Rudolph's century helps Glamorgan to 337/4

With the thermometers having risen and the past week being dominated by long spells of warm sunshine, Glamorgan's cricketers have been hoping that, unlike their two previous Championship games against Leicestershire and Essex, the weather will not intervene to mar their contest with Kent. But yesterday evening, in overcast conditions, it was a case of the visitors making hay whilst the sun didn't shine. With the light being deemed unsafe for the quicker bowlers, Mark Wallace recalled his spinners Andrew Salter and Dean Cosker but after a brief salvo of blows from Mitch Claydon to take Kent closer to a second batting point, Wallace indicated that he would recall the seamers for the final four overs, so off the players trooped with Kent on 236-8.


The overhead conditions were brighter this morning as the visitors resumed against Michael Hogan and Jim Allenby, with the former nearly catching a return drive from Claydon who celebrated his good fortune by drilling the next delivery to the boards at long-off. Hogan showed his displeasure by bouncing him next ball but Claydon continued his charmed life by top-edging the ball over the head of the wicket-keeper with the ball speeding away to the ropes to bring up the 250 and another point. But next over, Claydon miscued another pull at a short ball from Hogan and Ruaidhri Smith took an excellent catch running around the boundary at long-leg. Three runs later, the Australian completed his "five-for" as he bowled Robbie Joseph.


Claydon and Joseph took the new ball as Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg began Glamorgan's reply. The latter struck the first boundary as he carved Claydon over the head of gully for four but next over he edged a delivery from Joseph into wicket-keeper Sam Billings' gloves as Glamorgan lost their first wicket with 8 runs on the board. Wallace then joined Rudolph and he began by clipping Claydon to backward square-leg for four.


Rudolph also cover drove Joseph for four before swatting him just over the outstretched hands of Ben Harmison who was stationed at fourth slip. There was nothing fortuitous though about his next boundary as he steered a short ball to the point boundary. He then greeted Darren Stevens by glancing his first delivery to the ropes at fine-leg before getting a thick edge to the third ball which sped to third man as Glamorgan reached the half-century mark after a dozen overs.

Glamorgan began the afternoon session on 61/1 with Darren Stevens and Robbie Joseph bowling in tandem. Mark Wallace square drove the latter for four in his second over of the session whilst Jacques Rudolph thick-edged Stevens to third man.


Wallace then drilled Joseph to mid-off for another rasping four before driving Stevens through backward point. Rudolph then clipped Claydon behind square en route to a 100-ball fifty, but only after surviving being bowled by a no-ball from Claydon as the Welsh county reached the 100-mark in the 30^th over.


To the next delivery Wallace also completed his half-century from 79 balls as he carved a ball from Claydon to third man, whilst next over Rudolph unfurled another sublime boundary as he despatched the seamer through extra cover. Wallace then despatched Claydon for successive fours through backward point and extra cover before Adam Riley returned to the attack with the youngster being lofted to wide long-on and third man in successive deliveries by Rudolph as Glamorgan reached the 150-mark as the second wicket pair continued to chisel away at the deficit.


Rudolph deftly cut Riley for four to bring up the 150-run stand before drilling Adam Ball through extra cover and square-leg for successive fours as he closed in on his first hundred for the Welsh county and his first since March 2012.

Having gone through the afternoon session without losing a wicket, the complexion of the game changed immediately after tea as Glamorgan firstly lost Mark Wallace to the second ball after the interval as he was caught behind by Sam Billings off Adam Riley, thereby ending the second wicket stand which had added 181 in 48 overs and just ten runs short of becoming the best for that wicket in first-class cricket for Glamorgan against Kent, set by Alan Jones and Tony Lewis at Gravesend in England's Word Cup-winning summer of 1966 when they added 190.


Jacques Rudolph was joined by Ben Wright who opened his account by sweeping Riley for four. Rudolph then brought up the 200 with an exquisite cover drive against Riley before driving Joseph square of the wicket - his 165^th delivery - to complete his first century in first-class cricket since March 2012 at Dunedin when he posted 105* for South Africa against New Zealand, and his first in the Championship since August 2011 when he made 120 for Yorkshire against Sussex.


His fine innings ended though shortly afterwards as he got an under edge to a cut against Joseph with Billings taking his third catch as Kent gained their first bowling point. Next over, 215/3 became 215/4 as Billings claimed his fourth catch as Wright departed sweeping at Riley.


Chris Cooke began by driving Joseph through extra cover before Allenby cut the spinner for four, followed by a massive sweep for six into to the Grandstand. The all-rounder then pulled Joseph for four before swatting a short ball from Riley through extra cover followed next over by a coruscating drive through mid-off for another high-class boundary as Glamorgan reached the 250-mark and another point in the 65^th over before taking the lead as Cooke cut Riley for four.


Each batsman then secured a three through extra cover against Riley before Allenby leg-glanced Riley for four followed by a harpooned six over mid-wicket against the spinner en route to a 55-ball fifty, completed with a square-cut for four against Claydon as Glamorgan secured another batting point in the 77^th over as they went past the 300-mark.


A cover drive by Cooke against Claydon brought up the 100-stand as the pair continue to prosper against the weary bowlers and further extended the lead in the early evening sunshine, with Cooke completing his fifty from 88 balls in the penultimate over as he off-drove Claydon after Kent had taken the new ball.