Rudolph watchfully guides Glamorgan to 187/5

Precipitation fell throughout the night and for most of the morning, and after an inspection at 10am, the umpires Jeremy Lloyds and Graham Lloyd decided that no play would be possible before lunch.

The rain eased around noon, and after a further inspection, it was agreed that play would commence at 1.40pm with 72 overs remaining in the day's quota.

After the batting fireworks on Friday night at The Kia Oval in the Twenty20 match against Surrey, it was back to the bread and butter of the LV= County Championship for Glamorgan's cricketers against an Essex side who lost their opening T20 match at The Ageas Bowl against Hampshire as well as their televised game on Saturday against Surrey who atoned for their mauling on Friday evening with a 44-run victory at Chelmsford.


To make matters worse for the visitors, they arrived in South Wales without Jesse Ryder, their talented all-rounder from New Zealand, who has a hamstring strain, and with Monty Panesar, Tom Westley and Mark Pettini also missing, it was an familiar Essex side which took to the field when the game commenced at 1.40pm with 72 overs remaining after rain washed out the morning session, with the visitors opting to bowl first. Glamorgan made one change to their side which played last week at Canterbury with off-spinner Andrew Salter replacing left-armer Dean Cosker, with the usual pairing of Jacques Rudolph and James Kettleborough opening the batting as David Master and Jamie Porter shared the new ball..


After a series of one's and two's, plus a ball which scuttled through for four byes, Porter struck in his third over as Kettleborough departed l.b.w. to a delivery which jagged back into him. 9/1 saw Will Bragg join his captain and he began by off-driving Porter to the boundary boards. Bragg also greeted the introduction of Graham Napier into the attack by square-driving him for four, but four overs later Napier gained revenge as Bragg also departed leg before with the total on 36.


Colin Ingram duly joined Rudolph and was soon into his stride cover driving and on-driving Napier for fours from successive balls. After 85 minutes at the crease Rudolph struck his first four as he straight drove Napier to bring up the fifty. Shortly afterwards Ingram added further fours to his tally as he steered Porter to the vacant third man boundary before drilling him off the front foot through mid-off.


Ryan ten Doeschate then entered the attack at the River End and with the final delivery of his second over, he induced an outside edge from Ingram's bat which James Foster safely pouched behind the stumps.

The first session of this game, delayed by rain, had seen Essex claim three wickets after opting to bowl first in the cloudy and blustery conditions. A watchful Jacques Rudolph had struck just two boundaries during the 32 overs prior to tea, and Chris Cooke duly struck the first four of the closing session as he bisected the slips and gully as he guided David Masters to third man. Cooke then on-drove Napier through mid-on for another boundary before square-cutting the all-rounder for another rasping four..


But the return of Ryan ten Doeschate brought a swift end to Cooke's stay in the middle as he also departed leg before to the Dutchman, prior to a short shower which lopped a further three overs from the allocation. On the resumption, Mark Wallace unfurled a languid cover drive as he moved to within ten runs of the personal landmark of 10,000 first-class runs for Glamorgan. Rudolph also added a boundary to his tally as he square-drove Jamie Porter en route to a 147-ball fifty.


Adeel Malik's leg-spin was then introduced and he was guided to third man by Rudolph before Wallace leg-glanced Napier for two to complete his 10,000^th first-class run for the Welsh county. His celebrations though were cut short next over as he edged Napier to first slip as Glamorgan lost their fifth wicket on 151. Graham Wagg duly joined Rudolph who steered Napier through backward point for another four before twice cover driving Malik.


The pair duly saw Glamorgan through to the close and quelled the threat by the return of David Masters who had another brief salvo as the evening shadows started to criss-cross the outfield