It’s already been quite a week for Ben Kellaway who, on Monday morning, completed a career-best 74 during the second innings of Glamorgan’s match against Derbyshire at Sophia Gardens, before later that afternoon claiming his best-ever bowling figures of 5/101 as the Welsh county came within one wicket of completing a handsome victory over the Peakites. (writes Andrew Hignell)
Now in the current Championship match against Kent, the Biology undergraduate - who will be sitting his Finals at Cardiff University at the end of the month - completed his maiden Championship hundred. The St. Lawrence ground has been a happy hunting ground in recent years for the Welsh county with Hugh Morris’ team lifting the Sunday League title on a never-to-be-forgotten daffodil golden afternoon in 1993, before collecting further silverware in 2002 with another victory over Kent as Glamorgan again won the One-Day League.
Today, in the seventh over of the morning, Ben completed his own very personal Canterbury Tale as he cover-drove Kashif Ali to complete a mature hundred from 159 balls with 10 fours. Ben started the day unbeaten on 91 and began by nurdling Kashif Ali for two and one, before on-driving Garrett for another composed single, followed by another single to deep mid-on. A nudge into the covers against Kashif took Kellaway to 97 and in the Pakistani’s next over he repeated the stroke with greater force with the three taking him to his maiden hundred.
After lunch and with a declaration imminent, he and James Harris opened their shoulders with Ben Kellaway scooping Singh to fine-leg – his 16th boundary – to reach 150. He celebrated by pulling Matt Parkinson for three successive sixes – the first to long-on and the second pair to wide mid-wicket as he went past the previous highest individual score for Glamorgan at the ground beating David Hemp’s 171* in 2005. Next over a flick to square-leg against Ekash Singh took the total to 548 and surpassing Glamorgan’s previous best at the ground - 544 in 1999, before the declaration came at the end of the over w.ith Ben unbeaten on 181*
Ben went into this game aged 21 years and 124 days with the list below showing those Glamorgan batters who had completed maiden Championship hundreds before the age of twenty-one:
Kiran Carlson v Essex at Chelmsford, 2016 aged 18 years and 118 days.
Matthew Maynard v Yorkshire at Swansea, 1985 aged 19 years and 156 days.
Aneurin Donald v Derbyshire at Colwyn Bay, 2016 aged 19 years and 210 days.
Ben Wright v Leicestershire at Grace Road, 2007 aged 19 years and 215 days.
Wayne Law v Lancashire at Colwyn Bay, 1998 aged 19 years and 321 days.
Maurice Turnbull v Worcestershire at Cardiff Arms Park, 1926 aged 20 years and 158 days.
Hugh Morris v Yorkshire at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 1984 aged 20 years and 279 days.
Geoff Holmes v Gloucestershire at Bristol, 1979 aged 20 years and 287 days.
Cyril Walters v Warwickshire at Swansea, 1926 aged 20 years and 320 days.