Three wickets for off-spinner Andrew Salter and seamer Michael Hogan saw Derbyshire reduced to 331/9 on a day when sleet and snow interrupted play in their Specsavers County Championship match at Derby with the home side ending an eventful day still trailing the Welsh county by 46 runs (writes Andrew Hignell).
Close of Play Report
After an early tea was taken at 3.20pm, sleet and flurries of snow fell for just under an hour before mopping-up operations began. The efforts of the Derby groundstaff meant that play resumed at 6pm under clear blue skies, with thirteen overs remaining. Craig Meschede shared the new ball with Hogan , with Luke Fletcher clipping the all-rounder to fine-leg for four. Tom Poynton also scythed Meschede to third man for four, but the bowler struck in his next over as Fletcher skied an attempted pull and was well caught at long-leg by Hogan.
289/9 saw Andy Carter join Poynton with the pair using the long handle to see their side to the 300-mark, with the batting point achieved with an outside edge by Carter through the slips for four. He also swatted Mwschede over the slip cordon, whilst Poynton also swiped Hogan to mid-wicket. With the light having deteriorated, spin had to be introduced as Andrew Salter returned to the attack and was hoisted to mid-wicket for six and four by Carter before lofting him straight for another maximum. The light though became even worse and the players left the field.
Teatime Report
Graham Wagg and Michael Hogan returned to the attack as Derbyshire began the afternoon session on 189/4. Wayne Madsen began by cover-driving Hogan for four before Wes Durston brought up the 200 by clipping Wagg to fine-leg. Madsen added further to his boundary tally by on-driving Hogan before Durston twice clipped Wagg to the ropes at mid-wicket before swatting him to fine-leg for a third boundary.
David Lloyd then had a trundle at the Racecourse End and was steered to the vacant third man position by Durston, but in his second over, the all-rounder removed Durston who edged into Cooke’s gloves. With his side on 241/5 Matt Critchley made his way to the middle and the youngster was fortunate to survive a chance at slip as he edged Lloyd, but it did not prove to be an expensive miss as Andrew Salter returned to the attack and had him snaffled at slip by Jacques Rudolph.
Two overs later, the young spinner struck again as he bowled Madsen for 97 as the batsman jaywalked down the wicket. Tony Palladino arrived at the crease as the floodlights were turned on and a mass of dark cloud built up over the ground. Glamorgan took the new ball as soon as it became available after 80 overs, and Michael Hogan struck immediately as Tony Palladino edged the next delivery into Chris Cooke’s gloves as the keeper adroitly dived down the leg-side.
Sleet and snow then started to fall as the players left the field for an early tea with the home side on 274/8.
Lunchtime Report
The Specsavers County Championship is only in its third week yet already the 2016 season has witnessed some unusual occurrences. There were a series of double-hundreds in the opening round of matches whilst last week a night-watchman posted a century, with Gloucestershire’s Liam Norwell reaching three figures at Bristol. The current batch of games has also seen Kent’s Sean Dickson potentially earn as much notoriety as former Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona for handling the ball in the contest against Leicestershire.
Yesterday, the match at Chester-le-Street was halted by snow and today’s weather forecast is for a band of rain, sleet and snow to sweep south across the country so other grounds could see snowfall. Snow famously stopped play in June 1975 at Buxton when Derbyshire were playing Lancashire, and given the Arctic-like temperatures which have prevailed over the first two days of this contest, few of the hardy spectators at the 3aaa ground in Derby would be surprised if some of the white stuff interrupted proceedings today.
This morning the groundstaff at Derby had to brush thick layers of ice off the covers and protective sheets, but all was well by 11.00am with play starting on time with Derbyshire on 98/2, still 279 runs in arrears. Tim van der Gugten and Michael Hogan resumed the bowling duties with Wayne Madsen striking the day’s first boundary as he clipped the former to square-leg.
Graham Wagg replaced the Dutchman at the City End and was twice clipped to mid-wicket by Madsen. Ben Slater also clipped Hogan to deep square-leg en route to his fifty from 110 balls before surviving a loud appeal for a catch behind the wicket. Madsen then greeted Craig Meschede by dispatching successive deliveries through the covers for four. Slater also clipped Wagg to fine-leg before Madsen brought up the century stand by cutting Meschede through point.
The introduction of Andrew Salter ended the stand as the off-spinner trapped Slater leg before with the total on 161. Sleet and flurries of snow then started to fall as Neil Broom made his way to the middle before Madsen straight drove Salter for a pair of fours. He then greeted the return of van der Gugten by cutting him over gully for four. But the Dutchamn struck in the third over of his spell as he bowled Broom as the Kiwi shouldered arms. 182/4 saw Wes Durston make his way to the middle.