Rudolph's sublime century sees Glamorgan to 209/2 at Bristol

Gloucestershire's Director of Cricket John Bracewell must have been a contented soul this morning to find eleven fit and healthy players in his team's changing room as they prepared for the second day of a contest which yesterday morning had seen the home side lose club captain Michael Klinger with a foot injury sustained the night before in the NatWest T20 Blast, whilst a few moments after the toss had been made and the teams declared, wicket-keeper Cameron Herring broke a finger during the warm-ups. Glamorgan duly allowed a replacement to be summoned, so with first choice keeper Gareth Roderick also nursing a damaged digit and Geraint Jones having sustained an eye complaint whilst on loan from Kent, it was 17 year-old Patrick Grieschaber who duly made his way from a club match at Downend whilst Gloucestershire's administrative team undertook the necessary registration paperwork with the ECB to allow the young man on their Academy - and highly regarded by former Gloucestershire and England keeper Jack Russell - to make his first-class debut.


The club offices and home changing room were therefore a far quieter place this morning as Gloucestershire looked to build on their overnight position of 308/5 and to press for further batting points on the sluggish surface. As far as Glamorgan were concerned, Michael Hogan and Jim Allenby were armed with a ball just a handful of overs old, and after their side's collective effort yesterday under clear blue skies and on a unresponsive surface, they were eager to polish off the rest of Gloucestershire's batting.


Tom Smith began by on-driving Hogan's first delivery to the boundary boards before clipping the Australian through mid-wicket for a further boundary, but there was little on offer at first as, like Allenby, Hogan settled into a probing spell and their parsimonious efforts resulted in Smith being run out by Hogan at mid-off as Gidman tried to sneak a single in Allenby's fourth over of the morning.


322/6 then became 325/7 as next over a thick outside edge from Gidman's bat was snaffled by Wallace as Grieschaber joined Benny Howell. The young shaver stoutly defended as Howell pulled and cut Wagg for a brace of two's, before the teenager secured secured a boundary as he squirted Allenby between second slip and gully. Howell then pulled a long hop from Wagg for four before Dean Cosker returned at the Pavilion End. The leading English-qualified spinner this summer nearly added another scalp to his already impressive tally in 2014 as Grieschaber survived an appeal for l.b.w. as he attempted a sweep.


Howell unfurled another cut, this time for four, when Wagg dropped short again as Gloucestershire reached the 350-mark in the 115^th over. Cosker, who was playing county cricket before Grieschaber was born, continued to use his guile as the youngster played several false strokes, but he found Ruaidhri Smith more to his liking as he off-drove him for four. However, with the total on 361 the wily Cosker snared the debutant as he edged to slip when Allenby held the regulation catch.


Howell responded by swatting Smith over square-leg for six followed by a crisp drive for four through mid-wicket

The home county had reached 385/8 from 126 overs when play resumed after lunch with Benny Howell five short of a purposeful fifty. He clipped Michael Hogan for two to mid-wicket off the first delivery but then edged the next ball into Allenby's hands at slip. Matt Taylor and Liam Norwell scrambled a series of singles before the former lofted Dean Cosker to Jacques Rudolph at long-off as Gloucestershire's first innings ended on 391 in the 132^nd over.


The South African was soon back on the field as together with Will Bragg they laid a decent platform for Glamorgan's reply as Will Gidman and Taylor shared the new ball. Bragg greeted the latter by clipping him through mid-wicket for the first boundary, whilst Rudolph did the same to Gidman shortly afterwards, followed next ball by a coruscating straight drive to the ropes at long-off. Rudolph then unleashed a booming cover drive against Taylor before steering Norwell safely through the slip cordon for another four.


The southpaw continued to find the ropes as he flicked Norwell to square-leg whilst Bragg also guided Gidman to the ropes at third man. Rudolph then greeted the return of Taylor by driving him through extra cover before almost pulling Norwell to deep square-leg. There was nothing fortunate though about his rasping pull to mid-wicket against Taylor as Glamorgan reached the 50-mark in the 19^th over.


Bragg edged Taylor wide of second slip for four before Tom Smith's left-arm spin was introduced shortly before tea. Benny Howell also had a brief trundle but both batsmen secured fours through the off-side against the medium-pacer.

Resuming after tea on 78/0, Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg continued to make serene progress as Liam Norwell returned to the attack, with Bragg steering the seamer through backward point for four. Tom Smith resumed at the Pavilion End with his slow left-arm and Rudolph reverse-swept him to long leg to register his ninth four as he completed an 81-ball fifty.


A deft cut through backward point against Norwell saw Rudolph take Glamorgan into three figures before Bragg completed his half-century, from 97 deliveries as the tempo quickened after the interval, with Rudolph sweeping Smith for four. The flurry of fours plus a five by Bragg courtesy of an overthrow saw Will Gidman return at the Ashley Down End but Rudolph assertively clipped him to square-leg for four as the opening pair continued to dominate.


Bragg unfurled his signature shot, off the back foot square of the wicket, in successive deliveries when Matt Taylor returned to the fray and paid the price for pitching too short and wide to the in-form Glamorgan batsman, before Rudolph also steered the left-arm seamer to the ropes at backward point. But with the total on 151, their fine opening stand ended as Bragg clipped Smith into the hands of Chris Dent at short mid-wicket.


Mark Wallace came in and showed positive intent from the outset, sweeping Smith to the ropes at fine-leg before Rudolph lofted the spinner straight for six. Wallace then reverse-swept the twirler for another boundary but he then perished, showing positive intent and an orthodox sweep which cannoned into the body of Will Tavare at short-leg who grabbed the rebound.


With Glamorgan on 187/2 Ben Wright joined Rudoph and he got of the mark with fours to third man and long-leg before Rudolph drilled Will Gidman through extra cover for four - his 152^nd delivery - to complete his second Championship hundred of the season, and his second in successive innings after his century last week at Cardiff.