Glammy on a roll after turning tables onWorcs
GLAMORGAN secured back-to -back victories under new skipper Michael Hogan as they completed a nine-wicket success over faltering Worcestershire with a day-and-a-half to spare at New Road.
Hogan led from the front with the ball, claiming the first three wickets in Worcestershire’s second innings as they were bowled out for 129 after resuming on 34-1 to leave Glamorgan requiring just 16 to win.
He finished with 5-38 from 14.2 overs to follow his 5-49 in the win over Durham – his initial match in charge – and also received excellent support from Timm van Gugten and Lukas Carey.
It was the first time the Welsh county have won two Championship games in a row for two years since a sequence of four successive victories in June 2015.
Hogan has replaced Jacques Rudolph as Glamorgan’s four-day captain until the end of the season and launched his tenure with a thrilling two-wicket win at Swansea over Durham.
But this was a more-convincing triumph and all the more satisfactory against a side who had won their opening four Championship games and inflicted an eight-wicket defeat on them inside seven sessions at the SWALEC Stadium.
Rudolph also showed a welcome return to form after relinquishing the captaincy, with his first Championship hundred for two years to lay the foundations of a Glamorgan recovery from 58-6 on the opening day.
Worcestershire, in contrast, have suffered two defeats in a row after a quartet of victories to launch the campaign.
It is not the ideal preparation for their Royal London One-Day Cup semi-final with Yorkshire Vikings or Surrey at New Road on Saturday.
Several of their middle order batsmen are struggling for form and only 19-year-old Josh Tongue and skipper Joe Leach posed a major threat with the ball in this game.
The big plus for them will be the return of all-rounder John Hastings after Australia’s exit from the ICC Trophy and the hope he can help galvanise the squad to reproduce their early season form.
Hogan had sent back Daryl Mitchell on Saturday evening and made the first two breakthroughs yesterday morning as Brett D’Oliveira (22) was trapped lbw and Joe Clarke (17) departed to a head high catch by Will Bragg at cover.
Ben Cox (3) tried to cut Lukas Carey and Colin Ingram at first slip held onto a juggling catch before van der Gugten struck in successive overs.
The out-of-form Tom Fell battled away for 33 off 87 balls, but then fell victim to a superb head-high catch by Ingram and in the next over Ed Barnard (2) nicked through to keeper Chris Cooke.
The procession continued after lunch as the final four wickets fell to Hogan and Carey for 10 runs in 5.3 overs.
Leach (7) chopped Hogan onto his stumps, Whiteley (16) steered Carey to gulley, Tongue (1) nicked the same bowler through to keeper Cooke and Nathan Lyon (4) swung at Hogan and was bowled.
Glamorgan lost Nick Selman – bowled by Barnard for three – in reaching their modest target.
“It certainly wasn’t expected (how quick the game ended). We felt we were in for a day of graft and we approached it that way as well,” said a delighted skipper Hogan.
“We bowled really well and everyone did their job and bowled them out. I couldn’t ask for anymore.
“We caught everything and we built pressure.
“In the first innings we didn’t do that very well.
“We let them get away a bit too much. The boys held their catches and bowled well. I can’t say anything more. It was perfect.
“We were 50-6 at one stage on the first day and then Jacques (Rudoplh) and Chris (Cooke) and Lukas (Carey) and Andy (Salter) played really well and got us into a great position.
“I certainly didn’t expect that. We were talking about small targets, avoiding the follow on and maybe getting up towards their lead, but to be 115 in front was fantastic and set the game up for us.”