Despite a defiant career-best of 94 by Dieter Klein, Glamorgan beat Leicestershire by 132 runs, as the visitors , chasing a target of 403, were dismissed for 270 with Michael Hogan leading by example taking 4/30 on the third afternoon of their match in the Specsavers County Championship at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Close of Play Report
Glamorgan were two wickets away from victory, and their first at Sophia Gardens in the County Championship since June 2015, when Leicestershire resumed after tea on 161/8 with Dieter Klein and Callum Parkinson looking to continue their defiance as Michael Hogan returned to the attack in tandem with Jeremy Lawlor.
The pair accumulated in singles compared with their pre-tea use of the long handle and with the total on 174, Hogan breached the defence of Parkinson with a ball which jagged back in and re-arranged his stumps. Gavin Griffiths duly joined Klein who steered Lawlor to third man for four before clipping Craig Meschede to mid-wicket for four en route to a 66-ball fifty. Griffiths then unfurled a pair of sweetly-timed cover drives against each bowler for four to see Leicestershire to 200.
Kieran Bull then returned to the attack and saw Griffiths almost caught at slip by Cook whilst Klein nearly miscued a drive into the hands of cover. Klein then flayed Meschede to long-off for four before Griffiths miscued another lusty drive just out of the reach of mid-off. Klein also swept him for four before van der Gugten replaced Meschede. Klein cover drove him to reach a career-best 68 whilst Griffiths used the long handle to drill him for four through the covers.
Griffiths then edged van der Gugten just out of the reach of a diving Selman at second slip and in front of Cook at first slip with both balls hurtling for four to third man. Klein then pulled van der Gugten over square-leg for six before fiercely pulling him for four to mid-wicket in a replica of late hitting similar to Marchant de Lange’s efforts at Grace Road earlier in the season.
He continued the defiance by driving van der Gugten through the covers for four before nearly sweping Bull into the hands of square-leg, but van der Gugten in his final over of the day trapped Klein leg before with a full length delivery as Leicestershire were dismissed for 270 after a 96-run stand leaving the celebrations to begin in the home changing room.
Afternoon Update
Leicestershire began after lunch on 4/1, still needing 399 to win, with Sam Evans and Colin Ackermann looking to steady the ship but in the second over of the session, and without further addition, Timm van der Gugten trapped Ackermann leg before. Mark Cosgrove began by on-driving Michael Hogan for four before Evans punched van der Gugten through mid-wicket for three. Cosgrove then cover drove the Dutchman for four but later in the over Evans sparred at a ball outside off stump and gave a regulation catch to Kieran Bull in the gully.
23/3 then became 23/4 as Cosgrove chipped Hogan to mid-wicket where Jack Murphy completed the catch. Lewis Hill and Harry Dearden then joined forces as Craig Meschede and Graham Wagg entered the attack with the latter operating at the Cathedral Road End after a prolonged series of gymnastic gyrations in between deliveries in the previous overs. Dearden greeted his arrival by cutting him for four before Hill outside-edged Meschede for four, followed by an on-driven four.
But Meschede made the perfect riposte as next ball Hill edged a ball into Cooke’s gloves as the visitors subsided further to 42/5. With Tom Taylor as his new partner, Dearden on-drove Meschede for four before clipping him to square-leg. Taylor also edged Wagg for four and three to third man before Dearden top-edged the left-armer, much to the anger of the bowler whose mood remained dark as Taylor edged him just in front of Bull at third slip.
Dearden then hooked Meschede to fine-leg for four but later in the over he also departed after edging the all-rounder into Cooke’s gloves. 75/6 saw Ben Mike arrive in the middle as Taylor on-drove Meschede for four before flaying him through extra cover for another boundary. Hogan then returned in tandem with Bull and removed Taylor who edged to Stephen Cook at first slip with Callum Parkinson joining Mike with his side slipping closer to defeat.
Mike defiantly drove Hogan for four to take his team’s total over 100 but then holed out to deep mid-wicket as he lofted Bull into Jeremy Lawlor’s hands. Klein then thick-edged successive deliveries from Bull to third man before on-driving the spinner. Parkinson also elegantly stroked Bull through the covers for four before sweeping him to fine-leg. Klein also square-cut van der Gugten for four before acrobatically pulling him for four, followed by another rustic sweep for four against the spinner.
Klein then cut Bull to third man as the ninth wicket pair shared a fifty stand, which prompted the sighting of Nick Selman’s off-spin for the final over of the session.
Morning Report
Having not recorded a win at their headquarters in Championship cricket for the past two seasons, Glamorgan ended the second day of this game in a strong position, leading Leicestershire by 333 runs. Indeed, it was June 25th, 2015 when Glamorgan last won a first-class match at Sophia Gardens, with the victory ironically also coming against the East Midlands by 137 runs.
Glamorgan supporters were hoping that this sequence of sixteen Championship games without a victory at Cardiff could would shortly come to an end after the good work yesterday of the bowlers, as well as Chris Cooke and Jeremy Lawlor who steadied the ship last night after the clatter of four early wickets.
Their unbroken stand stood at 62 when play resumed this morning, once again under clear blue skies with Leicestershire eager to quell this Welsh revival. Gavin Griffiths and Tom Taylor shared the bowling duties, with Cooke showing positive intent from the outset by cutting the second ball of the day from Griffiths through point for four.
But Lawlor was bowled by the third ball of Taylor’s opening over as Craig Meschede joined Cooke with Glamorgan on 110/5. But it proved to be a brief alliance as four runs later Taylor struck again as Meschede was bowled off his pads. Taylor then claimed a third victim of the morning – in as many overs - as he bowled Cooke for 45 with Glamorgan on 117/7 and a lead of 344.
Wagg announced his arrival by on-driving Griffiths for a pair of fours, followed by a rasping cover drive against the same bowler. Ben Mike then replaced him and was swatted above his head by Wagg whose fierce blow would have impressed Roger Federer, but three balls later Wagg attempted to repeat the stoke and ended up being caught by Dieter Klein running on from cover to pouch the skier.
137/8 saw Timm van der Gugten join Kieran Bull with the pair adding twenty with a series of one’s and two’s until Mike bowled the Dutchman. Michael Hogan responded by driving Mike for a straight four and six before swatting the final ball of the over to deep square-leg for another six as the lead went past 400. But in Mike’s next over, Hogan edged tinto Hill’s gloves with Glamorgan all out for 175. Leicestershire’s target was therefore 403 in the 73 overs today and all of tomorrow’s allocation of 96, but their quest took an early blow as Hogan trapped Ateeq Javid l.b.w. with his first ball