Ahmed and Handscomb Bat Foxes Into Strong Second Day Stance

A fantastic bowling performance from the Foxes helped establish a dominant position at the close of day two, with Tom Scriven starring with the ball in the evening session on day two of their LV=Insurance County Championship match against Glamorgan at the Uptonsteel County Ground..

There was frustration for England sensation Rehan Ahmed and for Australian Ashes hopeful Peter Handscomb as both missed out on centuries but their combined efforts turned up the pressure on the visitors.

Ahmed (90) and Handscomb (95) shared a partnership of 177 for the sixth wicket as Leicestershire punished Glamorgan skipper David Lloyd’s decision to put them in by racking up 407 all out as their encouraging start to the Division Two season continued, giving them the upper hand despite Timm van der Gugten’s six for 88.

To rub salt in the wound, veteran Leicestershire seamer Chris Wright then dismissed Lloyd for a second ball duck as Glamorgan replied, and despite
Eddie Byrom and Marnus Labuschagne fighting back with a partnership of 124 for the second wicket, the visitors closed still 94 runs short of avoiding the follow-on at 164 for five.

Sam Northeast - back at the scene of his historic 410 not out last season - was still there on 16 after being dropped on nine.  Glamorgan could do with something special from him on day three to stay in this game.

Ahmed had been straight into his stride as Leicestershire began the morning session on 241 for five after rain had washed out roughly a third of the opening day’s scheduled overs, demonstrating his youthful confidence by driving Van der Gugten’s loosener through the covers for four.

He picked up four more another somewhat edgily, leaving the Netherlands bowler perhaps regretting the lack of a third slip, before whacking away a short ball from Michael Neser with a shot that resembled a double-handed cross-court forehand in tennis, the resulting boundary taking him to a 70-ball half-century.

Leicestershire’s intention was clearly to make the best of their opportunities as Glamorgan waited for the new ball to become available. Handscomb was somewhat more conventional in his approach but he and Ahmed proved an effective combination, adding 72 in the 13.2 overs left before the visitors could dispense with the old one.

Ahmed, already an all-format England international yet playing in only his seventh first-class match, looked well set for a second first-class hundred until the new ball eventually worked in Glamorgan’s favour, Van der Gugten getting one past his bat to hit his front pad squarely in front and claim five in an innings for the 11th time.

David Lloyd, not at his best with the ball on day one, looked in better fettle this time, striking in his third over as Tom Scriven edged behind just before lunch, picking up a second wicket soon after the interval as Wright, in shot-making mode, was caught at deep mid-wicket. Van der Gugten made Ed Barnes his sixth victim via an edge to the wicketkeeper.

Handscomb was last out, throwing back his head in frustration as umpire Neil Bainton upheld his compatriot Michael Neser’s call for another catch at the wicket, denying him a second hundred in Leicestershire colours, but his supervision of the tail had enabled his team to double their batting bonus points from two to four after Ahmed’s dismissal.

Lloyd’s second-ball dismissal, caught at second slip, did not augur well for Glamorgan’s prospects, but Byrom (51) and world number one batter Labuschagne (64) batted patiently, while occasionally riding their luck, to add 124 for the second wicket.

But just as it appeared the two had built a platform for a substantial reply, both were out in quick succession, the young former Hampshire seamer Scriven bringing one back to trap the left-handed Byrom left before Barnes, who had been pulled for six by Labuischagne a couple of overs earlier, surprised him with another shortish delivery that found the edge, Wiaan Mulder at second slip grabbing the catch at the second attempt.

Thereafter, fourth-wicket pair Northeast and Kiran Carlson mounted a solid hour of defence before the contest sprang back into life in the final half-hour’s play as Northeast was badly dropped at midwicket on nine off Ahmed but Scriven then struck with consecutive balls as Carlson, who faced 61 balls for his nine, feathered a catch behind and Billy Root lost his leg stump to a couple of fine, swinging deliveries, giving him three wickets in an innings for the first time in his fledgling career.