Rudolph's 88 sees Glamorgan reach 222/6 at Worcester

There are several quintessential things about this country during June - cheering on the lone Brit in the All-England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, dodging the showers at the Glastonbury Pop Festival and listening to the sound of leather on willow at the picturesque New Road ground. Those present yesterday at the venue adjacent to Worcester Cathedral and the River Severn were able to enjoy an elegant century from Tom Fell, which matched the beauty of the surroundings and helped his side recover from 39/3 to reach 266/5 by the close of play.


With the ball just ten overs old, Glamorgan were hoping that Michael Hogan and Ruaidhri Smith could match their efforts of yesterday morning when they combined to deliver a probing and frugal spell which put Worcestershire on the back foot before lunch. Smith immediately found the outside edge of Tom Kohler-Cadmore's bat but the ball skewed away through a vacant fifth slip. He then despatched the fifth ball of the over through extra cover before Jack Shantry clubbed Hogan square of the wicket.


Kohler-Cadmore then pulled Smith to long-leg for another boundary before jarring his knee and needing treatment from the physiotherapist. However, next over Shantry departed as Tom Lancefield took a good catch running in from long-leg and diving forward as the night-watchman miscued a pull against Hogan. Allenby then found the edge of Ben Cox's bat, but Chris Cooke at first slip could not quite grasp the edge.


Kohler-Cadmore also pulled Hogan for four before Cox elegantly cover drove both Allenby and Smith, but with the total on 318 Allenby bowled Cox. Four runs later Smith trapped Kohler-Cadmore leg before for 85.Joe Leach then unfurled a pair of well-times cover drives, whilst Saeed Ajmal flicked Smith to square-leg before powerfully pulling the youngster to the ropes at mid-wicket. Their merry spree ended as Leach edged Allenby into Wallace's gloves, before Cosker's first delivery trapped Ajmal l.b.w as he attempted a paddle-sweep with Worcestershire ending on 352.

Glamorgan had a half-hour session before lunch and in the second over Tom Lancefield departed as he edged Charlie Morris to third slip where Tom Fell took a good low catch. Jacques Rudolph twice cover drove Shantry for four before Will Bragg opened his account with an on-drove against Morris.

Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg resumed with Glamorgan on 14/1 after lunch, and following several overs of careful reconnaissance, the former cut Jack Shantry for four, but afterwards he was hit on the calf and Tom Lancefield re-appeared as his runner. Despite limping between overs, Rudolph continued to soldier away with Bragg also opting for an obdurate approach as the home bowlers strove for a further success.


Charlie Morris switched to the Diglis End and was punched off the back foot through extra cover by Bragg as the southpaw recorded his first boundary. Rudolph then played a similar stroke against Joe Leach before Saeed Ajmal entered the attack at the Diglis End with Glamorgan on 48/1 after 22 overs. Bragg duly glanced Leach to fine-leg for four before clipping him through mid-wicket.


Moeen Ali then replaced Leach at the New Road End with Rudolph drilling Ajmal straight for three successive fours. Bragg, on 28, had a life when Ben Cox missed a stumping chance as the Glamorgan batsman advanced down the wicket to Moeen, but it wasn't an expensive miss as next over, he edged Ajmal to first slip.


With his side on 80/2, Ben Wright joined Rudolph who three overs later completed his fifty from 107 balls. Wright also had a life as he drove Ajmal through the hands of the fielder at mid-on. Shortly before tea, Rudolph drove Moeen for four through mid-off as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark.

Worcestershire secured a bowling point immediately after tea as, with the first ball of the session, Moeen trapped Ben Wright l.b.w. Together with Saeed Ajmal, the two spinners got some assistance and with the total on 132, Ajmal had Cooke leg before.


Jim Allenby came in and adopted an assertive approach against the two spinners, cutting Ajmal for four before sweeping him for six, followed by another four next ball with a drive through backward point as the 150 came up. His show of aggression prompted the return of Charlie Morris to the attack, but it was Rudolph who struck the next boundary as he cover drove Ajmal.


Allenby had a moment of good fortune as he inside-edged a drive for four against Morris, whilst Rudolph then struck Ajmal through the covers for another crisply-timed four. After 20 successive overs, Ajmal had a short break as Jack Shantry returned at the Diglis End, with Joe Leach also replacing Morris at the New Road End. Allenby drove Leach through backward point to bring up the fifty stand, but the bowler gained revenge four balls later as he yorked the batsman to leave Glamorgan on 183/5 as Mark Wallace duly joined Rudolph.


This prompted the return of Ajmal, with Wallace sweeping him for four, but the spinner got the next wicket, albeit courtesy of a run out in Leach's next over as with the total on 190, Rudolph pushed a ball to the Pakistani at mid-on and called for the run, but the return hit the stumps directly at the bowler's end with Lancefield, the runner, short of the crease.


The Springbok dejectly limped off for 88 having come within a dozen runs of becoming the first Glamorgan batsman since 1997 to score three centuries in successive innings in first-class cricket, and only the sixth in the Club's history, following in the footsteps of Dai Davies, Gilbert Parkhouse, Javed Miandad, Viv Richards and Steve James, with the latter having achieved the feat against Northamptonshire at Abergavenny during the Welsh county's Championship-winning season.


Ruaidhri Smith duly joined Wallace for the closing overs with the latter biffing Leach through the covers before bringing up the 200, and the first batting point, by glancing the seamer to fine-leg. He celebrated by pulling him for four as the follow-on was also avoided.