A defiant 84* by Gareth Rees plus another half-century from Murray Goodwin guided Glamorgan to 196/3 at the end of the second day of their LV=County Championship match against Hampshire at the SWALEC Stadium having earlier dismissed the visitors for 341.
With the ball barely fifteen overs old, Glamorgan were looking this morning to make further inroads into the visitor's batting, whilst the batsmen from the South Coast were eyeing up the 300, and possibly the 350, mark for further batting points before the end of 110 overs.
With Will Owen temporarily off the field, it was Jim Allenby who resumed the bowling duties with Hogan and the pair combined in the Australian's second over of the morning as Dawson's watchful vigil ended as he edged to first slip with the total on 281 as Glamorgan secured another bowling point. Sohail Tanvir, like the rest of his colleagues bar Ervine, opened his account with a four through the slip cordon, but he was not so fortunate two balls later as he feathered a delivery into Mark Wallace's gloves.
286/7 saw the arrival of Danny Briggs at the crease as Hogan continued his parsimonious spell, conceding just a single in his opening four overs of the morning whilst Allenby repeatedly beat the outside edge of Briggs bat. Dean Cosker's spin was then re-introduced in the 107th over and Wheater nearly holed out to mid-on, before Briggs brought up the 300 with a flick to long-leg against Allenby.
The first authentic boundary of the day duly came up after seventy five minutes play as Briggs cover drove Cosker before Wheater added to his boundary tally, steering Allenby through the vacant third slip position before Mike Reed returned to the attack at the River End. But it was Cosker who ended the eighth wicket stand with the total on 331 as Wheater top-edged a reverse sweep into Owen's hands at backward point.
Briggs' quixotic innings continued as he spooned a ball from Reed just over Ben Wright's head at point before swatting the tall bowler to long-leg. But Reed gained revenge as David Balcombe - with the total on 338 - edged into Wallace's gloves before Cosker removed Tomlinson courtesy of a slip catch by Allenby.
With Rees scampering a couple of singles, Wright clipped Tomlinson to square-leg but next ball he edged into Wheater's gloves as Glamorgan lost their first wicket on 24. Rees then clipped Tanvir to square-leg, but the Pakistani swiftly removed Stewart Walters who edged to Sean Ervine at first slip as Glamorgan slipped to 35/2.
James Vince then replaced Tanvir at the Cathedral Road End and nearly removed Marcus North who edged just wide of gully as the ball sped away for four. Rees brought up the fifty with a firm off-drive for four against Tomlinson before steering Vince through backward point, whilst North square-drove David Balcombe when the burly seamer returned at the River End.
Rees then steered both Balcombe and Vince to the third man ropes for four before despatching the latter firmly through point as he steadily unfurled a range of forceful blows prior to the introduction of Danny Briggs' left-arm spin at the Cathedral Road End. Rees responded by sweeping him for four before guiding Balcombe again through the vacant third slip position for four. But with the total on 84, North advanced down the wicket to his first delivery from Briggs and was stumped by Wheater.
With twenty minutes remaining before tea, Murray Goodwin joined Rees and began assertively with drives through the covers and mid-wicket before Tanvir returned for a quick burst before the interval. However, it was Briggs who was savagely cut for four by the wily veteran as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark in the 34th over, before in the penultimate over before tea Gareth Rees swept Briggs again to complete a 110-ball fifty.
Danny Briggs briefly returned at the Cathedral Road End with James Vince operating at the River End as a single from Rees brought up the fifty stand and also prompted the return of Sohail Tanvir as Hampshire strove to break the stubborn partnership. But the pair continued to quietly work the ball around in the late afternoon sunshine with Goodwin also pulling Vince for an all-run four.
The spin of Liam Dawson was also introduced in the final hour in tandem with Briggs but both Rees and Goodwin continued their steady accumulation with the former nonchalantly despatching Dawson to the ropes at mid-wicket, before the latter twice swept Briggs for four in the space of three deliveries. Goodwin then cover drove Briggs for four before another deft sweep by Rees brought up the century stand.
In the final over of the day, Goodwin reached his fifty from 115 deliveries and Glamorgan supporters will be hoping for further runs from the pair tomorrow morning as the home side chisels away at the deficit.