Donald, Cooke bag draw for Glam

AN unbroken fifth wicket partnership of 87 between Aneurin Donald and Chris Cooke ensured Glamorgan secured a draw after the visitors, asked to chase an unlikely 355 off 57 overs, had subsided to 57-4 on the final evening of the Specsavers county championship match at the Fischer County Ground.

The early dismissals of first innings centurions Nick Selman, leg below to a Clint McKay delivery which kept low, and Colin Ingram, lbw to a Ben Raine inswinger, gave the Foxes hope of securing the win.

Their chances increased when Zak Chappell produced a brute of a delivery which Glamorgan skipper Jacques Rudolph could only glove to wicket-keeper Lewis Hill, and had Cameron Delport, diving forward from point, not dropped Donald at point when he fended off a Charlie Shreck bouncer with the score on just 65, Leicestershire might well have enforced the win.

As it was, however, McKay and Raine were both forced to leave the field with injuries, and though Eckersley shuffled his pack, Donald and Cooke were able to see the game to a conclusion eight overs before the scheduled close. Earlier, an unbeaten century from Mark Pettini, his first for Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground, had enabled Eckersely to declare after Glamorgan’s seamers initially controlled the scoring rate to impressive effect.

Fast bowler Marchant De Lange made two early breakthroughs, finding the edge of Eckersley’s bat with his second delivery of the day, Selman taking a comfortable catch at second slip, before Delport failed to middle an attempted drive and gave Lukas Carey the simplest of catches at mid-off.