Glamorgan look set to be outfoxed
GLAMORGAN face an uphill battle to emerge with even a draw after Leicestershire built their highest total on this ground since 2004 on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match.
No Foxes side has prospered to the same degree since a Brad Hodge double century helped them pile on 634 against Durham 18 years ago. Wiaan Mulder added only nine to his overnight 147 but Ben Mike’s 91 and a debut half-century from former Glamorgan bowler Roman Walker turned the screw before Callum Parkinson’s side were dismissed for 584, just a week after their recordbreaking 756 for four against Sussex in Hove.
A good pitch and a fast outfield meant Glamorgan’s bowlers had little margin for error, their mood not helped by some poor fielding that saw as many as seven catching chances go begging. Off-spinner Andrew Salter’s four wickets cost 158 runs, albeit from 42 overs. After losing both openers before they had reached double figures in their reply, Glamorgan had recovered to 111 for two when bad light brought an early close, with Sam Northeast on 50, but needed to reach 435 just to avoid the follow-on. The day had begun with Leicestershire adding only a single to their overnight score before Harry Swindells was caught at second slip from a ball that climbed on him more than he expected, giving Michael Hogan a third wicket.
The Mulder-Swindells partnership had added 138. Leicestershire notched a fifth batting bonus point for only the second time this season as Mike arrived full of intent, the allrounder hammering three fours in an over to end Hogan’s first spell of the day. Michael Neser ended Mulder’s fine if not faultless innings moments after he had gone past 150 as the South African, perhaps weary from his exertions of the day before, was bowled between bat and pad. The breakthrough gave Glamorgan an opportunity to stem the damage. In the event, Mike inflicted more, albeit with a few slices of luck before he was out for 91.
Spared on 43 after Hogan and Eddie Byrom left it to one another to take the catch when he top-edged James Harris, he survived a halfchance back to the bowler against Kiran Carlson’s off spin on 56 and was carelessly spilled by Harris himself at mid-on off Hogan on 70.
Mike regained his momentum after a period of circumspection, yet missed out on a maiden first-class century for the second time this season. Left stranded on 99 not out when he ran out of partners against Middlesex at Lord’s in April, he moved into the 90s with four boundaries in as many overs here only to take one liberty too many with Salter, falling to a catch at long-on with the prize there for the taking.