Worcestershire are 150/2 at the close of the second day of their enthralling Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at New Road after the Welsh county secured a lead of 117 runs thanks to a jaunty eighth wicket stand of 75 between Graham Wagg and Mark Wallace.
Close of Play Report
Worcestershire were still 67 runs in arrears when play resumed after tea with Michael Hogan operating at the Diglis End and Lukas Carey at the New Road End, and the latter made an immediate breakthrough as Daryl Mitchell pulled his second delivery to Craig Meschede at mid-wicket.
With his side on 55/2, Tom Fell square-drove besides glancing Carey to cover point and fine-leg. Joe Clarke also began assertively cutting Wagg for four before glancing Meschede to fine-leg. Wagg briefly reverted to spin before Owen Morgan had a spell at the New Road End. Fell edged a drive against the spinner as Worcestershire reached the 100-mark.
Nick Selman also had a trundle at the Diglis End and was driven to the backward point boundary by Fell before Lukas Carey returned. Fell on-drove and square-cut him as the arrears were wiped out before flicking the teenager to fine-leg to complete his fifty from 101 balls.Wagg had another spell in slow mode shortly before the close, as well as Jacques Rudolph but the third wicket pair continued to accumulate.
Teatime Report
Glamorgan had rallied after the loss of Will Bragg an hour before lunch, with Graham Wagg and Mark Wallace sharing an unbeaten stand of 74 to guide Glamorgan to 235/7 at the interval. Their lead stood at 72 when play resumed with the pair looking to garner more runs before the new ball was available in a dozen overs, but Joe Leach returned at the Diglis End and with his fourth delivery saw Wagg miscue a drive into Brett D’Oliveira’s hands at point.
Michael Hogan then clubbed his first delivery through the covers before Leach uprooted his middle stump. Wallace responded by pulling Leach for four before swatting him over gully to bring up the 250 and a second batting point. Lukas Carey then drove Shantry to backward point for four before Wallace completed his fifty from 63 balls. Carey saw the lead approach 100 as he top-edged a pull for four against Leach and it went into three figures as Wallace clipped Shantry over deep backward square-leg for six.
Charlie Morris duly returned to the attack at the New Road Road and was smeared through point for four, but Ed Barnard came back at the Diglis End and bowled Carey as Glamorgan ended on 280 with a lead of 117 runs with the doughty Wallace unbeaten on 67.
Brett D’Oliveira began Worcestershire’s reply with a pair of rasping off-drives for four against Craig Meschede whilst Daril Mitchell quietly worked the ball around as he looked to chisel away at the deficit. D’Oliveira then greeted the introduction of Wagg at the Diglis End by slashing a short ball for four through point, but the bowler responded by finding the edge of his bat next over as Wallace completed a regulation catch moving across to the right in front of the slips.
29/1 saw Tom Fell join his captain who twice cover drove Michael Hogan for four before doing the same to Owen Morgan when the spinner entered the attack. Fell had a life in Wagg’s fifth over as Wallace failed to cling onto an inside-edge.
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Lunchtime Report
It`s eighty years since Jack Mercer became the first and so far only Glamorgan bowler to claim ten wickets in an innings as the veteran seamer claimed 10/51 at New Road in 1936. Yesterday in bowler-friendly conditions at Worcester, Glamorgan’s all-seam attack shared ten wickets amongst themselves as they fully vindicated Jacques Rudolph’s decision to bowl first as the home side were dismissed for 163.
None of the Worcestershire top-order had looked comfortable, yet Glamorgan’s Will Bragg made serene and chanceless progress in the closing session as the Welsh county ended on 118/5, with a deficit of just 45 runs. The southpaw duly resumed this morning with night-watchman Owen Morgan as Glamorgan looked to erase the arrears and build a decent lead.
Bragg began by clipping Jack Shantry to fine-leg whilst Morgan pulled Joe Leach for four over the head of mid-on before carving Leach through the slip cordon for four. But the bowler gained revenge as later in the over, Morgan shouldered arms and lost his off stump.
134/6 saw Graham Wagg join Bragg who continued to find the ropes as he drove Leach to the boards at mid-off followed by a savage pull to square-leg. On 91 the left-hander had a moment of good fortune as he edged Leach inot and out of the out-stretched hands of a diving Ross Whiteley at second slip with the ball speeding away to third man for four.
Ed Barnard replaced Leach at the Diglis End and was cut for four by the gleeful Wagg but Barnard ended Bragg’s tenure of the crease, as he got a faint inside edge onto his stumps and departed for 98. With Glamorgan two runs in arrears, Mark Wallace joined the obdurate Wagg who twice drove Shantry for fours through mid-off, followed by an on-drove to the boards.
Wallace also on-drove Barnard before cover-driving Charlie Morris when he returned to the fray at the New Road End. Wagg then glided Barnard to the vacant ropes at third man before Wallace struck his third boundary courtesy of a sweetly-timed cover drive against Barnard. A flick off his hip when Leach returned at the Diglis End saw Glamorgan secure their first batting point, with Wagg then drilling the bowler through extra-cover.
Wallace found the ropes again as he punched both Morris and Leach through cover point before on-driving Leach for another jaunty boundary. He then clipped Morris to square-leg for four. Brett D’Oliveira then entered the attack shortly before lunch as Worcestershire strove to break the eighth wicket stand.