Kent trail by 137 runs at Cardiff after Glamorgan amass 527

Today is the annual meeting of the Former Glamorgan Players Association and with over forty of the Club's stars from the past six decades in attendance at the Cardiff ground, there were plenty of famous faces around. It had been a rather different position in which Kent had found themselves yesterday and again this morning, with Doug Bollinger - the Australian spearhead of their attack - having been ruled out with a shoulder ailment shortly before the toss on the first day, leaving Kent to summon Robbie Joseph, who is only on a short-term contract with the county.


By the close of play last night Glamorgan had gained a first innings lead of 84 runs, and with both Jim Allenby and Chris Cooke in full flow, adding an unbeaten 122 for the fifth wicket, Glamorgan seemed set to build a sizeable lead. The one glimmer of hope for the visitor's was that the new ball had been taken with three overs remaining, so when play resumed with Glamorgan on 337/4, Mitch Claydon and Joseph were eager to take advantage of the new cherry and to thwart Glamorgan's ambitions of a sizeable lead.


Cooke greeted Claydon's opening delivery by cutting it through point for four whilst to the final ball of Joseph's second over, Allenby drove the bowler through backward point for another boundary before the Welsh county reached 350 and another bonus point as Allenby drove Claydon into the covers. Allenby added further fours to his tally as he nonchalantly clipped Joseph to the fence at mid-wicket before square-cutting the pace bowler when he again dropped short.


Darren Stevens then returned at the River End and was despatched through extra cover twice in the space of three balls by Allenby as he moved closer and closer to his eighth hundred in first-class cricket for Glamorgan. Cooke also continued to watchfully accumulate, cover driving Adam Ball when the left-armer returned at the Cathedral Road End.


Cooke then cover drove Adam Riley for four as Glamnorgan reached 400 in the 105^th over, with the pair also breaking the record for the Club's best fifth wicket stand in first-class cricket against Kent, set by David Hemp and Tony Cottey who added 186 at Abergavenny in 1994 - a match which HRH Prince Charles attended and met the two teams amidst plenty of smiling faces and royal decoration around the ground.


Twenty years on, as over forty of the Club's former stars gathered in the National Cricket Centre, there were plenty of happy faces as the players met up again. Allenby also had a smile on his face as on 93 he had a moment of good fortune as he edged Claydon between first slip and the keeper, before reaching his century after three hours at the crease with a single against the seamer - his 132^nd delivery - and shortly afterwards a single off a no-ball by Cooke brought up the double-hundred stand.


But with the total on 419, it was the weary Kent bowlers who were smiling as Claydon trapped Allenby l.b.w. ending the stand of 204 in 52.2 overs. Eight runs later, Cooke departed, somewhat crestfallen, as he was bowled by Riley four short of his maiden Championship hundred, leaving Graham Wagg and Ruaidhri Smith to see Glamorgan to lunch.

Resuming with Glamorgan on 429/6 and an already healthy lead of 176, Graham Wagg and Ruaidhri Smith looked to continue the good work. The former made his intentions clear from the outset as he lustily on-drove Adam Riley into the River Stand for four. Wagg also edged Claydon for four wide of the solitary slip as
the total moved past 451 - their previous best at home against Kent, made at Swansea in 1937.


But four runs later Smith was pinned l.b.w. by a ball from Riley which appeared to turn and keep a bit low - something that may have brought a smile to the face of fellow off-spinner Andrew Salter as he made his way to the crease with Glamorgan over 200 runs to the good. He also showed positive intent from the start, swatting Riley for three before scampering some quick singles with Wagg. The youngster also pulled Robbie Joseph to long-leg for four when the pace bowler returned.


The boundaries continued to come as Wagg cover drove Riley followed by an elegant flick to square-leg against Joseph as Glamorgan reached the 500-mark in the 134^th over. Salter then perished as he chipped a full toss straight back to Joseph resulting in his spin partner Dean Cosker joining Wagg, who then swatted the paceman for two to complete an 88-ball fifty.


He celebrated by lashing Riley to the ropes at cover, and through the hands of Joseph before another fumble next ball at long-on saw Wagg secure another boundary. He then got a leading edge against Riley which ran away for four but three balls later he danced down the wicket again and was bowled for 66. Michael Hogan was then superbly caught at cover by the diving Brendan Nash as Glamorgan ended on 527.

With four sessions remaining in the contest, Kent lost a wicket to the first ball of their second innings as Daniel Bell-Drummond in shouldering arms deflected a ball from Wagg onto his stumps, leaving the jubilant bowler to extravagantly celebrate, punching the air and trotting around as if he had just scored the winning goal in the World Cup Final. Hogan then struck with his seventh delivery as Rob Key got an inside edge, with Mark Wallace taking a fine diving catch down the leg-side as Kent slipped to 8/2.


Brendan Nash, after surviving a loud appeal for a catch behind the wicket against Wagg, drilled the left-armer through the covers for four, but with the total on 25 Hogan struck again as he re-arranged Fabian Cowdrey's stumps. Nash twice square-drove Hogan for four before Dean Cosker entered the attack at the River End in the 11^th over. Nash also straight drove Hogan before Andrew Salter joined Cosker in an all-spin attack.


Nash brought up the fifty by cutting Salter for four before Ben Harmison despatched a full toss from Cosker through the covers for another boundary. Nash then swept Salter to the ropes at fine-leg but he then perished attempting the same stroke against Cosker only for the ball to cannon into Ben Wright at short-leg with the fielder pouching the ricochet to leave Kent on 61/4. Darren Stevens came in and struck the left-arm spinner for successive fours to long-on and fine-leg before Harmison lofted Salter straight for six.


Stevens again found the ropes by sweeping Cosker whilst Harmison drove Salter through the covers, and their show of aggression prompted the return of Wagg after 25 overs. Stevens scythed him through the slips for four before nearly dragging the next delivery onto his stumps. Harmison off-drove Cosker to the ropes at cover before Stevens brought up the hundred by cover-driving Wagg.


Jim Allenby then replaced Cosker at the River End and was guided to third man for four by Stevens. Harmison then completed the fifty stand by glancing Wagg to square-leg, followed by a deft late cut by Stevens against Allenby. Hogan also had a late salvo with Stevens clipping him to mid-wicket for four. He then struck successive fours against salter but the youngtser responded by having Harmison caught at slip as Kent lost their fifth wicket on 131.

In the penultimate over of the day Stevens completed his fifty from 48 balls, besides surviving a loud appeal for l.b.w. against Hogan.