Leicestershire Start Season With 10-Wicket Win Over Glamorgan

Day 3: Leicestershire 427 & 53/0 def Glamorgan 228 & 247 by 10 wickets.

Leicestershire 23 pts, Glamorgan 3 pts.

By Blake Bint, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay.

Leicestershire sealed a comfortable 10-wicket win against Glamorgan inside three days in the opening match of the Rothesay County Championship.

Despite a magnificent century from Kiran Carlson, the damage was already done as Ian Holland and Ben Green dominated with the ball, the American international taking 4 for 46 to go with his three-fer in the first innings.

Glamorgan righted all their wrongs from the final session on day two within just 18 balls. Andy Gorvin claiming the wickets of Ben Cox second ball of the day for 51, and then subsequently the devastating striker of Chris Wright who went for 74 after the injured Rishi Patel came out to bat. The Foxes adding just one to the total from the previous evening.

Needing 198 just to make Leicestershire bat again, Glamorgan’s chances withered away in an instant. Holland with the new ball on a string brought back familiar memories of that 48 hours prior when Zain ul Hassan fell for a second single-figure score in the match and Sam Northeast first ball.

Enter Carlson. With no expectations of a result, the white-ball captain carried the weight of the side on his shoulders for a five-hour knock. Battling through the movement on the ball Glamorgan never seemed to find in same effect as Leicestershire.

As Eddie Byrom fell slashing at a wide half-volley, Ingram unable to replicate he and Carlson’s 174 partnership from a similar position in this fixture just eight months prior, and Kellaway next, it was soon 46/5 with five sessions still left in the match.

As the ball got older, Chris Cooke added some resistance and the home-grown Carlson began to show positivity, manoeuvring around his crease and oozing class with an uppercut off Ben Mike for six to bring up his half century, shortly followed by a cut shot mid-leap to pass 5000 first-class runs for the Welsh county.

With Green continuing to impress economically as Glamorgan bided their time, Cooke eventually fell for a hard-fought 21, van der Gugten attempting to withstand pressure succumbing to the extra pace of Mike.

Gorvin and Carlson combined for 99 and the former continued to put up a fight when his white-ball captain was dismissed, reaching his best score in his career in the process in a patient knock until he was stranded with not enough of a lead.

Needing just 51 Sol Budinger and Rehan Ahmed came out swinging to complete the job inside three days thanks to a bizarre scenario of facing Northeast’s off-spin as he was faced to replace Kellaway after just two legal deliveries for bowling beamers.

Leicestershire take 23 points back to Uptonsteel County Ground, where they face Derbyshire on Friday.