Salter's 73* guides Glamorgan to 271/8 at Swansea

The Welsh county made two changes to their line-up from the team that lost to Lancashire at Colwyn Bay, with Aneurin Donald and Kieran Bull replacing Dean Cosker and David Lloyd. Gloucestershire though had a bad start to the day with James Fuller and Craig Miles being late withdrawls from the team, and the toss took place with Hamish Marshall, their experienced Kiwi batsman still on the M4 motorway, heading to Swansea. Glamorgan duly won the toss as Jacques Rudolph opened the batting with Will Bragg, but the visitors day improved during the first hour as, with just a single on the board, David Payne struck in his opening over as Bragg got a leading edge to an on-drive and spooned a catch to mid-off.


Colin Ingram joined Rudolph who struck the first boundary of the day as he inside-edged Payne to fine-leg whilst Ingram found the ropes with a drive through cover point against Norwell followed by a huge pull for six high over deep backward square-leg. He then drilled Payne through long-off for another boundary.


Rudolph then greeted the introduction of Kieran Noema-Barnett's medium-pace by square-cutting the all-rounder for four, Norwell struck in his seventh over, as Ingram edged a rising delivery into the slips where Will Tavare held a head-high catch before three balls later the same happened to Anuerin Donald as Glamorgan slipped to 41/3 with the West Country side claiming their first bonus point.


Chris Cooke brought up the fifty by nurdling Benny Howell for four to third man before Rudolph did the same to Howell twice in the space of three balls after having gone over forty minutes without scoring. In Howell's next over, Rudolph clipped him for four through mid-wicket, but later in the over, Cooke was bowled as he shouldered arms to a ball which jagged back into him.

With Glamorgan having reached 74/4 at lunch on a morning when the visiting bowlers got a certain amount of lateral movement on the dry surface which is expected to assist the spin bowlers;later in the game, there was plenty of batting still to be done if Glamorgan were to capitalise on having first use of the surface as Jacques Rudolph and Graham Wagg resumed after lunch. The latter opened his account by guiding David Payne to third man for four. Rudolph also steered Liam Norwell through point and mid-off for a pair of fours en route to a fifty from 110 balls reached with a square-drive for four against Norwell.


Wagg also drilled Payne on the up through extra cover before despatching Norwell through the covers for four, but with the total on 106 he drilled Payne straight into the hands of mid-off. Craig Meschede opened his account with a firm on-drive for four against Payne before scything Kieran Noema-Barnett through the slip cordon for four. He then flicked the Kiwi all-rounder to square-leg for another four.


Rudolph continued his steady accumulation by clipping Benny Howell to the leg-side boundary for fours from successive deliveries. Meschede then flicked Noema-Barnett to fine-leg for a further boundary but late in the over he became another batsman to spoon a drive to the fielder at mid-off. 144/6 then became 146/7 as the introduction of Jack Taylor's spin ended Rudolph's valiant stay at the crease as the Glamorgan captain was caught by Hamish Marshall at slip off the last ball of Taylor's opening over.


Mark Wallace began with a pair of fours through point against David Payne before Andrew Salter tickled Taylor to long-leg for four before Wallace despatched Payne again through backward point as Glamorgan crept closer to a batting point. Gloucestershire opted for an all-spin attack shortly before tea as Tom Smith's left-arm spin was employed at the Mumbles Road End. Salter also pulled Smith for four to mid-wicket shortly before the interval.

Jacques Rudolph's three and quarter-hour vigil had helped Glamorgan to reach the tea interval within sight of a batting point, but to the fourth ball of the session Glamorgan slipped to 186/8 as Mark Wallace pulled a short ball from Liam Norwell to the fielder at long-leg. Kieran Bull duly joined Salter who pulled Norwell for four before the 200 came up, and a batting point was secured, as Salter swept Jack Taylor for four.


The ninth wicket pair continued to eke out the runs as the visiting spinners hurried through to the 81^st over when the new ball was taken. Salter continued to accumulate as he nudged and nurdled his way towards an invaluable fifty, including a sumptuous cover drive against Norwell. He reached his fifty by gliding Payne to third man for another boundary before Bull cover drove Norwell to bring up the fifty stand.


Salter then reached 56, his career-best by pulling Norwell for four before playing the shots of the day as in consecutive deliveries from Payne he on-drove and square-cut the left-armer as Glamorgan secured a second batting point. Bull also posted his first-class best with a pleasing drive through the covers.

After three overs of seam at the Mumbles Road End, Tom Smith's left-arm spin returned before Noema-Barnett returned at the Pavilion, but neither could break the stubborn partnership which, by the close of play, had propelled Glamorgan to within eight runs of the par score of 279 for the first innings at Swansea in the last eight seasons.