Northamptonshire are 230/7 in their second innings at the close of play on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at Swansea after the visitors secured a first innings lead of 85, despite Nick Selman making a career-best 122. The East Midlands side lead by 315 runs with the prospect of an enthralling final day.
Close of Play Report
Northants had amassed a lead of 170 runs by tea, with Laurie Evans and Rob Keogh looking to further improve their team’s position. Timm van der Gugten bowled in tandem with Owen Morgan with Keogh threading a cover drive against the latter through the ring of fielders on the offside. But next over, he departed as he miscued a pull against van der Gugten and spooned a catch to Jacques Rudolph at mid-on.
96/3 saw David Murphy join Evans with the pair steadily accumulating as Lukas Carey also returned at the Pavilion End. Evans cover-drove and pulled the teenager as he completed his second fifty of the game, from 93 balls. Murphy also glanced Carey to fine-leg before surviving an appeal for a gloved catch behind the wicket. The visiting wicket-keeper also square-cut Carey before the youngster trapped him l.b.w. with a ball that jagged back in.
At 140/4 Saif Zaib joined Evans who nearly - in the next over - cut Morgan to slip. The new batsman late cut Carey for four but later in the over he got an inside-edge to a rising delivery from the Carmarthen-born bowler and Mark Wallace pouched the inside-edge with the visitors on 150/5.
Rory Kleinveldt came in and immediately drilled Carey through mid-off for four before bludgeoning Morgan through extra-cover and mid-on for a pair of firmly struck fours, He then showed subtlety rather than strength by late-cutting the left-arm twirler for the third four in the over. Evans duly repeated the stroke in Carey’s next over before Kleinveldt greeted the return of Timm van der Gugten by drilling him straight for four.
But next ball Kleinveldt played another expansive stroke and holed out on the extra cover boundary before Evans hooked the next delivery to Nick Selman at deep backward square-leg as Northants slipped to 191/7. The injured Sean Terry then hobbled to the middle and pulled van der Gugten for four before Graeme White twice lofted Owen Morgan for six over wide long-on as the lead went past the 300-mark.
Teatime Report
Glamorgan resumed on 225/7 with Nick Selman unbeaten on 116 having helped the Welsh county rally during the morning session after their early wickets yesterday. Selman began the afternoon session by cover-driving Rob Keogh as the visitors hurried through some overs ahead of the new ball.
But the game changed complexion once again as in the 79th over, the off-spinner trapped Owen Morgan l.b.w , before Graham White had Timm van der Gugten caught behind before Lukas Carey drove to Kleinveldt at short extra-cover as Glamorgan ended on 236. Nick Selman remained unbeaten on 122 and duly became the first Glamorgan batsman to carry their bat since Matthew Elliott achieved the feat against Hampshire at Cardiff in 2004.
With Northamptonshire having a first innings lead of 85, Van der Gugten and Carey shared the new ball. Rob Newton began in assertive vein pulling and driving successive balls from Carey for four, whilst Ben Duckett cover drove van der Gugten.
But with the total on 20, Carey removed Duckett who edged a widish delivery into Mark Wallace’s gloves. One run later, the teenage seamer struck again as Newton edged into Will Bragg’s hands at first slip as Laurie Evans and Rob Keogh joined forces. The latter swatted van der Gugten square of the wicket for four before Bragg in the absence of Ruaidhri Smith with a side strain, had a spell as first change at the Mumbles Road End whilst David Lloyd operated at the Pavilion End
Evans swatted Lloyd for four besides clipping him to the ropes at square-leg, whilst Keogh also on-drove Lloyd to bring up the fifty stand. Shortly before tea, Andrew Salter’s off-spin was introduced at the Pavilion End with Owen Morgan’s slow left-arm at the Mumbles Road End.
Lunchtime update
Northamptonshire had enjoyed the better of proceedings on the second day of this contest, with the middle and lower order batsmen recovering from the loss of early wickets on the rain-affected first day. Batting had been an easier proposition with all-rounder Rory Kleinveldt and teenager Saif Zaib building on the good work of on-loan batsman Laurie Evans as the visitors secured three batting points.
Kleinveldt led by example striking four sixes and a four in the space of six balls to launch a feisty counter-attack after lunch. The Springbok then adroitly marshalled his bowling attack with the burly Springbok positioning himself at short extra-cover and wearing a wide-brimmed sunhat, the acting captain would not have looked out of place if he had been surrounded by stetson-wearing Dallas cowboys!
The visiting bowlers duly reduced Glamorgan to 97/5 before Nick Selman received useful support in the final hour from Andrew Salter, but there was still plenty of batting to be done by the home side if there were going to gain parity with their opponents from the East Midlands. Selman had a moment of good fortune from the day’s first ball as Kleinveldt failed to hold onto a ball which was lobbed back to him.
Selman twice on-drove Sanderson for three before unfurling a booming off-drive against Kleinveldt. The opener then guided Sanderson to third man for four before reaching his maiden Championship hundred after three hours at the crease– from his 128th delivery – by repeating the stroke later in the over.
With the total on 162, Salter departed l.b.w. to Kleinveldt having not added to his overnight score. Ruaidhri Smith joined Selman and opened his account with a cover drive for four, followed by a flick to mid-wicket. He also got a leading edge to a delivery from Sanderson which flew to wide third man for four.
Selman then on-drove Mohammad Azharullah for four before Smith steered Sanderson for four to third man. But with the total on 198 Smith edged Sanderson to third slip where Laurie Evans took a good low catch as Owen Morgan made his way to the middle. Selman guided the Welsh county to their first batting point by flicking Graeme White to mid-wicket for three.
Morgan clipped Azharullah to fine-leg for four before cover-driving both the seamer as well as Kleinveldt shortly before lunch to chisel away further at the deficit.