Worcestershire set Glamorgan a target of 355

This match sees two of the most successful bowlers so far in county cricket during 2014 go head-to-head with spinner Saeed Ajmal, currently with 46 wickets in the home team's ranks whilst seamer Michael Hogan now has 38 scalps after adding a further four to his tally during Worcestershire's first innings. The pair were set to face each other today as Glamorgan began the third morning on 222/6, still 130 runs in arrears and with the Australian, together with Glamorgan's spin twins of Andrew Salter and Dean Cosker yet to bat.


With the new ball five overs away, the morning session was set to become a pivotal session in the game with Glamorgan's overnight pairing of Mark Wallace and Ruaidhri Smith eager to further chisel away at the deficit in an attempt to reach a position as near as possible to parity with Worcestershire. But as it turned out, the new cherry was not needed as with just a single added, Joe Leach trapped Smith l.b.w. with the fourth ball of the morning. Two further wickets then tumbles in the fourth over, as Ajmal had Wallace caught at bat-pad before three balls later Cosker departed l.b.w. to the Pakistani as Glamorgan slipped further to 229/9.


Salter and Hogan then shared a jaunty last wicket stand which garnered some invaluable runs and nearly a couple of bonus points. An orthodox sweep by Salter brought up the 250, and another batting point, before Hogan biffed the Pakistani to long-off for four following by a similar stroke to long-on against Leach. Salter also used his feet well to dance down the wicket to clip the spinner through mid-wicket, besides reverse-sweeping him for another four. This flurry of runs prompted the return of Charlie Morris, but Hogan clattered him through extra cover to bring up the fifty partnership.

Moeen Ali then replaced Morris but the England off-spinner was despatched over long-off and long-on for a pair of massive sixes by the gleeful Australian as Glamorgan came within another boundary of a third point. But next over, Ajmal bowled Hogan for 36 as Glamorgan ended on 297 and Worcestershire having secured a first innings lead of 55 runs.


With Worcestershire having three-quarters of an hour to bat before lunch, Hogan was swiftly back into action against Daryl Mitchell and Richard Oliver. Mitchell began by driving Hogan straight to long-off before Oliver clipped fellow new ball bowler Smith to fine-leg, but the youngster gained reward as in his fourth over, and the home side on 17, Mitchell sparred at a rising ball outside off-stump and edged into Wallace's gloves. Moeen got off the mark with a crisp drive through extra cover before Oliver carved a ball from Smith through backward point for four in the penultimate over of the session.

Having seen his side reach 27/1 at lunch, Moeen Ali struck the first boundary of the afternoon session as he sweetly off-drove Michael Hogan, before Richard Oliver square-drove Ruaidhri Smith. The opener then edged Hogan into the slips where Chris Cooke could not quite hold onto the ball, before drilling a ball from Jim Allenby through extra cover for four. Andrew Salter then entered the attack and Moeen greeted the off-spinner by lofting his first ball to long-off for four before hoisting the fifth delivery over mid-wicket for six


Moeen then drilled Allenby off the back foot through mid-off for four before pulling him to the ropes at square-leg. Oliver also on-drove Salter for four before nearly driving the young spinner into mid-off's hands. Moeen also off-drove Allenby for four before Oliver twisted around to sweep Salter for four as the 100 came up, followed by a rasping drive through mid-off and a cut through point. He then greeted the introduction of Dean Cosker by also cutting him for four to complete his maiden Championship fifty, compiled from 68 balls, followed by another lofted drive through mid-off.


Oliver continued to score freely and briskly as he cut Cosker for another boundary, before Moeen reached his fifty from 55 balls with a sweep for four against the left-arm spinner. The England batsman then swept Salter, but with the total on 140, Cosker bowled Oliver for 65. With Tom Fell as his new partner, Moeen struck successive fours as he harpooned the spinner to the mid-wicket ropes before sweeping him behind square.


After surviving an appeal for l.b.w, Fell clipped Cosker behind square for four before steering him through backward point, followed by a firm sweep as Worcestershire's lead mounted as the tea interval approached. But shortly before the break Cosker ended Moeen's innings as he miscued a drive into Salter's hands at mid-off.

Worcestershire had reached 185/3 by tea, with a lead of 240 and both Alexei Kervezee and Tom Fell began after the interval with positive intent to quickly extend the lead, with each unleashing a pair of rasping drives through the offside. Fell also flicked Dean Cosker to square-leg for four before driving Smith through the covers, but he was then run out going for a third run as a breakdown in communication saw both batsmen end up at the same end.


216/4 saw Tom Kohler-Cadmore join Kervezee but their partnership was short-lived as eleven runs later, the latter was trapped leg before by Cosker. After quiet reconnaissance, Ben Cox pulled Jim Allenby for four but Cosker struck again as Kohler-Cadmore miscued a lofted drive and Will Owen - who was fielding as a substitute for Jacques Rudolph - running in from long-off held the catch. It then became 250/6 as Cosker completed his well deserved five-for as Joe Leach departed l.b.w.


The pace of the innings briefly slowed as Jack Shantry joined Cox and watchfully defended before Andrew Salter returned to the attack in tandem with Cosker. Cox then swept Salter for four before Shantry lofted the youngster to long-on for six. Cox also cover drove Cosker before Shantry drove him straight for a pair of huge sixes. Cox also reverse-swept Salter for four before Shantry did the same shortly before the declaration on 299/7. This left Glamorgan with a solitary over to face with Salter safely negotiating it