Hampshire lead Glamorgan by 360 runs

"Autumn - a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness", so wrote the romantic poet John Keats. Despite reports to the contrary, there was no mist - only a heavy dew which threatened the start of play yesterday at the SWALEC Stadium - but as events unfolded there was plenty of fruitfulness in the visiting camp. This had though looked unlikely on a morning when events at Glamorgan's headquarters looked like mirroring what was happening elsewhere with the latest round of Championship matches seeing the tumble of wickets like leaves being shed during an October storm as Jim Allenby helped to reduce Hampshire to 53/5.


If the bright and sunny morning had belonged to the Welsh county, the balmy afternoon was definitely Hampshire's, though the passage of events might have been very different had a catch been taken to remove James Vince in the opening over after lunch, followed by an l.b.w. appeal against Sean Ervine later in the session. Both men survived and posted centuries during a record sixth wicket stand for Hampshire against Glamorgan, which saw 225 added in 57.3 overs to give the visitors a decent platform upon which to press for victory and to clinch promotion into Division One.


Meteorological conditions at first were very different this morning following overnight precipitation and rain was still falling from leaden skies as the players and officials started to arrive at the ground. The skies soon cleared and following an umpire's inspection at 10 a.m., play began on time as Hampshire looked for early wickets to further boost their promotion hopes.


For Glamorgan's opening pair - Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg - there were individual as opposed to collective milestones facing them this morning with the latter needing 17 runs to complete a 1,000 first-class runs for the season, and the former 65 to amass 2,000 runs in all competitions in 2014. But Bragg was dismissed for a duck by the ninth ball of the day as Matt Coles clean bowled the southpaw.


2/1 saw Mark Wallace join Rudolph who unfurled a pair of booming drives through mid-off and extra cover against James Tomlinson. Wallace also struck a four but this followed a dab into the off-side and an overthrow from the fielder with the ball speeding away to the boundary. Rudolph then unleashed a rasping drive through backward point against Tomlinson before Wallace played a more deftly played glide through the same area against the left-armer.


Rudolph greeted the introduction of Chris Wood into the attack by clipping him to the ropes at square-leg, followed next ball by another well-timed cover drive. But in his next over, and with the total on 50, the bowler gained recompense as he firstly bowled the Springbok with a full length in-swinging delivery, before two balls later, re-arranging Chris Cooke's stumps.

Jim Allenby then clipped the final ball of the over to fine-leg, having arrived at the crease requiring 73 runs to reach the 1,000 run mark for the year. He added a further three to his tally by cover-driving Wood before Wallace greeted the return of Tomlinson shortly before lunch by cover-driving him for four whilst Allenby did the same to Coles as the ball sped to the boards at long-on.

Like yesterday, Hampshire came back into the game after the interval with Glamorgan starting the afternoon session on 100/3 after Imran Tahir had delivered the final over before lunch and had a loud appeal for l.b.w. turned down against Jim Allenby. The leg-spinner though didn't resume immediately after the interval as Chris Wood and Matt Coles bowled in tandem with Mark Wallace striking successive deliveries from the latter through the covers and backward point.


But Wood met with more success as after beating the outside edge of Allenby's bat he turned the batsman around in his next over and Will smith in the gully completed the head high. 112/4 then became 119/5 as Wood bowled Wallace shortly after the Glamorgan captain had completed a 111-ball fifty. The delivery shattered two of the stumps so when debutant Nye Donald arrived in the middle, the seventeen year-old had to wait a couple of minutes until replacement timber had been found.


The teenager got off the mark with a single behind square on the leg-side before steering Wood through backward point for three, but shortly afterwards the tall youngster who is studying A-levels in Economics, Business Studies and Chemistry miscued a pull against Coles and holed out to Tahir at mid-on having made four. Having dropped Mathematics at the end of his Lower Sixth year, he will no doubt be dealing with bigger numbers in the future in county cricket rather than at college!.


134/6 saw Graham Wagg join Lloyd and after guiding Coles for four through the slip cordon, Wagg saw Tahir return to the attack. He advanced down the wicket to the leg-spinner's second delivery and offered a sharp return catch with the South African international could not quite grasp. But in the next over, Lloyd departed to Coles with the total on 139, as he pulled a short ball from the burly bowler straight to Tom Alsop who had been positioned at deep backward square-leg.


Dean Cosker joined Wagg who drilled Coles for four through extra cover, but after guiding Tahir to third man for four, the evergreen spinner was l.b.w. to the Pakistani (his 700^th first-class wicket). 152/8 saw Kieran Bull make his way to the middle with Wagg shortly afterwards despatching Coles again through the covers prior to on-driving James Tomlinson for four. but shortly afterwards, Wagg was bowled by Tahir as he attempted a square-cut with the ball dislodging a bail. 169/9 then became 172 all out as next over Michael Hogan edged Tomlinson to Ervine at first slip with Hampshire securing a lead of 185 runs and opting to bat again rather than enforce the follow-on.

After eschewing to enforce the follow-on, Hampshire batted again with a lead of 185 runs and Will Smith was swiftly into his stride as he carved a short ball from Graham Wagg for four, followed by a pair of drives to the ropes at mid-wicket. Jimmy Adams also struck a early four as he straight drove Michael Hogan before Smith added another four as he clipped Wagg to square-leg.


David Lloyd and Jim Allenby were soon into the attack with Adams striking Lloyd for successive fours before Smith clipped Allenby to mid-wicket. Adams then pulled Lloyd for four before Dean Cosker entered the attack after 19 overs. The spinner was scythed to mid-wicket by the visiting captain as well as being struck back over his head for four by Smith as the lead surpassed the 250-mark.


With the total on 79 Allenby ended the opening stand - and claimed his 49^th first-class wicket of the season - as Smith edged into Wallace's gloves. Liam Dawson was quickly off the mark as he slashed Cosker through the covers but shortly afterwards he edged a forward defensive against the spinner into Wallace's safe gloves as Hampshire lost their second wicket on 88.


James Vince announced his arrival with a cover drive for four against Cosker before Adams did the same next over en route to an 83-ball fifty. He celebrated by pulling Kieran Bull for six and four as the lead went past 300. The youngster then nearly held a sharp return catch off his own bowling as Vince drilled a ball back to the spinner.


With the light deteriorating, Glamorgan kept the two spinners on, but both batsmen found conditions sufficient to blast leg-side fours, but with five overs remaining, Hogan was poised to return but with the light having become too gloomy, the umpires took the players off for ten minutes. Hogan duly delivered the closing overs with Cosker who was harpooned for six and four by Adams in the penultimate over before being caught at short mid-wicket by Will Bragg. The Hampshire captain duly departed for 91 as his side ended the day in a commanding position.