Lancashire trail Glamorgan by 15 runs at Colwyn Bay

Once again, the Glamorgan bowlers had prospered as a unit yesterday as they performed admirably on the Rhos-on-Sea wicket, with Michael Hogan making the initial incisions before John Glover's decisive strikes after lunch as for the second Championship match in a succession a visiting team failed to pick up a batting point. Some watchful application by the top order had seen Glamorgan finish the opening day just 13 runs in arrears, and the principle task for the overnight pairing of Jim Allenby and Murray Goodwin this morning was to consolidate on the position and also to ward off Jimmy Anderson whose three wickets last evening had kept Glamorgan in check.

Anderson duly resumed the bowling with Glen Chapple, with both bowlers beating the outside edge before a firmly punched drive through extra cover by Allenby against Chapple wiped off the deficit. The all-rounder then clipped Anderson to square-leg for another four before sending the next delivery, short of a length outside off stump, crashing through backward point.

Goodwin also punished a short delivery from Chapple with the veteran adding to his boundary tally as the ball sped to the ropes at extra cover before the flurry of fours continued as Allenby cover drove Anderson with aplomb before nonchalantly clipping him through mid-wicket. This was the first of three successive fours as next ball, Allenby brought up the 150 as he deftly guided Anderson through the slips before cover driving the next ball to the fence in front of the pavilion.

The spin of Simon Kerrigan was then introduced and, as last night, the left-arm twirler struck in his first over as Allenby chipped a ball to short mid-wicket and departed for an assertive 46 from 52 balls. But 156/5 then became 156/6 as Mark Wallace was smartly caught at short-leg as he tried to sweep the spinner with Karl Brown pouching the ball as he moved around to his left.

John Glover then helped Goodwin to stabilise things for a dozen overs until being adjudged lbw as he played forward to the left-arm spinner. Dean Cosker - in his 200th first-class appearance for Glamorgan - duly joined Goodwin and drilled Procter through mid-off before Goodwin did the same to Kerrigan through the covers shortly before lunch as Cosker departed l.b.w. to Kyle Hogg in the over before the interval

After Dean Cosker had fallen in the over before lunch, Michael Hogan joined Murray Goodwin who began the afternoon session by late cutting Simon Kerrigan for four en route to an invaluable 110-ball fifty. Hogan then deposited Kerrigan onto the Embankment for six but he then perished attempting to repeat the stroke against Kyle Hogg as Karl Brown took the catch at backward point.

Goodwin added another four to his tally as he on-drove Hogg before Lancashire took the new ball with Jimmy Anderson returning to the fray. Goodwin greeted the new cherry with a fine off-drive against Hogg but in the third over, he dragged a ball from Hogg onto his stumps and departed for a fine 69 as Glamorgan were dismissed for 242.

Facing a deficit of 119, Luke Procter and Paul Horton began Lancashire's reply by each striking fours in the opening overs bowled by John Glover and Hogan, but the latter struck yet again in his early salvo as Procter edged to wicket-keeper Mark Wallace with just nine runs on the board.

Karl Brown began the post-tea session by driving Mike Reed to third man for four, but the tall seamer made the initial incision after the interval as Paul Horton edged into Mark Wallace's safe gloves with Lancashire on 43 and still 76 runs in arrears. Brown responded by cover driving Hogan for four, but with the total on 49 his middle stump was sent cart-wheeling out of the ground by the Australian paceman.

This brought the big guns of Ashwell Prince and Simon Katich together, and the latter immediately clipped Jim Allenby uppishly through mid-wicket. John Glover also returned to the attack as Lancashire's fourth wicket pair watchfully steadied the ship. The sequence of dot balls and singles ended as Prince edged Allenby for four through the slips, before Dean Cosker had a spell at the Embankment End with Katich driving him through mid-off for four as well as clipping Allenby to fine-leg.

Hogan returned shortly before the close at the Penrhyn Avenue End and was driven straight by Katich for four to further chisel away at the deficit, besides bringing up the stubborn fifty stand. But in his final over of the day Hogan ended their resistance as Prince was l.b.w. padding up to the paceman with the total on 101.