Budinger And Ahmed Smash Centuries On Dominant Day For Leicestershire

By Richard Rae, ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay

Sol Budinger and Rehan Ahmed hit explosive centuries as table-topping Leicestershire dominated the second day of their Rothesay County Championship Division Two match against Glamorgan.

Left-handed opener Budinger hit three sixes and 17 fours in reaching 118 off just 102 deliveries, and Ahmed 13 fours and two maximums in reaching three figures off 112, after the Foxes had taken the five remaining Glamorgan first innings wickets in short order in a remarkable day's cricket.

Half-centuries from opener Rishi Patel and Lewis Hill, who ended the day unbeaten on 66, ensured Leicestershire closed with a lead of 36 with seven first innings wickets in hand.

The day, which began with Glamorgan on 305-5, could not have begun much better for the home side. Ben Green, having bowled well but without any good fortune on the first day, opened proceedings from the Pavilion End and saw Colin Ingram drive expansively at his third delivery. The ball took the edge and Patel, the solitary slip, took a fine catch two handed high to his left.

The next delivery accounted for Timm van der Gugten, seaming back and taking the inside edge to give Leicestershire skipper Peter Handscomb a straightforward catch behind the stumps, and although Mason Crane kept out the hat-trick ball, his demise was not long delayed: three overs later he too was caught by Handscomb off the inside edge, pushing at a Green delivery which came back.

James Harris skied a simple catch to mid-on off Tom Scriven, but last man Ned Leonard stroked Green to the offside boundary twice in an over, giving Cooke invaluable assistance as he guided the visitors to a third batting bonus point off the last ball of the 110th over, before Leonard became Handscomb's sixth victim, this time off the bowling of Wright.

Only Neil Burns, who took seven catches behind the stumps against Somerset in 2001, has taken more for the Foxes in a single innings.

Patel and Budinger played carefully in the 12 overs that remained in the morning session, lunching with the score on 36-0, with Budinger a relatively sedate 22 off 36 balls, but the afternoon session was a very different story.

Having reached his 50 off 62 balls, he needed only another 30 to reach three figures. He was particularly severe on Crane, who conceded 13 from his first over, and Van der Gugten - the spearhead of the Glamorgan attack - was treated with similar disdain.

Budinger pulled high over midwicket taking him into the 90s before a huge blow over long-on off Crane ensured his first spell in the 90s would be a short one, bringing up a magnificent maiden first-class century in style.

There were several more telling blows before Budinger, by now playing a shot a ball, lobbed up a simple catch off Zain ul Hassan to Northeast at cover, the ball coming off a leading edge as it bounced higher than the batter anticipated.

Patel, who had himself hit eight stylish fours in going to a half-century, looked likely to follow him to three figures, but became ul Hassan's second victim when he contrived to edge an attempted pull onto his pads. The ball lobbed up towards short-leg, and wicketkeeper Cooke was alert enough to scramble out from behind the stumps and dive forward to take the catch.

If those two wickets gave the Glamorgan attack hope, it was quickly extinguished by Ahmed and Hill. Leicestershire have pushed Ahmed up the order this season, and the leg-spinning all-rounder has responded, reining in some of his more exuberant aggressive shots, early in his innings at any rate.

A slight injury means he has been unable to bowl in this match, and that may have added to his determination to add to the two centuries and single half-century he had already scored this season. Whatever, the series of drives he punched through the off-side may, to the purist, have lacked footwork, but were quite beautifully timed, and there is no doubt that as a batter he is continuing to improve.

By the time, late in the day, he holed out to deep midwicket off Crane, he and the busy Hill had added 165 for the third wicket. Chris Wright, sent in as night-watchman with five overs remaining, hit four boundaries, adding to the impression that Leicestershire will now be hoping to bat only once in the match.

Tickets for day three can be purchased HERE or via the Curzon Road Ticket Office on the day.