Centuries by Jake Libby and Rikki Wessels saw Nottinghamshire, the Division Two leaders, to 335/6 on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at The SSE SWALEC.
Evening Update
The visitors were 155/4 at tea, and with 16 overs before the new ball, Marchant de Lange returned for a short salvo at the Cathedral Road End whilst David Lloyd continued at the River End. After an afternoon of watchful accumulation, Libby square-drove, cover-drove and on-drove Lloyd for a trio of fours as the Cornishman moved towards a century. Wessels also straight drove Lloyd and cover-drove Lloyd for three firmly-struck fours before cutting Carey for four to complete a 79-ball fifty.
Next over, Libby drilled Carey through extra-cover for another four to complete his hundred from 213 deliveries before Wessels lofted Salter for a four first bounce into the River Enclosure. Libby added to his boundary tally by driving Salter through extra cover but next over he sparred at a delivery from van der Gugten and Cooke completed an acrobatic catch diving in front of the slip cordon.
With the scoreboard on 231/5 from 77 overs, Chris Read joined Wessels, with the visiting captain soon into his stride by clipping van der Gugten to square-leg before the new ball was taken. Wessels struck the first delivery to the boards at mid-wicket before Read cover drove Carey as well as straight-driving De Lange for a pair of crisply-struck fours.
Wessels also steered Carey through point for four before Read pulled Carey for six over mid-wicket to bring up the 50 stand. A majestic straight drive by Wessel against Carey followed by a nurdled single saw Wessels complete his century from 119 balls. Another flowing cover drive by Read against Carey saw Notts to the 300-mark before Wessels steered De Lange through point for four, followed next ball by a pick-up over square-leg for six and two balls later another flick to square-leg for four.
But in the penultimate over Wessels departed for 120 as he was trapped l.b.w. by van der Gugten as Glamorgan secured their second bowling point after a 99-run stand which had moved the visitors into the ascendancy after Glamorgan’s earlier dominance.
Afternoon Report
Resuming after lunch on 64/2, Nottinghamshire lost their third wicket in the second over of the session as Glamorgan secured a bonus point as Samit Patel departed l.b.w. to Timm van der Gugten. Libby cover drove the Dutchman to complete a 115-ball before Andrew Salter entered the attack at the River End. Carey also returned at the Cathedral Road End and was guided for his first boundary by Michael Lumb, before Libby brought up the hundred in the same fashion against the young seamer.
But with the total on 108, Carey was rewarded for his perseverance as he found the edge of Lumb’s bat as he attempted another drive off the front foot, with Cooke completing the regulation catch. The product of Pontarddulais CC might have claimed a second scalp later in the over as Riki Wessels got an outside edge to a delivery which ended up at third man.
With Salter matching the frugality of his quicker colleagues, the visitor’s progress remained pedestrian. Libby continued to nudge and nurdle away as Wessels recorded a more authentic boundary by on-driving Lloyd to the ropes, before drilling him through long-off.
Morning report
After their contrasting sojourns in white ball cricket, the cricketers of Nottinghamshire and Glamorgan returned to red-ball action this morning after a series of matches which has seen the English county qualify for the next stage, whilst the Welsh side have not, despite winning four of their games – the same number as Notts in the North Group. Glamorgan ended in fourth spot in the South Group, and under the playing regulations from 2016, Jacques Rudolph’s team had done enough to win a place in the last eight of the competition. But the Royal London One-Day Cup of 2017 has seen a change to the regulations and is now about reaching the last six and the play-offs for the semi-final which the East Midlands side has successfully achieved after ending in third spot in their group..
With Nottinghamshire having been relegated from Division One of the Championship last summer, this is the first time since 2007 that the two teams have met, with Glamorgan making two changes to their side which drew with Leicestershire in late April at Grace Road with Will Bragg and Timm van der Gugten replacing Kiran Carlson and Michael Hogan. De Lange and Carey shared the new ball with Jake Libby scoring the first boundary of the day as he glanced the former to fine-leg before clipping him to the boards at square-leg. Steven Mullaney then top-edged the parsimonious Carey over the slip cordon for four.
Van der Gugten replaced De Lange at the Cathedral Road End and was clipped through mid-wicket by Libby as well as being pulled for six into the Grandstand by Mullaney. But a sequence of maidens then followed and in a bid to breaK FREE FROM THE SHACKLES, Mullaney layed at a ball from van der Gugten and edged into Chris Cooke’s gloves.
30/1 saw Chetashawer Pujara join Libby in the 17th over and after a series of singles, Libby greeted the introduction of David Lloyd into the attack by punching him through the covers for four. Pujara then survived a loud appeal for l.b.w. against de Lange but next over he edged the fast bowler into the slips where Aneurin Donald took a fine catch diving low to his right.