Leicestershire Pile On Over 500 To Set Up Final Day Victory Push

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

Ben Green and Logan van Beek assembled an unbeaten 123-run partnership to help Leicestershire register their highest score of the season, before declaring with a lead of 223 runs to set up a victory push at Uptonsteel County Ground.

Having been reduced to 36-3 in their second innings, Glamorgan captain Sam Northeast led stubborn late resistance as the visitors battled to stop the Foxes registering a fifth successive victory inside three days in the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match.

As had happened the previous day, when Green picked up two wickets in the first over of the day, the morning session saw wickets fall early. Nightwatchman Chris Wright had added three singles to his overnight 16 when he edged a James Harris delivery to first slip, and Lewis Hill four to his overnight 66 when he too edged to slip, Timm van der Gugten finding a little extra bounce, with Colin Ingam the catcher in both cases.

Handscomb and all-rounder Liam Trevaskis played patiently in building a partnership of 42 for the sixth wicket, but Glamorgan enjoyed a moment of good fortune when Handscomb flicked at a legside delivery from young fast bowler Ned Leonard, got a faint but audible edge, and was comfortably held by Chris Cooke behind the stumps.

When Trevaskis, having played solidly, edged a rising delivery from Leonard on to his middle stump, Glamorgan had taken four wickets for 57 runs and must have had hopes of restricting Leicestershire's lead to not much more than a hundred.

If so, Green and van Beek steadily extinguished them. New Zealander van Beek was particularly severe on the leg-spin of Mason Crane, stretching forward and delicately paddle sweeping a series of deliveries to the fine leg boundary.

With the Glamorgan bowlers tiring as the ball got softer, he hit several fine lofted straight drives, one of which, off Zain ul Hassan, took him to his 50 from 70 deliveries. Green was not far behind, and the partnership was well past 100 when Handscomb called the pair in.

Van Beek's opening burst showed no signs of weariness, accounting for ul Hassan, bowled middle stump by a fast in-swinging delivery from around the wicket, and stand-in opener Crane, throwing his bat at a wider delivery and inside edging the ball on to his stumps.

Kiran Carlson, yet to score, drove wildly at a Scriven delivery and edged to Handscomb behind the stumps, and the odds on a three-day victory would have shortened dramatically had Trevaskis, diving to his right at second slip, been able to hold a Northeast edge off Wright in only the second over after tea.

Having had that escape, however, Northeast batted with characteristic calmness, hitting eight fours in reaching his 50 off 86 deliveries. Ingram was similarly unflustered, closing on 37 not out off 92 balls, and giving the visitors hope of saving the game.