Glamorgan lead Kent by 220 runs at the end of day two at Cardiff

The bowlers had enjoyed the better of the opening day of the contest when, in all, fifteen wickets tumbled, at times like leaves in a deciduous woodland, and Glamorgan's bowlers were hoping that the autumnal conditions would be in their favour as they looked to make further inroads into the Kent line-up as they resumed on 102/5, still trailing by 56 runs, with possibility of Glamorgan securing a first innings lead.

The overhead conditions though were much clearer this morning with a skyline of high, wispy cirrus rather than the bank of grey cumulus which dominated yesterday's proceedings. Dean Cosker began with an over of spin before Michael Hogan and Mike Reed resumed in tandem to Daniel Bell-Drummond and night-watchman Adam Riley. After Bell-Drummond had on-driven Cosker for four, Riley clipped Reed through backward point. Bell-Drummond duly reached his fifty from 111 balls, steering Reed through the slip cordon for four before deftly glancing Hogan to long-leg for four.

But with the total on 136, Reed ended Riley's stay at the crease as he bowled him with a full length delivery. Jim Allenby then returned at the River End and he was punched through cover by Geraint Jones. Hogan duly switched to the Cathedral Road End and found the edge of Bell-Drummond's bat, with the ball dropping short of first slip. Next over Jones steered successive balls from the Australian for four through the covers and for three to mid-wicket as Kent took the lead.

Ruaidhri Smith had replaced Allenby at the Cathedral Road End and with Kent on 159, the former pupil of Shrewsbury School struck again as Jones drilled a ball into the hands of Ben Wright at cover point. Calum Haggett responded by driving Smith through the covers for four, but with the Kent score on 171, Hogan trapped Bell-Drummond on the pads and had the l.b.w. appeal upheld. Two balls later, another delivery from Hogan struck the pads of Mark Davies, but this time the ball cannoned into the stumps. Next over, Charlie Shreck feathered an outside edge into Wallace's gloves as Kent were dismissed with a lead of 17 runs.

Gareth Rees then safely negotiated the solitary over remaining in the morning session.

Will Bragg began the afternoon session by twice clipping Charlie Shreck to the ropes at square-leg before Gareth Rees, who had survived the solitary over before lunch, drilled Mark Davies to long-off But with the total on 15 and the arrears still to be wiped off, Bragg departed leg before to Davies. Two balls later, it became 15/2 as Geraint Jones took a fine diving catch to pouch an outside edge from Murray Goodwin's bat.

Chris Cooke duly moved Glamorgan into the ascendancy with a pair of clipped strokes to square-leg before despatching Shreck to long-on with a booming drive for four. Rees added to the boundary count by pulling a pair of short balls from the tall pace bowler to the mid-wicket - the first, much to the angst of Shreck - through the sprawling efforts of Sam Northeast. Cooke then swatted a pair of short, wide deliveries from Calum Haggett to the point boundary but next over, the South African-born batsman was struck a painful blow on his torso by the seamer, but he quickly recovered and showed his well-being by clipping the bowler to mid-wicket for three.

Adam Riley's off-spin was introduced shortly afterwards, and Rees greeted the change by straight-driving the youngster for four and six, but next over the youngster gained revenge as Cooke inside-edged his first delivery from the slow bowler as Daniel Bell-Drummond completed the catch at bat-pad. 82/3 saw Ben Wright join Rees, who continued to find the ropes by nurdling Stevens through the slips.

Wright duly struck his first four by lofting Riley over Ben Harmison at mid-on, but only just as the tall batsman leaped up with out-stretched arms and nearly clung onto the ball. Wright added another more forthright four as he lofted the spinner to long-off before steering Stevens to the vacant third man position as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark in the 32nd over. Shortly before tea, there was a moment of good fortune for Rees who inside-edged a drive against Riley which missed his leg stump.

He celebrated with an off-drive for four as he completed a 92-ball fifty shortly before the interval.

A stoic half-century by Gareth Rees had taken Glamorgan to 121/3 at tea, and further runs from the opener after the interval would have greatly assisted Glamorgan's quest of building a sizeable lead. The break though appeared to come at the right time for the visitors as the seamers immediately returned after the interval and in his first over, Calum Haggett removed Rees as he edged a drive into Geraint Jones' gloves.

But home morale was swiftly boosted as Jim Allenby began with a crisp drive to mid-wicket against Mark Davies followed by a pair of booming straight drives by Ben Wright. Allenby added another scorching cover drive in Haggett's next over before pulling him to mid-wicket, but the bowler made further inroads into the home batting as he trapped Wright leg before with the total on 155.

Mark Wallace then joined Allenby who greeted the return of Adam Riley at the River End by harpooning him for six over mid-wicket, with Wallace also showing aggressive intent as he lofted Haggett over extra cover for four. But Riley then made a decisive breakthrough as he tempted Allenby into a repeat of his sweep over the leg-side boundary and induced a miscued blow which Haggett held at deep square-leg

With Glamorgan on 179/6 Ruadhri Smith made his way to the middle before Wallace clipped Charlie Shreck to mid-wicket for four. Smith then steered Shreck to the ropes at third man before a series of scampered one's and two's saw Glamorgan to the 200-mark in the 59th over. Wallace also guided Shreck to third man for four but three balls later he feathered an outside edge into Jones' gloves.

Dean Cosker announced his arrival by biffing a couple of off-side blows before glancing Riley to long-leg for four. Another crisp drive for three from Cosker's bat helped Glamorgan secure a lead in excess of 200. Smith also unfurled a sumptuous cover drive followed by a pull for four as play ended for the day shortly afterwards with the match finely balanced.