Ingram leads Glamorgan rally at Chesterfield

Today is the 127^th anniversary of the formation of Glamorgan CCC and there has been a royal air to events, with HRH The Prince of Wales - who is the Club's Patron - visiting the SSE SWALEC this morning ahead of the opening match in the Investec Ashes series, whilst the county's players are in action at Queen's Park, seeking to record their fifth successive victory in the LV=County Championship this season.

Glamorgan made two changes to their line-up from the side which defeated Leicestershire at Cardiff a fortnight ago with David Lloyd returning in place of Chris Cooke who is absent for family reasons whilst Ruaidhri Smith appeared in place of Andy Carter who has returned to Nottinghamshire. Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg opened the batting for the Welsh county after Derbyshire had won the toss and invited the visitors to have first use of the green-tinged strip under a heavy cloud cover.

Just as Mark Footitt opened the bowling a few drops of rain started to fall but the home team's decision to bowl first was vindicated as firstly Tony Palladino bowled Rudolph with the third ball of his opening over, before Footitt struck as Ben Wright was caught behind by Harvey Hosein in the third over. With Glamorgan on 10/2, Colin Ingram joined Will Bragg who had struck a boundary in the opening over but shortly afterwards, the rain intensified and the umpires - Paul Baldwin and Martin Saggers - took the players off the field in the 5^th over with Glamorgan on 13/2.

The rain briefly eased allowing the players to return, but only for two balls, as Footitt delivered a no ball and was also struck for four by Bragg, before the rains returned and an early lunch was taken.

After a lengthy interruption for persistent drizzle and gloomy light, play resumed at 2.40pm with Mark Footitt and Tony Palladino resuming the bowling to Will Bragg and Colin Ingram, with Derbyshire employing attacking fields in search of further inroads into the visitors batting. Each batsman struck leg-side boundaries with Bragg also facing a ball from Footitt that flew over the outstretched gloves of Harvey Hosein for four byes, whilst Ingram also faced several steeply rising deliveries from the new ball attack.

Just five overs were possible though in the session before the light deteriorated again and the players left the field shortly after 3.00pm with Glamorgan on 36/2. Shortly after the players left the field, it started to rain again as the covers and protective sheets came back onto the outfield.

An early tea had been taken at 3.10pm with Glamorgan on 36/2, and play resumed at 3.45pm but just two further overs were possible before the light deteriorated again and the umpires took the players off for the fourth time with the Welsh county on 43/2.

Play resumed at 5.30pm with Derbyshire looking to make further inroads, and with the home side deploying attacking fields, both Colin Ingram and Will Bragg put bat to ball, punishing anything loose from Tony Palladino and Mark Footitt. Bragg deployed his trademark stroke, punching the ball off the back foot but with the total on 73, in the 17^th over, he was bowled by Tom Taylor as he appeared to get an inside edge to a delivery which kept a fraction low.

With Mark Wallace as his new partner, Ingram imperiously drilled Palladino through point and through mid-off for further boundaries from successive deliveries, but next over, Wallace was struck a painful blow on his left thumb by a sharply rising delivery from Taylor. After treatment from the physiotherapist, he retired hurt and Craig Meschede duly joined Ingram , with the all-rounder getting off the mark with boundaries to fine-leg and square from successive balls.

Ingram also upper cut Footitt for four high over the slips before ferociously square-cutting the next delivery as the ball sped to the ropes for another boundary. Meschede then brought up the hundred by also square-cutting Taylor. Shiv Thakor then came on to bowl at the Duck Pond End and was on-driven and cut for successive fours by Ingram, before adding a third four in the over he drilled the all-rounder to mid-off. He then on-drove Footitt to mid-on for four to complete a 64-ball fifty with his twelfth four. In Thakor's next over he added two more to his tally as he drove the ball nonchalantly through extra cover besides flicking it to fine-leg.

Meschede then greeted Alex Hughes by on-driving and flicking him to fine-leg for a couple of fours as the Glamorgan rally continued in the closing overs. Ingram also drove Hughes over the head of the fielder at point before Meschede squirted a ball to third man from Footitt, who was also plagued by a series of no balls. Ingram added another four to his tally - his 16th four - as he despatched Hughes through extra cover as the Welsh county ended the day on 167/3.