Sheikh strikes twice on opening day

Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg shared a second-wicket stand of 227 as Glamorgan enjoyed the better of the opening day of the LV=CC season in front of a healthy crowd at Grace Road.

Upwards of 1,500 people came to the ground for the Family Open Day, with families enjoying a good day’s cricket and lots of entertainment around Grace Road.

Atif Sheikh had both openers caught behind by Niall O'Brien but Glamorgan closed on 294-2 with Bragg ending the day on a career-best 113*.

The club held an impeccably observed minute’s silence before play started in honour of the great Australian cricketer and broadcaster Richie Benaud, who sadly passed away on Friday.

Leicestershire made one change from the team that beat Cambridge MCCU with Charlie Shreck coming in for Jigar Naik. Rob Taylor missed out with a back injury while Clint McKay arrives in the country this week after getting married.

Rudolph called correctly and elected to make first use of the pitch on a dry, bright but very blustery Grace Road. It proved to be a great decision as the pitch played well and the wind made bowling nigh-on impossible from the Pavilion End.

The majority of runs early in the Glamorgan innings were guided or edged behind the wicket as the new ball asked plenty of questions. Sheikh steamed in from the Bennett End while Ben Raine bowled accurately into the wind in an effective partnership.

Raine had an early appeal for leg before against James Kettleborough while Sheikh nearly dismissed Rudolph before he had scored. The left armer extracted plenty of bounce but the ball rose above the head of Ned Eckersley, who couldn't hold the difficult chance.

Leicestershire’s diligence was rewarded with the score on 27 as Kettleborough (10) edged the lively Sheikh and O’Brien took the catch behind the wicket.

Rudolph and Bragg had to battle and then took full advantage of getting themselves set. Rudolph cracked a brace of boundaries through the off-side and Bragg neatly tucked a couple of fours off his toes as the stand progressed to 75 by lunch.

The duo continued to accumulate after lunch with Rudolph first to 50 from 100 balls with seven fours. The partnership reached three figures before Bragg recorded his half-century from 95 deliveries with seven boundaries.

Rudolph, who survived for a second time in his innings on 64 when Raine couldn't cling on to a tough chance off Sheikh at point, posted Glamorgan’s first LV=CC hundred of the summer from 164 balls (14x4). The partnership moved beyond 200 before tea, which was taken with the score on 247-1.

Sheikh struck for a second time after the interval in the same manner as his first wicket, Rudolph edging through to O’Brien for a well-constructed 111 from 190 balls. 

Bragg progressed to a 183-ball ton with his 14th four as he and debutant Colin Ingram went about forming another partnership but play was cut short after 72.3 overs because of a combination of bad light and rain.

Bowling figures: Sheikh 13-1-80-2, Raine 17.3-2-73-0, Shreck 17-7-50-0, Freckingham 10-1-37-0, Wells 8-2-26-0, Redfern 5-2-13-0, Cosgrove 2-0-4-0.