Leicestershire lead by 218 runs after Wagg helps Glamorgan avoid the follow-on

The closing session last night had seen Jacques Rudolph and Gareth Rees post a century stand for the first wicket - the Club's first in the first innings of a Championship match since Will Bragg and Nick James made 124 against Yorkshire in September 2012. Rudolph, in particular, unfurled some high-class and languid drives, especially in an arc between mid-off and mid-on, and resuming on 126, the pair were looking to carry on chiselling away at the deficit - which stood at 374 runs at the outset - after Leicestershire had posted their highest total against Glamorgan at the Grace Road ground.


Rees struck the day's first boundary as he deftly glanced Rob Taylor to long-leg, whilst Rudolph who seemed well on course for his first hundred in the County Championship since August 2011 worked the ball around for a couple of singles. But in the fourth over of the day, a smart piece of fielding at short mid-wicket by Matthew Boyce saw the former Springbok batsman run out as Rees called him for another quick single.


With Murray Goodwin as his new partner, Rees responded with a coruscating cover drive for four against Taylor, and then a firm drive to the ropes at mid-wicket against Charlie Shreck. Soon afterwards, Goodwin on 5 was dropped in the gully by Angus Robson as he edged a drive against Shreck but with the total on 161, Ben Raine bowled Rees for 72.


Goodwin carefully cut Raine through backward point for four before Stewart Walters pulled a short ball from Anthony Ireland into the boards at mid-wicket. Goodwin also pulled Raine to long-leg for a further boundary but the return of Taylor at the Pavilion End yielded immediate dividends as, with the total on 184, Goodwin was caught down the leg-side by a diving Niall O'Brien as Leicestershire secured their first bowling point.

Shortly afterwards, Walters pulled Taylor for four just as the sun broke through the bank of cloud which had hung over the ground all morning, with Allenby thrn bringing up the 200 shortly before lunch by glancing Taylor to long-leg..

With the cloud cover remaining and the ball still darting around, Leicestershire continued with an all-seam attack after lunch, even though the new ball was just thirteen overs away, as Charlie Shreck and Ben Raine joined forces. A full toss from the latter was despatched through the covers by Jim Allenby. Stewart Walters then had a moment of good fortune as he miscued a back foot stroke against Shreck with the ball cannoning into the stumps but not dislodging the bails.


Walters celebrated by striking successive balls from Raine for four to square-leg and long-leg respectively shortly before Jigar Naik's spin was re-introduced at the Bennett End. Allenby responded by cover driving him but it was Raine who ended Walters' stay in the middle as he cut a ball straight to Taylor at backward point.


With the total on 233/4, Mark Wallace joined Allenby at the crease with the latter unfurling a delicate late cut to steer Naik to the third man boundary. A more forceful blow by Allenby saw Raine also despatched to the same area. The new ball was then taken with Glamorgan on 246/4 as Shreck and Anthony Ireland returned to the fray. Allenby struck the first two deliveries to third man and square-leg as the Welsh county gained another batting point. But with the fifth ball of the over, Allenby pulled a short ball into Matthew Boyce's hands at mid-wicket.


258/5 saw Will Bragg appear, having been laid low with a back spasm and unable to open the innings as planned with Jacques Rudolph. He showed no ill effect as he clipped Shreck to long-leg whilst Wallace also secured a boundary as he struck Ireland to mid-wicket. But it proved to be his sole four, as shortly afterwards Shreck struck again as the Glamorgan captain edged to Angus Robson at third slip. 269/6 then became 271/7 as Bragg was bowled by Ireland as he got an inside edge onto his stumps as he shouldered arms.


John Glover got the scoreboard moving by steering Ireland through point for four, whilst Graham Wagg also on-drove Shreck for four. Ireland then strengthened his slip cordon and no sooner had Taylor positioned himself at third slip than Glover edged Ireland into the hands of the gleeful fielder as Glamorgan slipped further to 289/8. Wagg then nudged Taylor to long-leg for four before a further batting point was secured as he edged the all-rounder through the slip cordon.


But with the total on 304 Cosker was caught at backward short-leg by Josh Cobb as Ireland made further inroads. Will Owen duly clattered Taylor through extra cover for four whilst Wagg lustily pulled a long-hop from Taylor to the ropes at mid-wicket. He followed this up with a lofted off-drive before Shreck returned and almost had Owen caught at extra cover by a diving Tom Wells, the substitute fielder.


Naik also returned and was hoisted for a pair of sixes by Wagg to deep mid-wicket and long-on as the tenth wicket pair came closer to avoiding the follow-on. Owen then pulled Shreck for four. Wagg struck a massive six against Naik as the ball disappeared over the pavilion before the all-rounder struck the next to mid-wicket to complete a 49-ball fifty as well as bringing up the 350 and avoiding the follow-on.
Wagg celebrated by drilling Shreck straight for another four but shortly afterwards he miscued another expansive blow and was caught by Taylor at mid-on.

There were thirty overs remaining in the day's allocation as Greg Smith and Matthew Boyce began Leicestershire's second innings against the new ball pairing of Will Owen and Graham Wagg whose exploits with the bat had helped their side avoid the follow-on. Smith began with edges through the slip cordon before an on-drive for four against Wagg, followed by an off-drive against Owen. Boyce then clipped Owen to mid-wicket before Smith glanced Wagg to long-leg.


Smith also edged Wagg just short of second slip before on-driving Dean Cosker for four, whilst Boyce steered Owen through backward point. Smith greeted the introduction of Jim Allenby's seam by cover-driving him before bringing up the fifty by forcing Cosker off the back foot through extra cover. Boyce then collected fours to mid-off and square-leg successive balls from Allenby as the lead went above 200.


But with the total on 63, the wily Cosker lured Boyce down the wicket and he edged a drive into Wallace's gloves, with the Glamorgan skipper also removing the bails just for good measure with the opener out of his ground. The light started to deteriorate as Ned Eckersley joined Smith and after another couple of overs, the umpires took the players off the field with Leicestershire on 77/1 after 19 overs. Conditions did not improve and play was called off at 6.20pm.