Gloucestershire are 347/8 at the close of the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at The SSE SWALEC leading the Welsh county by 127 runs after a century from Hamish Marshall
Close of Play Report
Gloucestershire resumed after tea on 254/7 and a lead of 34 runs, with Kiran Carlson resuming the bowling. He was dabbed for three by David Payne and then on-driven for four by Craig Miles, before Payne slashed van der Gugten for four through the covers. Miles did the same in the Dutchman’s next over before Payne survived a stumping chance as he waltzed down the wicket to Carlson. Miles then danced down the wicket to the young spinner, who then fielded a fierce drive off his own bowling but then waywardly threw the ball back to the wicket-keeper to give the batsman a boundary.
Carlson atoned next ball as Miles chipped a ball to short mid-wicket where a diving Wagg caught the ball. 291/8 saw Josh Shaw join Payne who then biffed Carlson through mid-off for four to see Gloucestershire to their third batting point. Wagg returned in slow mode before Meschede and Hogan had a spell in tandem as Glamorgan pressed for a final bowling point.
It was not to be as Gloucestershire remained eight wickets down after 110 overs with Payne then flaying a pair of fours through the covers and over the slips when van der Gugten returned with ten overs remaining in the day’s quota. Shaw guided the Dutchman to third man to see the visitors lead increase to 100.
The stubborn stand also saw the fast bowler bowl around the wicket to two slips, a deep gully and leg-slip but the tail-enders held firm with Payne cover-driving van der Gugten to complete a 105-ball fifty. Shaw greeted the return of Kiran Carlson by lofting him for a straight four before the 50-stand came up with four byes shortly before the close of play.
Teatime Update
Hamish Marshall and George Hankins had watchfully taken Gloucestershire to 139/3 at lunch with the deficit having been whittled down to 81 runs as play resumed with Graham Wagg and Owen Morgan sharing the bowling duties. Marshall deftly clipped Wagg to fine-leg for four whilst Hankins cover drove Morgan to bring up the 150 in the 66th over.
But Wagg ended the fourth wicket stand with the total on 158 as Hankins, playing forward to an away swinger, feathered a catch into Wallace’s gloves. Phil Mustard duly replaced Hankins as Marshall found the ropes again as he square-cut Morgan followed by a savage pull against Wagg, which resulted in the bowler, next over, reverting to his slower style. Mustard began by reverse-sweeping Morgan for four.
On 80 Marshall nearly drilled a ball from Morgan to Nick Selman at short mid-wicket but there was nothing fortuitous about his next boundaries as he crisply on-drove Morgan to the boards before late cutting the spinner. A series of four byes duly saw the visitors reach 200 and their first batting point as the new ball loomed. Marshall pulled a long-hop from Wagg for four before adding a single to complete a 180-ball century.
The new ball was taken after 80 overs with Gloucestershire six runs in arrears and Hogan immediately struck as with his fourth delivery he saw Mustard edge to first slip where Will Bragg pouched the ball. He nearly added a second catch next over but the edge from Jack Taylor against Timm van der Gugten did not quite carry. However, Hogan next over made the vital breakthrough as he trapped Marshall l.b.w. for 102 with a wicked delivery which nipped back in to the veteran who was neither fully forward or back. .
It nearly became 219/7 as Taylor edged van der Gugten just wide of third slip before Craig Miles took his side into the lead by clipping Hogan to square-leg. Shortly afterwards, Taylor pulled van der Gugten for four followed next over by a flick to mid-wicket. But the bowler struck back as the Gloucestershire man edged to third slip where Nick Selman completed the catch to give the Dutchman his 41st wicket of the summer..It very nearly became 42 scalps for van der Gugten as David Payne edged the next ball over the slip cordon. Miles then greeted the return of Craig Meschede by clipping him to fine-leg.
Morning Report
At the end of what became at times an attritional opening day, there were enough plusses during yesterday’s exchanges in favour of Glamorgan to outsway the fact that during the afternoon session seven of their wickets tumbled for 90 runs as Gloucestershire’s bowlers made amends for a profligate pre-lunch session when the home side amassed 130 runs in 28 overs. Nick Selman was the principle beneficiary as he made a fine 101, decorated with a series of handsome drives and fierce cuts as he punished a series of wayward deliveries against a side for whom he trialled during 2015.
In contrast, Glamorgan’s four-pronged seam attack proved to be better exponents of the new ball, delivering a more probing line and length and reducing the home side to 38/3 inside 20 overs The meteorological conditions though were quite different as Gloucestershire resumed this morning against Timm van der Gugten and Michael Hogan with only thin high cloud rather than the bank of low-level cloud which had enshrouded the Stadium for most of the day.
Hamish Marshall began by twice slashing Hogan over point for four whilst George Hankins gave a sharp chance as he edged high through the outstretched hands above the head of the fielder at third slip. Marshall also late cut van der Gugten for four before Hankins drilled Hogan through mid-off for another boundary. Craig Meschede returned to the attack and was cut for four by Marshall as the veteran Kiwi brought up the 100, followed by a cultured pair of drives through the covers and mid-on against the all-rounder.
With the cloud cover having built up, the left-arm swing of Graham Wagg was employed at the River End and in his third over he induced an edge from Marshall’s bat as – on 40 – the former Test cricketer unfurled a leg glance but Mark Wallace, diving full stretch to his left could not cling onto the ball. Wagg also beat the outside edge of Hankins’ bat on two occasions as the youngster attempted a pair of flamboyant drives, before finding the edge and seeing the ball just drop short of first slip.
Next over, the batsman celebrated his good fortune by pulling Wagg for four to long-leg. Glamorgan then switched to spin with Kiran Carlson’s off-breaks being employed at the River End with Owen Morgan’s left-arm spin at the Cathedral Road End. Marshall chipped Carlson to mid-wicket to complete a 106-ball fifty.