Wallace makes 67* as Glamorgan are dismissed for 224

The Ageas Bowl was the scene last summer of great Welsh joy as Glamorgan defeated Hampshire to clinch a place at Lord's for the final of the Yorkshire Bank40 competition. For the class of 2014, Hampshire's redeveloped headquarters was the venue for their next game in the LV=County Championship, looking to build on the morale-boosting draw last week at Cardiff against Worcestershire and to maintain the bragging rights of promotion aspirants against a side currently seven points ahead of Glamorgan in second place in the Division Two table.


Glamorgan, who recalled Ruaidhri Smith in place of Will Owen, were invited to bat first under a reasonable cloud cover and on a green-tinged wicket with Gareth Rees and Jacques facing the new ball pairing of James Tomlinson and Kyle Abbott, with the latter slipping and falling over in his delivery stride as he was poised to bowl his first ball which necessitated a short delay as sawdust was spread liberally over the footholds.


Rees then clipped the Springbok to the ropes at square-leg, before pushing a single into the covers, but with his next delivery, Abbott found the edge of Rudolph's bat as his fellow countryman was caught by wicket-keeper Michael Bates low in front of first slip. Will Bragg was swiftly into his stride as he clipped Tomlinson through mid-wicket for three, but later in the over, reed edged the left-armer into the slips where Liam Dawson held onto the head-high chance.


Bragg steered Abbott to the vacant ropes at third man before Murray Goodwin on-drove Tomlindson for four. Bragg then punched Abbott off the back foot through extra cover whilst Goodwin found the ropes again as he drilled Sean Ervine through the covers before bringing up the fifty by swatting his fellow Zimbabwean over the head of gully.


Bragg greeted the introduction of Matt Coles at the Pavilion End by cover-driving him for another boundary before Goodwin guided Ervine to third man. But with the total on 59, Goodwin edged a leg-side flick against Coles and was caught by Bates. It nearly became 63/4 as Jimmy Adams nearly took a good diving catch at short mid-wicket as Bragg uppishly on-drove Ervine.


Stewart Walters began with a confident clip to the square-leg ropes against Coles before scything the bowler over the head of the slip cordon. But next over, he edged the seamer into the slips where Dawson held another good catch. 73/4 saw Jim Allenby join Bragg shortly before the lunch interval and he began with a crisp cover drive against Tomlinson.

Will Bragg and Jim Allenby resumed after lunch with the Welsh county on 92/4, and after Allenby had guided Kyle Abbott to backward point for three, Bragg brought up the hundred by steering the Springbok in the same direction but off the back foot as opposed to the front. However, Abbott struck in his second over as Allenby edged to third slip where James Vince took a low catch.


Bragg continued to pepper the ropes as he square drove Tomlinson before nonchalantly off-driving the left-armer, but next over abbott claimed his third wicket as Bragg got an inside edge with the tumbling Bates grasping the ball just above the turf. Mark Wallace began with a crisp cover drive for four against the South African before Graham Wagg slashed Tomlinson over the slips.


Wallace added boundary to his tally by cutting Abbott, whilst Wagg glanced him to backward square-leg before clipping Matt Coles to mid-wicket. But Ervine then returned at the Northern End and with the total on 153 he re-arranged his stumps. Six runs later he removed both Ruaidhri Smith and Dean Cosker in the space of three deliveries, each with the aid of Dawson at second slip, although the first catch was from a rebound off Vince's palms as he juggled the ball at first slip.


Tom Helm edged Coles through the slips for four before Wallace cover drove Ervine, besides striking three fours from successive balls from Tomlinson to backward point, square-leg and mid-on when the left-armer returned at the Northern End. Helm brought up the 200 by biffing Abbott through the covers for four before a deft glance to long-leg by Wallace saw the Glamorgan captain reach his fifty from 54 balls.


A single by Helm brought up the fifty stand, from just 52 balls, before Wallace swatted a short ball from Abbott high over the slips for four. Liam Dawson's spin was then introduced in the 57^th over but it was Coles who ended their merry spree as Helm edged a drive into the wicket-keeper's gloves, with Wallace unbeaten on 67.

With 34 overs remaining in the day's allocation, Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry began the Hampshire reply with the former pulling Tom Helm's first delivery for four. Three overs later, Carberry did the same to the youngster with the ball sailing over the ropes for six. With the total on 32, Wagg ended Adams innings as he also edged a drive with Mark Wallace taking a tumbling catch low to his left.


Liam Dawson then joined Carberry who duly brought up the fifty by drilling Wagg through extra cover for four. Dawson cover drove Ruaidhri Smith before Carberry despatched Jim Allenby's first ball through extra cover. He followed this by pulling a short delivery for four before Dean Cosker, the leading spinner in the country, entered the attack at the Northern End.


Carberry continued to plunder runs at the other end, striking Allenby for successive fours to complete an 86-ball fifty before striking balls from Smith for further fours to long-leg and mid-wicket shortly before the close