Marchant de Lange today recorded one of the fastest centuries n first-class cricket for Glamorgan, with the burly South African reaching his hundred from only 62 balls in just 74 minutes, with 6 fours and 8 massive sixes. (writes Andrew Hignell)
It was not the fastest on record in terms of time - the traditional yardstick – but it was the fastest in terms of balls faced, eclipsing Gary Butcher’s 64-ball hundred against Oxford University at The Parks in 1997.
Returning to time at the crease, Marchant’s efforts have only been surpassed by Gilbert Parkhouse with a century in 70 minutes against Northamptonshire at Northampton in 1961 and Majid Khan who also made a century in 70 minutes against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in 1972. Some though may argue that given breaks for sanitisation at Northampton today as well as a concussion check on de Lange after he had been struck on the helmet, the actual playing time may have been less than 74 minutes.
What can be said with certainty however, is that it was the highest-ever score by a Glamorgan number ten batsman, surpassing Johnnie Clay’s unbeaten 101 against Worcestershire at Swansea in 1929 as well as Adam Shantry’s 100 in the match with Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay, 2009.
In addition, Marchantt's tally of 8 sixes was also the most-ever struck during a century for Glamorgan in first-class cricket with his overall tally of 9 maximums being the joint third highest in an innings for the Welsh county, equaling Malcolm Nash’s achievement during a whirlwind 89 against Gloucestershire at Swansea in 1973. The two other batsmen – Graham Wagg and Aneurin Donald – to have struck more sixes in a first-class innings each went on to post double-hundreds with Graham striking 11 sixes against Sussex at Guildford in 2015 and Aneurin 15 against Derbyshire at Colwyn Bay during 2016.
As far as other forms of cricket are concerned, there have been eight quicker hundreds in List A and T20 matches for Glamorgan with the all-time fastest hundred for the Welsh county being the 46-ball hundred made by Colin Ingram against Sussex at Arundel during their T20 match in 2017.
Marchant's muscular efforts gave the Glamorgan innings, once again, a topsy-turvey look with this extraordinary game seeing the Welsh county’s first eight wickets amass 183, whilst the last two have aggregated a remarkable 337. A curio which led one wag to suggest it was an Eric Morecambe performance – “all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order!”