Allenby (77) helps Glamorgan reach 231 at Cardiff

Despite torrential rain having fallen for much of Tuesday and throughout the night, the mopping up operations by the eager groundstaff allowed play to start promptly on time with Glamorgan making one change to their line-up which narrowly lost to Lancashire at Colwyn Bay with Graham Wagg returning in place of John Glover.

With a decent cloud cover and dampness still in the air, Essex had no hesitation in opting to bowl first with young Reece Topley and the veteran David Masters each bowling a probing new ball spell. Despite their many miles of travel there appeared to be no signs of any weariness in the visiting attack as, with the total on 6, Masters made the initial incision as Ben Wright was caught by Ben Foakes at bat-pad as he propped forward to the old sorcerer, whose apprentice nearly struck three balls later as Will Bragg edged the left-armer over the head of second slip to post the day's first boundary before adding a more orthodox four off the back foot later in the over.

Stewart Walters then clipped Masters to the ropes at square-leg to take the total to 30 before Graham Napier struck with his first delivery as Bragg edged into James Foster's gloves. Marcus North duly joined Walters who on three occasions forcibly steered Napier to the extra cover boundary before cutting Topley, who had switched ends, as Glamorgan sailed past the 50-mark in the 15th over.

Walters - who made a fine century at Colchester last summer - continued his assault on the Essex attack as he scythed Topley through backward point for four before greeting the appearance of Ravi Bopara by drilling him through mid-off for another boundary. A crisp on-drive by Walters brought up the fifty stand before he reached his own half-century from 51 balls with the batsman celebrating by clipping Masters through mid-wicket for four.

Masters though helped Essex secure their first bowling point as to the last ball of the 25th over, North edged to Tim Phillips in the gully with Glamorgan on 87/3.

Stewart Walters with 67 top-scored for the Welsh county and after ending the morning the session by despatching Napier for four, he resumed after lunch by driving Masters through mid-off. But the Welsh county then stuttered from 97/3 at lunch to 114/6 at 2.30pm. Their collapse began in the fourth over of the session as Reece Topley clean bowled Murray Goodwin as Glamorgan lost their fourth wicket on 104.

Next over, the left-armer ended Walters' innings as he upper cut a short ball straight to Greg Smith on the extra cover boundary, and as the crestfallen batsman departed a heavy shower forced the players off for a quarter of an hour. Jim Allenby began by firmly off-driving Masters for three but to the last ball of the over, the veteran bowled Mark Wallace as the ball cannoned off the batsman's pads and into the stumps.

Graham Wagg began with a booming off-drive for four against Topley before Graham Napier and Ravi Bopara had a spell in tandem as the seventh wicket pair looked to rebuild the innings. Allenby swatted Napier for four before being dropped at both first and second slip in the space of four balls as he attempted further drives against the increasingly irate all-rounder.

In the 51st over Wagg departed for 13 as he attempted a flamboyant cut against Bopara shortly before another heavy shower forced the players off the field for an early tea.

The pair began their fightback in the final session after the heavy shower, which had prompted an early tea with the home side on 142/7, had moved away as swiftly as it had arrived. The latter began by twice driving Graham Napier to the cover boundary before deftly leg-glancing Ravi Bopara for four. He then added another boundary to his tally by swatting Napier to the vacant third man position before reaching his fifty from 77 balls by cutting Bopara for four.

The left-arm spin of Tim Phillips was then introduced, whilst Reece Topley returned at the Cathedral Road End, with the seamer also being despatched by Allenby to third man, before a square-cut by Allenby for four against Phillips brought up the fifty partnership. The obdurate Cosker also helped Glamorgan to a first batting point - and the first by a side batting first this summer at the SWALEC Stadium.

Allenby continued to unfurl some deft blows, nurdling Greg Smith for four through backward point, whilst the quixotic Cosker struck his first four after eighty minutes at the crease as he crisply clipped Topley through mid-wicket. But after adding 77 in 24 overs, the doughty stand was ended as Bopara returned to the attack and trapped Allenby leg before.

With Glamorgan on 213/8 Michael Hogan joined Cosker and opened his account with a rasping cover drive against Napier. Cosker also swung lustily against the all-rounder and collected a four through backward point before David Masters returned with the new ball. Hogan then holed out at mid-off as Topley completed a good running catch before Masters ended the innings by having Cosker caught at mid-on to finish with figures of 5/44.

This left Essex with seven overs to face and they were soon in trouble as Hogan bowled Tom Westley who opted to shoulder arms to the fourth ball of the innings. Masters then came in as night-watchman but with the total on 10 he departed leg before to Hogan as the initiative swung back to Glamorgan.