without further addition a smart pick and direct hit by Callum Taylor at backward point saw Tim Wyatt being run out attempting a sharp single with Andrew Gorvin.
Lunchtime Update
Glamorgan began the day on 251-8, still 34 runs in arrears with Salman Saeed, the former Pakistan Under 19 player, bowling in tandem with Steve Reingold. Michael Hogan cover drove the latter for four before Timm van der Gugten on-drove Saeed for a firmly-struck boundary. Hogan also drilled Reingold to the boards at long-off but the off-spinner removed van der Gugten in his fourth over of the morning and with the total on 270 as the umpire upheld an appeal for l.b.w. Reingold then ended the innings by bowling Hogan as Glamorgan finished on 273 with the spinner returning the commendable figures of 4/37.
He was swiftly back in action, opening the innings with Harrison Ward as the students, with a lead of 12, batted for a second time. Ward struck the first boundary as he clipped van der Gugten to backward square-leg but in his next over the Dutchman found the edge of the opener’s bat with Chris Cooke completing the regulation catch.
12-1 saw Lorenzo Machado make his way to the middle to join Reingold who off-drove van der Gugten for four before twice cover-driving Jamie McIlroy. But the left-armer made the perfect riposte as he also found the edge with Cooke safely pouching the ball as the students slipped to 31-2. Chris Gibson lofted Callum Taylor for a pair of fours to wide long-on in the penultimate over before the interval as the students reached the 50-mark.
Once again, ball-by-ball scores are available by clicking here, courtesy of the PCS Pro scoring software, on the ECB Live Scores website.