Career-best scores of 142* by Nick Selman and 88 by Andrew Salter who shared a second wicket stand of 185 in 51.1 overs took Glamorgan to 353/3 when bad light ended play shortly after tea on the final day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Gloucestershire as the game at The SSE SWALEC ended in a draw.
Evening Update
Play resumed at 3.20pm and four further overs were bowled as Glamorgan reached 353/3 after 80 overs. Gloucestershire then opted to take the new ball, but with the light having deteriorated, the umpires took the players off the field. With conditions not having improved, the game was called off at 3.55pm
Afternoon Report
Salter and Selman had batted throughout the morning session as they took Glamorgan from their overnight 63/1 to 154/1 at the interval. Their stand reached the 150-mark courtesy of four overthrows for Salter in Jack Taylor’s second over, before Selman clipped Josh Shaw to mid-wicket as well as a coruscating off-drive to the ropes at the River End.
Selman then straight drove Shaw for another four before Salter straight drove Jack Taylor for six to bring up the 200. But three balls later he departed as George Hankins pouched the ball at slip as Salter departed for a career-best 88. Kiran Carlson joined Selman who cover drove Benny Howell for four before completing his fourth century of the summer by reverse-sweeping his 166th delivery for three.
Shortly afterwards Carlson nurdled Howell for four before scoring his 200th run of the game by clipping the all-rounder to mid-wicket. He celebrated by lofting Taylor straight for six before Selman edged an off-drive against the spinner to third man as drops of light rain started to fall. Carlson added to his boundary tally by pulling the occasional spin of Chris Dent to the mid-wicket ropes, followed by a lofted straight drive for six.
Phil Mustard also had a trundle and was twice driven to wide mid-on for four by Carlson who then cover drove Dent and Mustard before completing his fifty from 38 balls by leg-glancing the visiting captain. Selman on-drove Dent to reach a career-best 123 but later in the over the bowler trapped Carlson l.b.w. for 53. Chris Cooke brought up the 300 by twice on-driving Mustard before biffing a full toss from Dent over long-on and then cover-driving for four the occasional spinner.
Cooke also cover drove both bowlers for four, plus a lofted off-drive for six against Dent followed by a huge sweep for six against Mustard as the conditions became darker with the umpires taking the players off the field shortly before 3pm.
Morning Report
2017 will be the longest first-class season on record, with Glamorgan having commenced their activities on March 28th before finishing next week on September 28th against Kent in Canterbury. After six months of on-field activity, it was no surprise that the talk in the Pavilion last night after Gloucestershire had declared in arrears as soon as bonus points were over, was as much about injuries and other ailments as to what might unfold on the final day of the contest.
Gloucestershire have been a bowler light since the opening day when Liam Norwell limped off with a thigh strain, whilst during the past two days, Colin Ingram picked up a side strain whilst Aneurin Donald suffered a back spasm whilst fielding yesterday so it was Andrew Salter who joined Nick Selman for the final forty minutes last night as Gloucestershire looked to make further inroads.
Play began on time with Glamorgan on 63/1 and a lead of 106 runs, with Selman clipping the first ball from Matt Taylor to mid-wicket. Salter also drilled the left-armer through mid-off and backward point for a pair of firmly struck fours. Selman also threaded an on-drive to the mid-wicket ropes against Payne with Salter deftly upper-cutting a short ball from Taylor over the slip cordon for four.
Selman brought up the 100 by cover-driving Josh Shaw for four before Salter reached his second fifty of the game in the grand manner by straight-driving Kieran Noema-Barnett for six. Two overs later, Selman followed suit by driving a ball from the Kiwi – the 85th he had faced – to mid-on for a single before crisply on-driving Shaw for another boundary.
Salter off-drove and cover-drove Noema-Barnett for a pair of fours as cloud started to build up to the west of the Stadium, with Salter also sweeping Jack Taylor for four when he entered the attack shortly before lunch.