An unbeaten 102 by David Lloyd helped Glamorgan to draw their Specsavers County Championship match against Sussex at Hove, with the Welsh county ending on 307/6 with a lead of 90 runs.
Close of Play Report
Having reached 221/5 at tea from 79 overs, Glamorgan knew that Sussex would take the new ball one over into the final session in a final bid to win this contest. After Jacques Rudolph had steered Will Beer for four through point, Steve Magoffin returned at the Sea End, with Stuart Whittingham at the Cromwell Road End. Lloyd calmly pulled Magoffin for four before Rudolph did the same to Whittingham, followed by a rasping square-cut.
Rudolph brought up the 50 stand with a nurdled four against Magoffin before Lloyd repeated the stroke against Whittingham. Rudolph also glanced Whittingham for four through point before the spin of Danny Briggs returned. Lloyd responded by sweeping Briggs for four before Rudolph clipped Whittingham to the ropes at square-leg, but with 17 overs remaining, Rudolph was caught behind as he attempted to square-cut Briggs.
Graham Wagg duly joined Lloyd as the final hour began with Glamorgan on 290/6. Lloyd on-drove Briggs for a brace of two’s before square-cutting Will Beer, and then completing his hundred by on-driving Beer for four before the players shook hands as the match ended all square.
Teatime Update
Glamorgan began the afternoon session on 110/4, still 107 runs in arrears, and David Lloyd cover drove Danny Briggs for four in the opening over of the afternoon session. Aneurin Donald also struck early boundaries as he carved Ajmal Shahzad through point before square-cutting Briggs. After a phase of quiet reconnaissance, Lloyd punched Briggs through the covers for four before Sussex opted for Will Beer’s leg-breaks at the Sea End.
Stuart Whittingham delivered a testing spell at the Cromwell Road End, but Donald played watchfully against the young speedster who was then replaced by Shahzad as Sussex, with the new ball due after tea, rotated their seam bowlers. A cut for four by Lloyd against Shahzad saw the North Walian bring up the fifty stand, whilst Donald clubbed a short ball from Beer to long-on for four before sweeping the wrist spinner for four to square-leg.
Lloyd added another four to his tally as he fluently drove Shahzad through mid-off before Donald swatted another short delivery from Beer to the boards at mid-wicket. Lloyd also clipped Shahzad to backward square-leg for another crisply struck boundary prior to straight-driving Luke Wells for six when he appeared at the Sea End. But with the total on 194, and the deficit whittled down to 23, Donald was bowled by Shahzad with his departure seeing the arrival of Jacques Rudolph.
Lloyd then pulled Wells for four, before completing his half-century from 98 balls by pulling Shahzad for four.He followed this by a deft leg-glance later in the over as the arrears were wiped off.
Lunchtime Report
Owen Morgan has had one of the busiest debuts ever experienced by a Glamorgan player in Championship cricket, delivering 42 overs of left-arm spin. Despite being in the field for ten hours, he was quickly back in action last night as he came in as night-watchman for the closing overs after Nick Selman had been trapped leg before by Steve Magoffin. Today, he has another chance to make his mark as Glamorgan begin the day 187 runs in arrears and look to bat through the day and salvage a draw, besides not sustaining any more injuries in a game which had seen coaches Robert Croft and David Harrison being pressed into action as substitute fielders.
Without any addition to the overnight score, Stuart Whittingham made an early breakthrough as Mark Wallace edged to Ross Taylor at first slip. Morgan scored the day’s first runs as he glided Magoffin through the gully for three before twice cover-driving Whittingham. Will Bragg announced his arrival by unfurling his signature shot as he punched Magoffin off the back foot through extra-cover.
A double-change in the bowling saw the introduction of Ajmal Shahzad and Danny Briggs, with the latter’s first delivery being deftly cut for four by Morgan. Bragg also clipped Shahzad through square-leg before running a series of singles with his partner. A square-cut for four by Morgan against Briggs brought up the fifty stand, but three balls later, the spinner bowled the night-watchman for 36.
80/3 saw Aneurin Donald join Bragg as Will Beer also entered the attack at the Cromwell Road End half an hour before lunch. The pair played watchfully, accumulating in one’s and two’s until Bragg dispatched successive balls from Briggs through extra-cover and mid-off for four. But two overs later Bragg was run out as he tried to scurry through for a quick single as Beer made a direct hit from cover as Glamorgan lost their fourth wicket on 108.