Wright makes 123 as Glamorgan amass 569/7 at Bristol

Welsh rugby supporters may have been peeved by the defeat to South Africa on Saturday, but Glamorgan's supporters had plenty to smile about the performance of their Springbok at Bristol yesterday as Jacques Rudolph made a sublime century and shared an opening stand of 151 with Will Bragg as the visiting county mounted an assertive response to Gloucestershire's first innings total of 391.


Resuming this morning on 209/2 Rudolph and Ben Wright were looking to continue the good work and help Glamorgan move into the ascendancy. There was plenty of shrill chatter around the ground this morning as well with over 800 local children from primary schools in the South Gloucestershire area swelling the third-day crowd. Wright who had been dropped last night at short-leg struck the day's first boundary as he off-drove Will Gidman, whilst Rudolph began with an extended series of singles as he worked the ball around facing the left-arm spin of Tom Smith, and subsequently Liam Norwell who replaced Gidman at the Ashley Down End.


Wright continued to be the more dominant partner as he struck successive fours as he used his feet well to on-drive Smith to the ropes at mid-wicket before sweeping the next delivery to the ropes at fine-leg. The following over he swept the spinner once again to long-leg before disdainfully lofting him over long-on for six and then nonchalantly drilling Norwell to the boards at wide long-on. Another flat-batted sweep for four followed in Smith's next over before he clipped him later in the over to mid-wicket to complete a 70-ball fifty.


Rudolph continued to play second fiddle as he pushed a series of singles with his partner's fusillade of blows resulting in Chris Dent having a short spell at the Pavilion End. However, it was against Benny Howell that Rudolph ended his sequence of singles, as he deftly nurdled the medium-pacer to third man for four. The torrent of boundaries continued as Wright reverse-swept Dent for four and with Glamorgan on 284/2 Gloucestershire took the new ball as soon as it became available.


Gidman and Matt Taylor duly returned to the fray, but Wright continued to play with freedom driving Gidman for four through mid-wicket and mid-on to bring up the century stand before a flurry of singles saw the third wicket pair secure Glamorgan's first batting point. Wright celebrated by despatching Gidman in successive balls for four through cover point and mid-wicket before striking Taylor for three fours in an over, the first square of the wicket and the others through the leg-side.


Wright then drove Norwell through mid-off for another four, before reaching his first Championship hundred of the season by pulling the seamer behind square - his 19th four and 125th delivery, Rudolph then guided the final ball of the session for four through backward point to bring up the 150 stand.

Resuming after lunch with his side on 339/2, Ben Wright still showed a hunger for runs, as he yet again swept Tom Smith for four to fine-leg, but in the second over of the session Jacques Rudolph swatted Matt Taylor high over the slip cordon and was caught on the third man boundary by Benny Howell. Having been joined by Chris Cooke, Wright guided Smith to backward point for four before his new partner did the same next over.


Wright then responded to a plethora of short balls from Taylor bowling left-arm around the wicket by unfurling a savage pull for four followed by a reverse-sweep four against Smith. The next delivery from the twirler was despatched to the ropes at mid-wicket, but Wright then swept the next into the hands of Ian Cockbain at deep backward square-leg.


Thanks to his sparkling efforts, the deficit had dwindled to 21 runs as Jim Allenby made his way out to the middle. Cooke welcomed the return of Liam Norwell by cutting him for four before Allenby cover drove Smith for four, and after a flurry of one's and two's as Norwell also opted for a series of short balls, with a trio of fielders deep on the leg-side boundary, Glamorgan went into the lead in the 106^th over before an on-drive by Cooke against Norwell followed by a trio of fours by Allenby against Norwell saw Glamorgan to the 400-mark and another batting point.


Will Gidman duly returned but was clipped to long-leg by Allenby before Cooke drove Smith square of the wicket. The spinner was then swept for four by Allenby before Chris Dent returned and was reverse-swept by the Glamorgan all-rounder who in the final over before tea completed a 75-ball fifty as his team got closer and closer to their previous best total at the Bristol ground - 509/3 declared in 1996.

Glamorgan had reached 475/4 at tea, with a lead of 84 runs, as Matt Taylor returned to the attack after the interval at the Ashley Down End, again delivering a series of short balls around the wicket with three men on the leg-side boundary. Cooke then completed a sober fifty from 105 balls before Norwell bounced Allenby and had him caught at deep square-leg.


480/5 saw Graham Wagg join Cooke and after another batch of bouncers from Taylor, another short ball from the seamer was called no-ball and he, plus acting captain Hamish Marshall, were spoken to by the umpires. Next over, Cooke slapped a ball from Norwell to Will Gidman at point, with his departure - on 485 seeing Ruadhri Smith appear in the middle.


Four runs later another short ball from Taylor struck Wagg a blow on the helmet, forcing the all-rounder, after lengthy treatment, to retire hurt. Andrew Salter joined Smith who pulled Norwell, who was also bowling around the wicket, for four as they reached the 500-mark. Two more short balls from the bowler, which went for four byes and five wides respectively, brought a further conversation from the umpires with Marshall, with Glamorgan passing their previous best total at the Bristol ground - 509-3 declared made in 1996.


Will Gidman and Tom Smith returned to the attack with the latter being driven to mid-wicket by his namesake, who together with Salter struck an extended sequence of one's and two's which took Glamorgan's total to 548 when Howell trapped Salter leg before. With Wagg still feeling groggy, Dean Cosker joined Smith in the final half hour and helped to further extend the lead.