Rees and Rudolph see Glamorgan to 126/0 at Leicester

For the third successive match, the weather interrupted play in this contest, washing out the final session on the opening day yesterday after Glamorgan had opted to bowl first in cloudy conditions. Graham Wagg, who celebrates his 31^st birthday today, had a hand in all four wickets that fell, firstly taking a diving catch at short extra cover before claiming three wickets in a probing spell immediately after lunch.


Josh Cobb and Niall O'Brien then mounted a spirited fightback, adding an unbeaten 84 in 19.2 overs which allowed Leicestershire to resume this morning on 221/4. Jim Allenby and Will Owen began proceedings, with the latter being flamboyantly driven through the covers by O'Brien to complete an 82-ball fifty. Two balls later, Cobb followed suit with a firm on-drive off his 78^th delivery before flicking Owen high over mid-wicket for another four.


Cobb also added a further boundary to his tally as he edged Owen through the slip cordon before O'Brien once again drilled the North Walian through the covers. Dean Cosker's left-arm spin was then introduced at the Bennett End. It did the trick as Cobb drilled a return catch to the evergreen spinner and departed for 63.


Wagg and Owen then returned to the attack at the Pavilion End and took the new ball after 80 overs. O'Brien immediately despatched it through the covers before scything Wagg over backward point. The Irishman then secured four boundaries in successive deliveries as he lofted Owen to deep mid-wicket before driving him twice more to the ropes at extra cover, followed by a savage pull for six to mid-wicket to complete a 117-ball hundred - his first in the Championship for the East Midlands side.


He celebrated by pulling Wagg for another four before steering the next ball through the gully to bring up the 300. He then pulled Owen for six before Ben Raine steered Wagg through the gully for four. Allenby duly replaced Wagg and was flat-batted by O'Brien through the covers. John Glover then returned at the Bennett End and with the total on 329, he ended Raine's spell at the crease as he edged to Jacques Rudolph at second slip

Wagg ended O'Brien's innings with the second ball after lunch which the Irishman swatted to Murray Goodwin at deep backward square-leg. 343/7 saw Jigar Naik join Robert Taylor who drove successive balls from Dean Cosker for four to see his side to another batting point. He then pulled Wagg to the ropes at long-leg before Naik cover drove Wagg for four.


Taylor continued to show positive intent as in successive balls he drilled Cosker to long-on and then twice to the ropes at mid-off before straight-driving Glover to take his side even closer to another batting point. The 400 was duly reached in the 105^th over as Naik on-drove Glover for two before Taylor clattered Glover through backward point for four to complete a 65-ball fifty before adding another four to his tally by splicing a drive against Allenby through the vacant third slip position.


Naik then off-drove Owen for four but their jaunty stand ended with the total on 434 as Allenby bowled Taylor for 63. Naik continued to use the long handle as he pulled Owen for four, followed by a lofted off-drive, but on 449 Owen bowled Anthony Ireland as the Zimbabwean attempted an expansive drive.


A similar blow by Charlie Shreck against Allenby saw the tall seamer open his account before squirting a ball just over Dean Cosker's head in the gully. He was then dropped at mid-off before Naik clobbered Owen to long-on for four en route to completing a 59-ball fifty with a couple of scampered two's. Shreck then smeared another four to the vacant third man boundary before lofting Allenby to deep mid-wicket for four. He then edged Owen over the keeper's head before drilling Glover back to the sightscreen.


Shreck brought up the 500 by cover-driving Allenby as Leicestershire surpassed their previous highest total at Grace Road against the Welsh county, surpassing their total of 456-4 in 1975. But two balls later Shreck jaywalked up the wicket and was run out by Rees from short mid-wicket as the Leicestershire innings ended on 500.

With Will Bragg having been off the field with a back spasm, Gareth Rees was moved back up from his planned position at number 3 to open with Jacques Rudolph. After cover-driving Charlie Shreck, Rees steered Anthony Ireland through the gully before Rudolph cut the seamer for four followed by a brace of sweetly-timed off-drives from three successive deliveries by Ireland,


Jigar Naik then entered the attack and after a couple of maidens he was struck straight for six by Rudolph. This show of force hastened the spinner's departure as Shreck returned in tandem with Ben Raine. The tall Cornishman was despatched through mid-off by Rudolph who then cut Raine for four, whilst Rees also unfurled a rasping straight drive against Shreck. He then despatched successive balls from the seamer through backward point and cover for further boundaries as the opening pair continued to lay a decent foundation.


Rudolph despatched a long hop from Raine through extra cover before swatting another short ball from Shreck through point en route to a 101-ball fifty which the former Springbok batsman reached with a rasping on-drive against Naik. Rees greeted the return of Ireland by drilling him through the covers followed by a crisp on-drive as the 100 came up in the 32^nd over.


Rudolph also cover drove Ireland for four before Rees deftly steered Naik through backward point to complete his half-century from 97 balls shortly before the close as Glamorgan ended the day still 374 runs in arrears.