21 May 2015 | Cricket
Graham Wagg was one of the stars for Glamorgan yesterday on the third day of their LV= County Championship clash against Essex to set up a winning position for the Welsh county on a remarkable day where 18 wickets fell and 359 runs were scored.
Wagg, who had picked up a sickness bug got out of his sick bed to skittle Essex in the morning session with a burst of four wickets for seven runs in 15 balls as he ended up with five for 54, his 11th first-class five-wicket haul.
Essex all out for 221, a first innings deficit of 93, then had to stomach the all-rounder's useful partnership with top scorer Mark Wallace (79 from 87 balls) which along with a contribution from Colin Ingram laid the foundations for a second innings total of 270 as the hosts made rapid progress with a display of positive cricket at 5.6 runs an over.
Essex face a victory target of 364 on the final day, but did manage to negotiate 21 overs in the evening session on day 3 scoring 51 runs with the loss of only 2 wickets.
One of the wickets to fall in Essex's second innings again came courtesy of Wagg as he trapped Nick Browne lbw before Jaik Mickleburgh was stumped leg side thanks to some excellent work by Wallace from spinner Andrew Salter.
Resuming overnight 183/4 Essex were struck twice by Wagg in his first over of the day as he dismissed Taylor and Graham Napier to complete a double-wicket maiden for Wagg who then bowled Kishen Velani for 12 as Glamorgan got into the tail.
Recovering from 38/4 Colin Ingram and Wallace consolidated the second innings with a fifth-wicket stand of 40 in nine overs, before Ingram departed to ten Doeschate at deep square-leg for 31.
Wallace was racing along though with his 50 from 53 balls which included six fours and a six and Wagg continued his excellent day with a breezy 43 from 61 deliveries before he was bowled by Napier to end a sixth-wicket stand of 98 in 15.4 overs.
Wallace looked on course for his 16th first-class century in the same game where he had passed 10,000 first-class runs for Glamorgan in the first innings before being trapped lbw by spinner Adeel Malik.
Highlights of day 3 below: