ANOTHER DISMAL DAY FOR GLAM
GLAMORGAN endured another miserable day of a miserable season as Gloucestershire ended the opening day of their County Championship Division Two clash on 133 for 5, a slender deficit of four runs of after the home team were dismissed for only 137 in 38.1 overs.
Unless Glamorgan can take some early wickets, then Gloucestershire should gain a sizeable lead on first innings today.
Any team playing on Glamorgan’s ground would fancy their chances of dismissing them for a modest total after an uncontested toss.
Their fragile batting has been exposed time and again this season and yesterday was no exception as they collapsed to 21 for 5 before Chris Cooke and Graham Wagg staged a recovery.
Glamorgan’s highest opening partnership in the last seven innings when they’ve batted first is a pitiful 29 and there was only four on the scoreboard when Connor Brown became Craig Miles’ first victim.
Tom Cullen quickly followed when he shouldered arms to Miles, then the visitors took three wickets in successive overs.
Kiran Carlson was out first ball to David Payne, then Stephen Cook, Glamorgan’s newly acquired overseas player was “strangled” down the leg side when he touched one from Miles to the wicketkeeper – Cook having contributed just 25 runs in three innings since arriving from South Africa.
Glamorgan were then rescued by Cooke and Wagg as they counter attacked effectively to add 83 in 16 overs for the sixth wicket.
Cooke struck 60 from only 42 balls which included 44 in boundaries but when he was out ten minutes before lunch, and Wagg shortly after the interval, the innings quickly folded.
Payne and Miles claimed four wickets apiece as the ball swung in overcast conditions, although some Glamorgan batsmen, lacking in confidence, did contribute to their own downfall.
Gloucestershire’s openers made a cautious start, taking seven overs to reach double figures before losing Chris Dent who was leg before to Hogan, then four overs later Miles Hammond departed in similar fashion to Ruaidhri Smith’s first ball.
James Bracey, who is allegedly being targeted by First Division counties, was the next to go when he was caught down the legside by Cooke off Van Der Gugten, who three balls later dismissed Gareth Roderick, who became the third LBW victim of the innings and the sixth in the game.
Benny Howell top scored for the visitors with 43, but when Kieran Bull became the only spinner to bowl in the game, Howell mistimed a drive in Bull’s second over which resulted in a catch to mid-on.