Rudolph makes 88 as Glamorgan declare on 350/8

Only 55 overs were possible yesterday on a truncated opening day as a band of heavy showers made their way across South Wales, and causing a delayed start as well as half a dozen other stoppages. Despite these interruptions, the day most definitely belonged to the home county, who after winning the toss in dank and cloudy conditions, dismissed the visitors in the space of 38 overs for a meagre 109 as for the second innings in a row the Leicestershire batsmen failed to produce scores of any real substance.


Before rain brought an early finish, Glamorgan had already moved within 53 runs of their total, with Jacques Rudolph showing that there were few demons in the surface and as he began this morning under clear blue skies and with plenty of sunshine, with Will Bragg, the second wicket pair were looking to help Glamorgan assemble a sizeable lead and a position of ascendancy over the East Midlands side.


Rudolph struck an early boundary as he despatched a loose delivery from Rob Taylor to the boundary boards in front of the Pavilion, before Bragg also drilled a ball from Taylor off the back foot through point. With Nathan buck bowling a more probing spell at the Cathedral Road End, Rudolph then on-drove Taylor for four, followed next ball by a languid push into the covers for three.


Shortly afterwards, Jigar Naik's off-spin was introduced at the River End before Rudolph completed another deftly placed single which brought up the fifty stand. The former Springbok then twice drilled Naik through the covers for four to complete a 69-ball fifty. His show of aggression prompted a change after two overs as Anthony Ireland joined Charlie Shreck in the attack, but the Glamorgan batsmen went into the lead in the 33^rd over, with Rudolph glancing Shreck to fine-leg.


Their progress which for the first hour and a quarter of the session had been quite serene was abruptly broken with the total on 116 as Bragg sparred at a rising delivery from Shreck with Greg Smith diving to hold onto the edge at second slip. Ben Wright duly joined Rudolph and twice despatched Ireland through the covers, shortly after his partner had done the same to Shreck.


Rudolph then greeted the return of Taylor by cutting him for four before Buck also returned for another spell shortly before the interval, with Wright steering him through backward point for four.

The afternoon session began with Glamorgan on 148/2 and Ben Wright nonchalantly clipped the third delivery from Charlie Shreck to the ropes at square-leg, before Jacques Rudolph deftly glanced the first ball he received after lunch to the ropes at fine-leg. Wright then savagely square-cut a short ball from Shreck before Rudolph caressed a delivery from the tall paceman through the covers, before a rare loose stroke saw the Springbok carve a ball just over the head of gully, much to the annoyance of Shreck.


Wright continued to play freely as he firmly off-drove Rob Taylor for another well-timed boundary but with the total on 177, Rudolph's fine innings came to an end as he edged a delivery from Shreck into Niall O'Brien's gloves as the visitors gained their first bonus point of the contest. Chris Cooke duly joined Wright and he got off the mark with a crisply struck drive through the covers against Shreck before steering Anthony Ireland through the slip cordon.


But Nathan Buck, having switched to the River End, then found the edge of Wright's bat as Greg Smith took his second catch in the slips as Glamorgan lost their fourth wicket on 191. Jim Allenby joined Cooke and helped Glamorgan to their first batting point as he bludgeoned Ireland through mid-wicket and backward point for a pair of fours in the 67^th over.


Allenby repeated the stroke through backward point against Buck before despatching a full toss from Ireland through extra cover as the lead went past the hundred mark. Cooke then joined in the flurry of boundaries by cover driving the former Zimbabwean international. Jigar Naik duly returned to the attack and he was drilled through the covers by Cooke, who then threaded another firm drive against the spinner between mid-off and extra cover for three.


Taylor returned and induced an outside edge from Cooke's bat which bisected the slip and gully fielders before hurtling away to the vacant third man position as the fifth wicket pair completed a fifty partnership shortly before tea besides securing a second batting point.

Jim Allenby and Chris Cooke had brought up the 250 in the over before tea, and after the interval, Cooke unfurled a couple of laconic cover drives before Allenby deftly worked Charlie Shreck to long-leg as the visitors opted to continue using the old ball rather than taking the new one. Allenby savagely pulled a long hop from Nathan Buck to the boards at mid-wicket, but later in the over he repeated the stroke to a rising delivery and Shreck at long-leg caught the top edge.


271/5 saw Mark Wallace join Cooke with the Glamorgan captain opening his account by steering Buck through point for four before cover driving Shreck. Cooke also drove the paceman into the off-side as Glamorgan moved closer to the 300-mark and another batting point, with Cooke also completing a sober fifty from 92 balls. But by this time he had Dean Cosker as his partner as in the previous over Wallace had feathered a ball from Taylor down the leg-side with Niall O'Brien taking another tumbling catch.


Cooke then reverse swept Jigar Naik for three before Cosker hammered Taylor for four through extra cover as the tempo noticeably quickened, but in the next over Cooke drilled the spinner into the hands of Ramnaresh Sarwan at long-off. His departure on 326/7 brought Michael Hogan to the crease with Glamorgan leading by 217 runs. Both batsmen proceeded to use the long handle and in attempting another lusty drive Cosker deposited Shreck to Sarwan at mid-on.


Will Owen joined Hogan and also played some expansive blows with the former edging Buck to third man before swatting him to mid-wicket to bring up the 350 and another batting point, whereupon Wallace declared with six overs remaining in the day's quota. Hogan and Tom Helm took the new ball, with the latter removing Greg Smith in the fourth over as Rudolph held onto a good catch at second slip with his departure seeing the arrival of Naik as night-watchman.