Gloucestershire make 101/4 after dismissing Glamorgan for 202

The destiny of the RBS Six Nations Rugby Championship is still to be decided and the clocks have yet to go forward, but as far as Wales's representatives in the cricketing world are concerned, Tuesday March 17^th marks the start of the new domestic season with Glamorgan batting first in their two-day friendly against Gloucestershire at the SWALEC Stadium. In fact, if the weather gods had been more kind during the past week, this game would have started on Monday, but a damp outfield at the Cardiff ground saw the friendly being delayed by twenty-four hours, before the home side duly won the toss, with new signing James Kettleborough opening the batting with Will Bragg.


Kettleborough was soon into his stride, clipping James Fuller through mid-wicket for a pair of fours off successive balls, but with the total on 13, Bragg who had just a single to his name, miscued a ball back into Fuller's hands, Chris Cooke duly made his way to the middle, but his stay at the crease proved to be brief as two overs later he edged Fuller to Hamish Marshall at short-leg as Glamorgan slipped to 15/2.


Ben Wright opened his account with a fluent cover drive, with Kettleborough adding to his tally by also unfurling a sweetly-timed drive through the covers in David Payne's sixth over. Wright then savagely square-cut Fuller for four before drilling him through extra cover later in the over as the third wicket pair started to consolidate.


Matt Taylor and Tom Hampton then entered the attack after fifty minutes as weak sunshine pierced the hitherto dense bank of cloud which had hung over the Stadium since breakfast time. Kettleborough clipped Taylor to the ropes at backward square-leg before bringing up the fifty by off-driving the left-armer for another boundary. He then repeated the crisp stroke against Hampton.


Kieran Noema-Barnett then entered the fray and was clipped to mid-wicket by Wright for three as the fifty stand came up in the 24^th over. Wright also pulled Hampton for four as the former Middlesex seam bowler switched to the River End besides on-driving Noema-Barnett for four. But the Kiwi gained revenge as later in the over, Wright spooned a catch to mid-on with the total on 89. Kettleborough also had a moment of good fortune as he edged Noema-Barnett wide of third slip for another four before completing his fifty from 107 balls as he cut Jack Taylor's spin square of the wicket in the final over of the session



Please note that on Thursday the two teams will meet at Bristol for a one-day match before Glamorgan play Somerset at Taunton Vale CC in a two-day friendly on March 23^rd and 24^th. Glamorgan will then return to Cardiff to complete their pre-season programme with a one-day contest against Cardiff MCCU at the SWALEC Stadium on March 26^th.


Ball-by-ball scores are available online via the Total Cricket Scorer website -
http://www.totalcricketscorer.com/TCSLive/TCSScorecard.aspx?id=29300 - whilst a scorecard will appear on the Glamorgan website at the end of the match.

James Kettleborough and David Lloyd resumed after lunch with the latter bringing up the hundred by cover-driving David Payne to the ropes. He repeated the stroke next over as further Spring sunshine bathed the SWALEC Stadium, much to the delight of the hardy band of spectators who had turned up to witness the opening contest of the summer.

Lloyd gave them more to appreciate as he unleashed a coruscating drive square of the wicket against James Fuller who had returned to the attack at the Cathedral Road End, but it was his new ball partner Payne who ended Kettleborough's promising debut as the batsman miscued a pull with wick et-keeper Cameron Herring safely pouching the skier.


111/4 saw Mark Wallace join Lloyd, and he began with a pair of sumptuous cover drives against each bowler. Lloyd also punched Fuller through the covers for four but the bowler gained immediate revenge as Lloyd miscued the next ball as Hampton caught the skier at mid-on. His departure with the total on 128 saw Graham Wagg join Wallace but the combative all-rounder was bowled by his third delivery as Fuller made further inroads into the home side's line-up.


Craig Meschede began with a single into the covers but next over he departed as Jack Taylor trapped him l.b.w. with his second delivery of his second spell at the River End. 141/7 swiftly became 141/8 as Ruaidhri Smith miscued a pull to Hampton at mid-on. An inside edge to long-leg for four by Wallace and an outside edge to third man by Jack Murphy saw Glamorgan reach the 150-mark, and the runs continued with some firmly struck blows by the ninth-wicket pair, including a lusty pull for six by Wallace as he harpooned Hampton into the Pavilion seating, followed by a powerful off-drive to the ropes.

The experienced wicket-keeper then reached his fifty from 36 balls as well as bringing up the half-century stand by swatting Jack Taylor high over mid-wicket but next over their jaunty partnership came to an end as Kieran Noema-Barnett, at the second attempt, held a juggling catch in the gully as Murphy edged a drive against Hampton.


After another sublime boundary through backward point by Wallace, Dean Cosker brought up the 200 by drilling Jack Taylor through the covers but next over he departed leg before to Hampton as Glamorgan ended on 202

When play resumed after tea, Graham Wagg was soon amongst the wickets as he trapped Will Tavare leg before with his sixth delivery and with no runs on the board. Chris Dent duly clipped his first delivery into the leg-side to get the scoreboard moving before lofting Ruaidhri Smith for six over the short boundary on the Pavilion side.


After a single into the offside, Iain Cockbain pulled a pair of short balls for four, whilst Dent also ferociously cut Wagg square of the wicket. But in Smith's next over, Dent perished as he attempted a quick single to mid-off with David Lloyd diving forward like a scrum half passing to his number ten with the direct hit seeing the Gloucestershire man well out of his ground at the bowler's end.


22/2 saw Hamish Marshall join Cockbain out in the middle with the veteran Kiwi swiftly off the mark with some deft glides before Cockbain cover drove Smith. The batsman was then rapped on the hand by a rising delivery from Smith and after treatment from the physiotherapist, the batsman was forced to retire hurt with Geraint Jones joining Marshall. But the visiting captain was bowled third ball as Will Owen struck in his opening over to reduce Gloucestershire to 42/3.


Kieran Noema-Barnett then joined his fellow countryman as Jack Murphy also entered the attack at the River End. Marshall responded by off-driving and pulling Murphy for a brace of fours, as well as a massive pull for six into the Pavilion when the tall bowler dropped short again plus a deft glance to the boards at long-leg.


After playing and missing on several occasions to Owen, Noema-Barnett also leg-glanced the North Walian to the ropes. Craig Meschede replaced Murphy at the River End and found the edge of Marshall's bat but the ball evaded the clutches of first slip. He celebrated by clipping David Lloyd for a pair of fours before Dean Cosker struck in his opening over at the River End as Noema-Barnett edged to Will Bragg at slip. With the light getting gloomy, Cameron Herring joined Marshall, but after four more overs, the players left the field with Gloucestershire on 101/4.

Please note that on Thursday the two teams will meet at Bristol for a one-day match before Glamorgan play Somerset at Taunton Vale CC in a two-day friendly on March 23^rd and 24^th. Glamorgan will then return to Cardiff to complete their pre-season programme with a one-day contest against Cardiff MCCU at the SWALEC Stadium on March 26^th.


Ball-by-ball scores are available online via the Total Cricket Scorer website -
http://www.totalcricketscorer.com/TCSLive/TCSScorecard.aspx?id=29300 - whilst a scorecard will appear on the Glamorgan website at the end of the match.