Hampshire lead Glamorgan by 215 runs with one wicket remaining

Glamorgan were indebted to Gareth Rees and Murray Goodwin for their decent overnight position after the fourth wicket pair had seemingly blunted the visiting attack by batting throughout the final session yesterday whilst sharing an unbroken stand of 112 in 40 overs. For Rees in particular, it also promised to be a red letter day with the opening batsman, appearing in his first County Championship match of the summer, starting the session just sixteen runs away from his first century in first-class cricket for Glamorgan since May 2011 when he made 126 against Surrey at The Oval.

Resuming this morning on 196/4, Rees and Goodwin had eleven overs to negotiate before the new ball so it was the spin of Danny Briggs and the seam of David Balcombe to which Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams turned. Rees duly brought up the 200 with a single before despatching Briggs to the ropes at deep backward square-leg, and then nurdling Balcombe to the vacant third man position.

Rees then reached his coveted hundred by despatching Briggs high over the head of mid-wicket to post his 14th boundary from his 236th delivery. Goodwin also swept the spinner to the ropes at long-leg before Rees edged James Vince through the vacant slip cordon as the 150-stand came up with a sweep by the southpaw before Sohail Tanvir and James Tomlinson returned with the new ball.

Goodwin duly brought up the 250 by cover driving Tanvir for four and then slashing Balcombe through extra cover for another rasping boundary, but the burly all-rounder ended Rees' noble innings as, after five and three-quarter hours at the crease and the total on 266, he edged to Dawson at second slip, having added 182 in 59 overs with Goodwin and coming within fourteen runs of beating the previous best for that wicket for Glamorgan against Hampshire set by Maurice Turnbull and Dick Duckfield who added 196 at Southampton in 1937.

Five balls later, Goodwin also departed as Tanvir - bowling around the wicket after being warned for running on the track when he was bowling over the wicket - had an lbw appeal upheld against the veteran.266/5 then became 272/6 as Tanvir gained another l.b.w. victim as the Glamorgan captain played back to the Pakistani. Allenby responded by cover driving both Balcombe and Tanvir as together with Dean Cosker took Glamorgan closer to the 300-mark and another batting point.

Shortly before lunch, Allenby greeted the return of Vince by nurdling him to third man for another four befoire in the second over after the interval, the 300 came up, whereupon Mark Wallace ddeclared with 64 overs remaining today.

Michael Hogan duly opened the bowling and had a couple of lbw shouts with his opening deliveries which torpedoed through and rapped Michael Carberry on the pads. Jimmy Adams also had a couple of airy wafts against Mike Reed who took the new ball as Will Owen still had a back niggle, but the visiting captain then struck consecutive boundaries against Hogan to the ropes at midwicket.

But Reed made the initial incision as in his third over and with the total on 11, Stewart Walters took another stunning catch at second slip as he dived full stretch to his right to safely pouch a thick edge from Carberry's bat. After a series of maidens, Liam Dawson opened his account by steering Reed to third man.

Marcus North then entered the attack in the 13th over and met with immediate success as in his second over, Adams jaywalked down the wicket and was smartly stumped by Mark Wallace. 27/2 then became 28/3 as five balls later Dawson was bowled shouldering arms to the Australian.

Neil McKenzie and James Vince briefly steadied the ship as Hampshire limped to fifty in the 21st over, but the latter was then smartly run out as Hogan at mid-wicket swooped on the ball to leave the youngster stranded out of his ground. The Australian then struck in his next over as he trapped Sean Ervine l.b.w. with a full length delivery before Adam Wheater became the second batsman to be bowled shouldering arms as Hogan sent his off stump cartwheeling out of the ground as Hampshire's nosedive continued to 53/6.

Neil McKenzie responded by unfurling a coruscating off-drive against Hogan as together with Sohail Tanvir the seventh wicket pair survived until tea.

After the clatter of wickets between lunch and tea at the SWALEC - mirroring the drama at Trent Bridge - Hampshire resumed on 75/6 with Neil McKenzie and Sohail Tanvir attempting to continue their rearguard action, watchfully working the ball around against Mike Reed and Dean Cosker. A nudge into the legside by Tanvir brought up the 100 in the 39th over before another series of dabs and glides brought McKenzie his half-century from 117 deliveries.

This followed some lusty swipes by Tanvir who lofted Jim Allenby high over square-leg for six before harpooning Cosker to long-on for another maximum. He then reverse-swept the spinner for four before McKenzie greeted the return of Reed by pulling him for four. But three successive no-balls. Glamorgan lost their second bowler - with Owen still sidelined with a back niggle - as Reed trudged off with another ailment leaving Marcus North to complete the over.

The obdurate McKenzie then leg-glanced Allenby for four before drilling him through mid-off for four as the pair completed a century stand, but two balls later Allenby gleefully held onto a sharp return chance as Hampshire lost their seventh wicket on 154. Two runs later, the all-rounder held a smart catch at slip as Tanvir prodded forward to North.

Hogan duly returned for a final salvo but David Balcombe and Danny Briggs remained resolute until the final over of the day when North bowled Balcombe to set up the prospects of an enthralling day's play tomorrow.