Hogan takes 4/36 as Essex are dismissed for 279

Yesterday was a champagne day for Glamorgan CCC following England's tumultuous victory against Australia in the opening Investec Ashes Test Match at Cardiff. With the plaudits still pouring in to the county's officials for the way in which they staged the first-ever Ashes Test victory on Welsh soil, it was back to the bread and butter of the county game for the club's players with their visit to Chelmsford and Jacques Rudolph's side still unbeaten in four-day cricket this year and in third place in the Division Two table, twenty points behind second-placed Surrey and with a game in hand over the South London club.


Glamorgan made two changes to their line-up for this match with Chris Cooke, having returned from compassionate leave in South Africa, replacing Ben Wright, whilst teenager Aneurin Donald plays his first Championship match of the summer in place of Ruaidhri Smith. Michael Hogan and Graham Wagg shared the new ball in overcast conditions with Jaik Mickleburgh ending the sequence of one's and dot balls by square-cutting Wagg in the sixth over for the day's first boundary before later in the over Nick Browne edged the left-armer in front of the slip cordon which the ball skewing away for four.


Mickleburgh added further to his boundary tally in Hogan's next over as he cover drove and guided the tall seamer through backward point in successive balls. Browne then almost edged Wagg to third slip as the left-armer delivered a probing spell at the River End. After five overs from Hogan, Craig Meschede entered the attack at the Hayes Close End and also beat the edge of Browne's bat. Mickleburgh then square-cut Wagg before David Lloyd replaced the left-armer at the River End, and like his colleagues beat the outside edge of the opener's bats on several occasions.


With the total on 40/1 Meschede made the breakthrough as, after switching to bowling around the wicket, he trapped Browne l.b.w. Next over, he nearly claimed a second wicket but the edge from Mickleburgh's bat just evaded the outstretched hands of Cooke at third slip. Two overs later, Mickleburgh edged another drive against Meschede with the ball sailing over the head of the slip cordon.


Rain started to fall over the ground as Tom Westley got off the mark by whipping Lloyd through mid-wicket for four before Mickleburgh greeted the return of Wagg by twice square-cutting him for four en route to completing a 77-ball fifty. But next over, his innings ended as he was was caught behind by Mark Wallace as Wagg found the outside edge and 73/3 became 73/3 as next over Tom Westley shouldered arms to Hogan and was bowled.

Essex had reached 73/3 at lunch with two wickets falling shortly before the interval, and had every edge carried straight to the fielders, Essex might have been in even worse plight. There was plenty of batting to be done for Ravi Bopara and Jesse Ryder as Graham Wagg resumed the bowling, with the left-armer finding the edge of Bopara's bat with his second delivery, but the ball sped over the sip cordon for four.


Ryder cover drove Michael Hogan's first ball before upper-cutting a pair of short deliveries from Wagg high over point for further boundaries. He also was very lucky not to drag the ball onto his stumps as he inside-edged an expansive drive when Craig Meschede returned at the Hayes Close End. In the all-rounder's next over, the Kiwi added another four as he got an outside edge to a airy drive as Essex reached 100 in the 39^th over.


Bopara also edged an expansive drive for four against Meschede before Andrew Salter entered the attack. The youngster duly struck with his fourth ball as Ryder was caught behind by Mark Wallace as he prodded forward to the off-spinner with the ball appearing to turn and lift out of the footholds at the Hayes Close End. With Ryan ten Doeschate as his new partner, Bopara responded by lofting Salter over long-on for six, before the Dutchman did the same to the twirler.


Ten Doseschate then biffed Salter through backward point for four before Bopara played a forearm smash to a short ball from Wagg which sent the ball speeding to the long-on ropes much to the angst of the bowler who had the last laugh as with the next delivery he yorked the former England man. 159/5 nearly became 159/6 as on-loan Liam Dawson almost edged Wagg to first slip, before rain started to fall and the players left the field for an early tea.

A heavy shower had prompted an early tea at 3.20pm with Essex on 160/5 in the 55^th over, having just lost the wicket of Ravi Bopara who had adopted an assertive approach to the spin of Andrew Salter at the River End. Liam Dawson, who is on loan from Hampshire began the session by pulling Wagg for four before Ryan ten Doeschate drilled successive deliveries from Salter to deep mid-wicket and long-on.


This show of aggression prompted the return of Michael Hogan at the River End, and the change did the trick as with the score on 189, he trapped ten Doeschate l.b.w. as the Welsh county secured a second bonus point for their efforts. Dawson had also enjoyed a moment of good fortune as he inside-edged Wagg to fine-leg for four, but next over he also departed l.b.w. to Hogan as the ball jagged back in.


Graham Napier then saw Essex to their first batting point as the 200 came up with a thick outside edge to third man against Wagg followed by a sumptuous cover drive for four against Hogan. James Foster also harpooned Meschede for four before Napier pulled Lloyd for six. But another downpour broke over the ground as the umpires briefly took the players off the field.

Shortly after the resumption, Foster edged Meschede to Colin Ingram at first slip as 230/8 saw David Masters make his way to the middle to join Napier who blasted a couple of fours in Lloyd's next over. Masters then struck Meschede for three successive fours to bring up the second point, although the latter was over the head of slips.


Ingram's leg-spin was then introduced with the South African being hoisted over mid-wicket for six by Napier but three balls later he perished at long-off as Hogan pouched the skier as Napier tried to repeat the blow. Masters had more luck in the next over as he cover drove Salter before hoiking Ingram for six, but Hogan returned to end the innings as he adroitly caught and bowled Masters one-handed in his follow through as Essex ended on 279.

Glamorgan had fifteen overs to negotiate with Jacques Rudolph twice cover driving Masters before flicking Ryder to fine-leg for three. With the total on 16, Will Bragg edged a rising ball from Ryder into Foster's gloves as Aneurin Donald joined his captain who off-drove Ryder. The teenager then edged Porter through the slips for four before unfurling a classical cover drive for four against Ryder. But the Kiwi gained revenge in his next over as he trapped the young tyro leg before. With Glamorgan on 34/2 night-watchman Andrew Salter joined Rudolph and clipped Ryder to square-leg before also falling l.b.w. to the Kiwi from the penultimate delivery of the day.