David Lloyd, who scored a career-best 107, and Graham Wagg (106) shared a record sixth wicket stand of 215 in 38.2 overs as Glamorgan staged a fight-back on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Kent at Canterbury, with the Welsh county making 414 to leave Kent with a target of 187 (writes Andrew Hignell).
Close of Play Report
David Lloyd was unbeaten on 84 when play resumed after tea, with Glamorgan on 291/5 and at a ground where last summer the North Walian had led a rear-guard action on the final afternoon to save the game. Twelve months later he and Graham Wagg were sharing a stubborn stand which at the interval saw Glamorgan leading by 63 runs and with five wickets remaining.
With the new ball nine overs away, Adam Riley continued in tandem with Matt Coles, as Wagg lofted the spinner over long-off for six before Lloyd drilled the seamer through mid-off. Wagg brought up the 150 stand by clubbing Riley through mid-off before again lofting the spinner straight for six into the pavilion gutter. Next over, he flat-batted the spinner through extra-cover for another rasping four as the lead went into three figures.
Lloyd then scythed Coles through point for four before completing his hundred with a flick to square-leg for two – his 113th delivery – before Wagg twice reverse swept Riley for four. Kent then took the new ball with the first delivery from Claydon disappearing for four byes. Wagg then cut the seamer through point as the stand reached 207 and became Glamorgan’s best sixth wicket stand against Kent in first-class cricket beating the 206 added by Jim Pressdee and Alan Rees at Maidstone in 1964
Darren Stevens then returned to the attack and was immediately nurdled for two by Wagg as he completed his century from 114 balls. But in the next over Claydon ended the spirited partnership as Lloyd - on a career-best 107 - edged a pull into wicket-keeper Adam Rouse’s gloves having added 215 in 38.2 overs.
371/6 then became 377/7 as Craig Meschede shouldered arms to Stevens and lost his off stump before next over, Wagg departed l.b.w. to the 40 year-old veteran. A defiant Andrew Salter then harpooned Claydon over deep square-leg for a massive six before steering him to the point boundary for four. Salter then brought up the 400 by straight driving Coles for four, with Harry Podmore also clipping Stevens to mid-wicket for four. But with the total on 407, Salter squirted Stevens into the hands of Latham at second slip. Podmore then cover drove Stevens for four but Coles then ended the innings as Hogan was caught behind with Glamorgan ending on 414.
This left Kent with a victory target of 187 and half a dozen overs to face tonight.Daniel Bell-Drummond struck the first ball from Hogan to mid-wicket for four and together with Latham saw Kent to 22/0 at the close of play.
Teatime Report
The afternoon session began with Glamorgan on 141/3 with Darren Stevens and Matt Coles bowling in tandem, and in the latter’s second over of the session, he made further inroads into the Glamorgan batting as Chris Cooke spliced a nasty rising delivery, with Tom Latham at second slip completing the catch.
147/4 saw David Lloyd join Donald and he began by straight driving and pulling Coles, but the all-rounder claimed a second wicket a couple of overs later as Donald edged to second slip where Latham claimed another smart catch. With Glamorgan still 72 runs in arrears, Graham Wagg then joined Lloyd with the latter clipping Stevens to mid-wicket before striking the next two deliveries from the veteran through backward point.
Wagg also on-drove Stevens for four before Lloyd unleashed a rasping square-cut against Coles, but Wagg then enjoyed a moment of good fortune as Stevens at first slip dropped a thick outside edge as the all-rounder attempted to drive Coles. Wagg again drove in the air through point to secure another boundary whilst Lloyd scythed Coles over the slip cordon for four followed by a booming straight drive for four.
Wagg then clipped Claydon to fine-leg for four following next ball by a nonchalant flick to square-leg before Adam Riley’s off-spin was deployed for the first time. Meanwhile the deficit was wiped off as Lloyd on-drove Claydon for four before repeating the stroke against Riley to complete a 45-ball half-century. Wagg then greeted the return of Hugh Bernard by drilling the youngster through extra cover.
A flurry of singles against Riley saw the sixth wicket pair bring up the century stand as Coles returned to the attack shortly before tea in a bid to end the stand. But Wagg drilled Riley to long-on for four before Lloyd thumped a full toss from the spinner in the same direction. He also dispatched the next ball to the boards at mid-wicket, before Wagg completed his patient fifty from 91 balls in the penultimate over before the tea-break.
Lunchtime Report
Glamorgan ended the second day of this contest on 16/1 in their second innings and with Kent firmly in the driving seat after the home side had secured a 228-run lead on first innings, after Darren Stevens and Mitch Claydon had put the Glamorgan bowling to the sword during the latter stages of the Kent innings. The Welsh county know that there is plenty of batting still to be done, with six sessions still remaining in the contest after the clatter of twenty-one wickets on the first two days, and on a surface where the occasional ball is keeping a tad low.
One of the batsmen to lose their wickets yesterday to a delivery which scuttled through was Matt Coles and it is the bowling abilities – or otherwise – of the burly all-rounder which offer Glamorgan a glimmer of hope going into the third day of this contest. Coles limped off the field on day one after the reoccurrence of a foot injury prevented him from bowling and the results of hospital tests plus a scan this morning meant he was able to take his place in the field when play resumed at 11am with Glamorgan still 212 runs in arrears.
However, he spent much of the morning at slip as Mitch Claydon and Darren Stevens resumed the bowling duties with the former being dispatched to fine-leg by James Kettleborough before Will Bragg punched him off the back foot through extra cover for four, followed by a deft nurdle to third man. Kettlebrough also drove Stevens to the ropes at mid-wicket and long-off whilst Bragg pulled and cover drove Claydon for a pair of crisply struck fours.
Bragg brought up the 50 with a cover drive against Claydon before Hugh Bernard entered the fray at the Nackington Road End and was speared over the slip cordon by Kettleborough. Bragg also clipped Stevens for four before punching the veteran through backward point for four with his trademark shot off the back foot. He had a moment of good fortune however as he bisected second and third slip with a thick outside edge for four en route to a 68-ball fifty.
But on 51 he was bowled by Bernard as Glamorgan lost their second wicket on 80. Aneurin Donald duly joined Kettleborough who responded by on-driving Stevens before the young tyro opened his account by steering Bernard square of the wicket for four, followed by a firm on-drive. He then nurdled Claydon through the slips as the 100 came up in the 32nd over followed by an assertive cut over point for four and a well-timed cover drive against Bernard.
Coles returned to the attack tem minutes before lunch and was driven through the covers by Donald before being steered to the ropes at backward point.Kettleborough then brought up the fifty stand by swatting Claydon to the point ropes for another boundary.But two balls later, the opener edged Claydon and wicket-keeper Adam Rouse completed the catch diving in front of the slip cordon.