Wagg makes 116* as Glamorgan draw at Canterbury

Twenty-one years ago, in September 1993, the St. Lawrence ground in Canterbury was the scene of a famous Glamorgan victory as a straight drive by Tony Cottey, albeit back over the wicket-keeper's head, saw the Welsh county win their first-ever one-day title as Hugh Morris and his team lifted the Sunday League title. Although there is no silverware on offer at the end of this current match, Glamorgan go into the final day of a contest where, with further runs this morning, they had a decent chance of ending a sequence of defeats this summer which has seen them lose their last four Championship games.


With Gareth Rees, unbeaten on 73 overnight, Glamorgan started the day on 150/3, with an overall lead of 92 runs, and the left-hander moved closer to his first Championship hundred since July 18^th last year, as he unfurled a pair of flowing drives in the opening overs delivered by Mitch Claydon and Darren Stevens.


But in the third over of the morning, Claydon removed Jim Allenby as he skied an attempted pull stroke into Billings' gloves and then two balls later Rees' valiant innings was ended on 81, as he was run out by a direct hit from Matt Hunn at cover as the opener and David Lloyd attempted to scramble a quick single.


This left Glamorgan on 160/5 and just 102 runs ahead as Mark Wallace joined Lloyd, with the latter steering Stevens square of the wicket for three boundaries. Lloyd also repeated the stroke when Hunn returned at the Nackington Road End before pulling the youngster out to deep mid-wicket and collecting an all-run four. He then swatted a no-ball from Robbie Joseph over the head of the slip cordon before surviving a chance behind the wicket.


It did not prove to be an expensive miss by Billings as next over Ben Harmison entered the attack and with his fourth delivery he trapped the batsman l.b.w. as Glamorgan lost their sixth wicket on 223, and 165 runs ahead. Graham Wagg duly joined Wallace and saw Glamorgan through to the interval without any further alarms.

Resuming after lunch on 235/6, Glamorgan had a lead of 177 runs with a minimum of 68 overs remaining in the game, with both Graham Wagg and Mark Wallace having been in defensive mode against an attack who, whilst having half an eye on their One-Day Cup semi-final tomorrow, knew that the new ball was just a dozen overs away.


As a result the spinners, Adam Riley and Brendan Nash initially resumed in a bid to hustled their way towards the 80^th over, but not before Wagg had cover driven Nash, whilst Wallace also pulled the former West Indian international for four and six. Wagg also drilled Ben Harmison straight for three fours in the space of four balls when he briefly returned at the Nackington Road End.


Shortly before the new ball was taken, Kent missed a couple of chances, firstly as Matt Hunn dropped a catch at mid-on as Wallace miscued a drive against Riley before Wagg edged Harmison through the slips. Glamorgan were 231 runs ahead as Mitch Claydon and Darren Stevens returned with the new cherry.


Wallace deftly clipped the first delivery off his hips to fine-leg but three balls later he steered Claydon into Harmison's hands in the gully. 293/7 saw Dean Cosker join Wagg, and it nearly became 297/8 but Sam Northeast dropped an edge at second slip to reprieve Wagg. Cosker then pulled Stevens for four before clipping Joseph to square-leg for four.


Shortly afterwards, Wagg reached his defiant fifty as he savagely square-cut a ball from Stevens - his 100^th delivery - for four but with the total on 343, their jaunty stand ended as Cosker edged Joseph into Billings' gloves. Kieran Bull joined the defiant Wagg and saw Glamorgan safely through to tea.

There were just 36 overs remaining when play resumed after tea with Glamorgan on 352/8, and with Kent involved in the semi-final tomorrow of the One-Day Cup at Edgbaston, Rob Key gave his seam bowlers a rest as his spinners Adam Riley and Brendon Nash undertook the bowling. However, the Kent captain also turned his arm over himself with Wagg slashing a wide long hop from Key for four before reverse-sweeping Riley en route to a Championship-best score for the Welsh county, passing his unbeaten 70 against Gloucestershire at Bristol in 2011.


Wagg also biffed Riley to long-off for four before pulling a long-hop from Nash for six. He then cover-drove Riley for four before hoisting Nash high over mid-wicket for six to reach his maiden Championship century for Glamorgan in the grand manner and having faced 170 balls.

He followed this with another rasping straight drive for four against Nash before a cover drive for four against Sam Northeast took Wagg his career-best of 108 made for Derbyshire against Northamptonshire at Northampton in 2008. Five balls later Bull was run out before Sam Billings took his pads off to bowl the final over with Key taking over behind the stumps. But it only lasted one delivery, which Wagg swatted for four before Glamorgan declared at 4.50pm as the match ended in a draw.