Northamptonshire's decision to bowl first was fully vindicated as Glamorgan were dismissed for 134 in 50 overs in their County Championship match at the SWALEC Stadium, with the visiting attack finding conditions to their liking at the Welsh county's headquarters. Northants were 108/3 in reply when rain stopped play
The Welsh county also left out Huw Waters from their 12-man squad, with both Murray Goodwin and Michael Hogan making their first-class debuts for the Club as Ben Wright and Will Bragg opened the batting against the visitor's new ball pairing of David Willey and Trent Copeland, the young Australian pace bowler who only last weekend was playing back home in the final of the Sydney grade competition.
It was Willey who made the initial incision as Wright was caught behind playing forward to the thirteenth ball of the season with Glamorgan's total on 7 after Bragg had steered Copeland to third man for the first boundary of the summer in the previous over. With Stewart Walters as his new partner, Bragg continued to find the boundary ropes as he again guided Copeland to third man before drilling Willey twice through extra cover.
Walters then steered Willey through gulley for four before surviving a loud lbw appeal against Copeland whose opening spell in the county game was an impressive one, delivering thirty four deliveries in succession without conceding a run. Runs continued to come at the other end as Bragg clipped Stephen Crook's first delivery to backward square-leg. Another deft leg-glance against Andrew Hall saw Walters add another boundary to his tally as Glamorgan reached the half-century mark in the 20th over.
But three wickets then tumbled in the space of sixteen balls for the addition of two runs as firstly with the total on 58, Bragg clipped Crook straight into the hands of Kyle Coetzer at backward square-leg. Five balls later, and without further addition, Hall trapped Walters leg before, and then two runs later, Marcus North was well caught low down at slip by Hall as Crook claimed his second wicket.
In the penultimate over before lunch both Jim Allenby and Murray Goodwin opened their accounts with firmly struck fours through the off-side
The combative Graham Wagg then joined forces with Mark Wallace with the sixth wicket pair seeing Glamorgan past the hundred-mark as the cloud cover intensified over the Stadium. After Wallace had brought up the hundred with a cover drive, Wagg celebrated with a booming off-drive. The Glamorgan captain then repeated the stroke against Copeland, before clipping the hitherto miserly bowler through mid-wicket for another four, but with the total on 117, he was bowled shouldering arms to Stephen Crook as the ball appeared to dart back in and re-arranged his stumps.
Dean Cosker then had a life as Murphy spilled a chance against Crook, and just to rub salt into the bowler's wounds, Wagg then despatched hum for four in successive balls through mid-wicket and mid-off. Hall though ended Cosker's brief stay at the crease as he bowled him. Two balls later, 134/8 became 134/9 as Wagg edged Crook to Copeland at third slip, and two overs later Hall ended Glamorgan's innings as Hogan chipped in the air to Crook at mid-on.
Hogan then shared the new ball with Wagg, with the Australian being clipped for four by Stephen Peters who then cut the tall fast bowler for four. At the other end Kyle Coetzer unleashed a pair of firmly-struck drives against Wagg, but in the fifth over he departed as Hogan bowled him with yet another delivery which moved in prodigiously as the batsman shouldered arms.
With the total on 17, David Sales joined Peters, who responded by despatching Wagg to third man and backward square-leg in successive balls before adding a third boundary in the over as he guided the left-armer through gully. Sales then drilled Wagg through cover for another boundary before Peters got a leading edge to a delivery from Hogan which flew through a vacant fourth slip psoition as the visitor's reached the 50-mark shoertly before tesa
Stephen Peters and David Sales resumed after the interval as the cloud cover increased over the Cardiff ground. Sales drove Hogan through extra cover for four but to the fourth ball from Mike Reed he sparred at a short ball outside off stump and was smartly caught by Dean Cosker in the gully. Next ball, 58/2 became 58/3 as Alex Wakely was adjudged leg before as he shouldered arms to the tall seamer.
Reed and Hogan continued to extract lateral movement in the air and off the pitch as both Peters and Rob Newton survived several loud appeals before the latterly nonchalantly dfrilled Reed through extra cover for four. Peters then greeted the introduction of Jim Allenby into the attack by striking him for three successive fours as the visiting captain completed a 61-ball fifty.
An on-drive for four by Newton against Reed saw Northants reach the 100-mark in the 22nd over before a deft flick by Peters to long-leg brought up the fifty partnership that was restoring the visitor's fortunes. Wagg returned to bowl the 24th over but rain started to fall midway through and the players left the field.
