Bowlers in form in Welsh capital
Tue 25 Sep 2018
SCORE | Day 2 of 4, Specsavers County Championship: Glamorgan CCC 359 & 106-4 v Leicestershire CCC 132
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo
REACTION | Harry Dearden spoke to BBC Radio Leicester’s Richard Rae at stumps
HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season
REPORT | After a relatively quiet opening day, the bowlers dominated proceedings on a dramatic second day of the final Specsavers County Championship fixture of the 2018 season at Sophia Gardens.
Glamorgan CCC started and finished the day at the crease, ending proceedings with a lead of 333 over the Foxes as 16 wickets fell in the Welsh capital.
Harry Dearden top-scored with 48 as Leicestershire CCC posted 132 in reply to the Welsh County’s 359, and the hosts slipped to 39 for four before recovering to 106 without further loss in their second innings.
There was a brace of wickets for Dieter Klein (9-5-18-2), and one apiece for Tom Taylor and Gavin Griffiths, who ended as the leading wicket-taker in the home side’s first innings with three for 71.
Resuming at 331 for eight, Timm van der Gugten and Kieran Bull extended their alliance so that it became the highest of the first innings.
Bull drove powerfully through mid-on – one of the best strokes of the innings – while van der Gugten recorded a brace of early boundaries as the ball twice flashed beyond the grasp of Colin Ackermann at second slip.
The No.10 recorded a second consecutive half-century from 60 balls (10x4) before Griffiths wrapped up the innings from the River Taff End.
He enticed van der Gugten to drive to Dearden at cover to end the stand at 80 before Bull’s useful 24, compiled from 96 balls in almost two hours at the crease, came to its conclusion as Lewis Hill pouched a good diving catch.
There was a tough start to the innings as van der Gugten and Michael Hogan bowled well in tandem, and Sam Evans (1) was bowled by the Glamorgan CCC skipper.
Javid and Ackermann dug in, and the captain played one glorious cover drive as the shine came off the new ball. Change bowlers Craig Meschede and Graham Wagg also had a burst in a bid to make the second breakthrough.
Ackermann continued to drive the ball stylishly, and Javid also worked a trio of deliveries to the ropes at mid-wicket and extra as Leicestershire CCC looked set to go in one down thanks to the 46-run alliance.
But the landscape changed either side of lunch as the Foxes lost four key wickets for the addition of 11 runs in 29 deliveries.
Ackermann (26) nicked what proved to be the last ball of the session from Wagg, Cooke taking a good diving catch to his right as County went to lunch at 48 for two.
Cosgrove (0) fell to the first delivery of the afternoon session, the same duo combining after the left armer extracted some additional bounce, while Javid (29) cut van der Gugten at backward point.
When Hill (0) edged the on-song Wagg to Nick Selman at second slip, suddenly Leicestershire CCC had slipped to 59 for five.
The home side, inspired by Wagg, really had their tails up but Dearden and Taylor played calmly in a bid to douse the flames.
Dearden played two exquisite cover drives amid solid defence, while Taylor scored one run in his first 47 minutes at the crease to allow a partnership to develop.
After sharing 30 in an hour’s worth of batting, Taylor (5) saw the top of his off stump disturbed by Meschede, and when the all-rounder then had Ben Mike (0) brilliantly caught one-handed by Selman at second slip, County had slipped to 91 for seven.
The introduction of Bull at the Cathedral Road End brought about the eighth wicket, the ball looping up off the pad and bat of Callum Parkinson (3) to short-leg.
Dearden had been patient to this point but now decided it was the time to play some strokes, and he advanced to loft Bull for two flourishing strokes over mid-off and mid-wicket. Klein (14*) also found the boundary on three occasions, including a lovely cover drive.
Two consecutive clean hits from Dearden off van der Gugten took him to the brink of 50, but in trying to launch another four, the left-hander top-edged high into the blue Cardiff sky and the bowler took a return catch. Griffiths (0) was then caught behind off the returning Hogan.
Glamorgan CCC opted against enforcing the follow-on, and Leicestershire CCC came out all guns blazing to claim four quick wickets.
Taylor and Klein hit openers Stephen Cook (6) and Selman (19) on the pads to land two early blows for the Foxes, and the left armer, who bowled beautifully, then enticed Jack Murphy (11) to nick behind.
Hill was soon claiming another catch when dangerman Kiran Carlson (0) edged Griffiths, and suddenly Glamorgan CCC had lost three wickets for one run, and were 39 for four.
But ‘keeper Cooke (41*) played some attractive shots while Lawlor (21*) generally dug in, and the duo formed an effective partnership worth an unbroken 67 to steer their side to the close.
TEAM | Javid, Evans, Ackermann (capt), Cosgrove, Dearden, Hill (wk), Mike, Parkinson, Taylor, Klein, Griffiths.
FIGURES | 1st inns: Griffiths 18-7-50-1, Taylor 22-4-77-2, Klein 18-5-60-1, Mike 16-2-80-1, Parkinson 19-4-51-2, Cosgrove 2-0-2-0, Ackermann 5-2-9-1.
2nd inns: Taylor 5-3-6-1, Mike 7-0-42-0, Griffiths 6-2-11-1, Klein 9-5-18-2, Parkinson 7-2-11-1, Ackermann 3-0-11-0.
PHOTO | Thanks to John Mallett for the photo of Harry Dearden batting.
* Leicestershire CCC’s final Specsavers County Championship game is against Glamorgan CCC. Follow the latest throughout the game on our social media channels @leicsccc
