Timm van der Gugten returned figures of 5/79 – his best in the Championship - as Kent made 282 on the third day of their rain-affected Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at The SSE SWALEC. With a first innings lead of 69 runs, Glamorgan were 22/0 at the close.
Close of Play Report
With Haggett having departed to the last ball before tea, Matt Coles joined Adam Rouse as played resumed with Kent on 216/7. Rouse continued to play with freedom and showed no sign of discomfort as he biffed van der Gugten through he covers for four, Tredwell then thick-edged the Dutchman for four before twice cover-driving Wagg who continued in spin mode as Kent garnered a second batting point.The new ball was then taken at 80 overs with Wagg reverting to his normal, waspish style and he duly stung Rouse’s already bruised fingers with a rising delivery. But the blow did not have any lasting damage as her struck successive balls from Wagg to mid-off, extra cover, square-leg and then mid-wicket to complete a maiden Championship fifty from 111 balls.
But next over Rouse became Michael Hogan’s 199th first-class wicket for Glamorgan as he departed l.b.w. before the tall Australian made it 200 in his next over as Matt Coles tamely edged to Will Bragg at first slip. Van der Gugten then returned to end the innings on 282 as he trapped Mitch Claydon leg before as he completed his second successive ‘five-for’ and his best for Glamorgan in first-class cricket.
With eleven overs to negotiate, Mark Wallace and Jacques Rudolph duly saw Glamorgan to 22/0 at the close of play and an overall lead of 90 runs, with the former playing a sparkling cover drive against Coles in the penultimate over of the day..
Teatime Report
Michael Hogan returned to the attack immediately after lunch with Adam Rouse twice edging the tall seamer through the slips for four. Sean Dickson was more assertive, flicking Timm van der Gugten to square-leg for four before Rouse also cover drove the Dutchman.With Hogan delivering another frugal spell, Graham Wagg returned at the Cathedral Road End and was cover driven by Rouse. Craig Meschede also replaced Hogan at the River End and was straight driven for four by Dickson before the batsman harpooned the all-rounder high over mid-wicket for six. Wagg then beat the outside edge of Rouse’s bat five times out of six.
Dickson then cover drove Wagg en route to a 104-ball fifty before Rouse greeted the introduction of Andrew Salter’s off-spin by dispatching his first two deliveries to the ropes at extra cover. But in Wagg’s next over he appeared to jar his hand on which he had dislocated a finger earlier in the match and after treatment on his damaged digit he retired hurt.
Calum Haggett duly joined Dickson and on-drove Meschede before drilling Salter through mid-off. Dickson then pulled Salter for four before Haggett did the same later in the over as the visitors moved closer to avoid the follow-on, with the Kent innings replicating the Glamorgan one as the ball got older and softer.
Haggett then secured Kent’s first batting point as he steered Meschede to third man before avoiding the follow-on by drilling the all-rounder for four through the covers.Van der Gugten returned to the attack and Dicson swatted a short ball into Wallace’s gloves before Rouse returned to the middle with his side on 205/6. Shortly before tea, Wagg returned in left-arm spin mode as Glamorgan looked to hurry through before the new ball. But in the fi nal over before tea, van der Gugten claimed another wicket as Haggett was superbly caught down the leg-side by Wallace.
Lunchtime Report
This was the morning after the night before as far as Welsh football fans were concerned following three of the most important goals in the country’s sporting history. For Glamorgan’s cricketers, they had major goals of their own this morning as they looked to make inroads into the Kent batting and build upon their stirring fightback yesterday as Graham Wagg and Craig Meschede doubled the score after Glamorgan had lost six wickets.
The feel-good factor within the diverse sporting community of Wales continued with the opening delivery this morning as Daniel Bell-Drummond edged the ball into the slips where Aneurin Donald, at second slip, parried it into Will Bragg’s hands at first slip. Wagg delivered a probing spell at the River End, repeatedly beating the outside edge of Joe Denly’s bat before he twice steered the left-armer through point as well as clipping him to mid-wicket for four.
Tom Latham then drilled van der Gugten to mid-wicket for four, but the Dutchman responded by bowling Denly as Kent slipped to 34/2. Michael Hogan duly replaced Wagg who switched to the Cathedral Road End, as Glamorgan’s adopted Australian strove to claim the two wickets he needs to reach 200 first-class victims for the Welsh county. Latham greeted the return of Wagg by nonchalantly clipping him to the ropes at deep backward square-leg before swatting a long-hop over the head of backward point.
Sam Northeast on-drove Hogan for four but next over he departed as he edged Wagg into Wallace’s gloves as Glamorgan secured a bowling point. After a series of maidens, 56/3 became 57/4 as Latham shouldered arms to a ball from Wagg which jagged back in and bowled the Kiwi.
Van der Gugten duly returned for another salvo and was struck to mid-wicket and extra cover by Sean Dickson, before Darren Stevens greeted the introduction of Meschede into the attack by spearing him over point, followed by a cover drive against van der Gugten. But shortly before lunch, Stevens attempted another expansive drive against Meschede and dragged the ball onto his stumps.