A record stand of 160 in 33.1 overs for the seventh wicket between Graham Wagg (83) and Craig Meschede (78) saw Glamorgan recover from 137/6 to 351 on the second day of their rain-affected Specsavers County Championship match against Kent at The SSE SWALEC. By the close the visitors had reached 10/0.
Close of Play Report
Glamorgan resumed after tea on 229/6 with Graham Wagg unbeaten on 50 and hungry for more runs. He began by gliding Matt Coles through the slips for three before doing the same against Calum Haggett to bring up the century stand. The all-rounder then clipped Haggett to fine-leg before cutting the next delivery to the boundary boards at backward point as their efforts beat Glamorgan’s previous best against Kent compiled by Arthur Francis and Eifion Jones with the pair adding 107 at Canterbury in 1982
Craig Meschede also pulled a short ball from Coles to the mid-wicket ropes, and on 43 he was dropped at leg gully as he repeated the stroke, much to the bowler’s displeasure. Wagg then greeted the return of Claydon by drilling him back over his head for four before Meschede had another life as he edged the pace bowler but Rouse failed to pouch the ball which sped away to third man as the all-rounder completed his fifty from 67 balls.
Meschede rode his luck again in the next over as he thick-edged Claydon for another four before benefitting from a couple of overthrows. Wagg duly drilled Claydon to long-off for four and three, before a cover driven four by Meschede brought up the 150. He celebrated with another mighty pull before Wagg cheekily upper cut a ball over the slips, but in Claydon’s next over – and Glamorgan on 297 - Wagg sparred at a ball outside off stump with Tredwell at second slip completing the catch.
Andrew Salter brought up the 300, and another batting point, before Haggett returned to the attack and had Meschede caught behind for 78. 308/8 then became 318/9 as Timm van der Gugten departed in identical fashion. Michael Hogan then biffed successive fours to long-off and extra cover, followed by a swat to third man. Salter then pulled Claydon to mid-wicket before Hogan clubbed Claydon to long-off to bring up another batting point. But one run later he edged the paceman into Rouse’s gloves as Glamorgan ended on 351.
There were six overs remaining for Kent to negotiate which Daniel Bell-Drummond and Tom Latham safely achieved as the visitors ended the day on 10/0.
Teatime Report
Only 21.5 overs were possible on the first day of this contest which had seen Kent opt to bowl first against Glamorgan. The home side lost two early wickets before Will Bragg and Chris Cooke mounted a riposte to see the Welsh county to 93/2.
Play was halted yesterday twenty minutes before lunch and the loss of the rest of the day’s play meant that Kent have now lost 64 hours of playing time. This equates to 1,024 overs for the summer, with their sizeable tally of time lost bloated by the washout of all four days at Worcester in what would have been the opening match of the season as well as two entire days of their game against Leicestershire at Canterbury.
After a blank morning session, play resumed at 2pm with 66.1 overs in the daily quota and Mitch Claydon saw Kent secure their first bowling point as, in the fourth over of the day, Bragg edged a cut into Adam Rouse’s gloves. With Aneurin Donald as his new partner, Cooke cut Darren Stevens to the ropes in front of the Foster’s Grandstand but he also departed in Claydon’s next over as he edged a rising delivery to Tom Latham at third slip.
Cooke’s departure saw the arrival of David Lloyd who had put the Kent bowling to the sword on Friday evening in the Twenty20 contest, and he began almost in white ball mode as he pulled his first delivery high over long-leg for six, before caressing Stevens through the covers with a well-timed cover drive, as well as a swat for four through backward point.
Donald also steered Stevens through the gully for four, but he then became Claydon’s third wicket as he edged the seamer into Rouse’s gloves as Glamorgan slipped to 129/5. Lloyd responded by straight-driving Stevens to the ropes at long-off but he then edged Calum Haggett’s second delivery to second slip where James Tredwell completed the regulation catch as Glamorgan slipped further to 137/6.
Graham Wagg responded by cover –driving Matt Coles before Craig Meschede did the same to Calum Haggett having earlier flicked the seamer to fine-leg. He then pulled and cut successive deliveries from his former Somerset colleague for further boundaries, followed by a rasping straight drive against Coles and another square-cut against Haggett as he took his side closer to a batting point.
Wagg also on-drove Stevens when the veteran returned at the River End before Wagg saw Glamorgan to the 200-mark by dispatching Claydon for four to backward point, followed by an upper cut over the slip cordon. Meschede also flat-batted Claydon to third man for six before Wagg deposited Tredwell over long-off for another maximum in the final over before tea as he completed a 72-ball fifty..