Lancashire declare on 698/5 before Glamorgan slip to 165/6

It's fifteen years since Steve James scored his record- breaking 309* for Glamorgan against Sussex at Colwyn Bay in a match which saw the Welsh county post a mammoth 718/3 in their first innings. The placed and easy-paced wicket for this year's North Wales Festival of county cricket appears to bear the same hallmarks as that in the summer of 2000 with Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince giving a masterclass of batting on the opening day of this contest, with the pair having already added an unbroken 321 for the third wicket.



Michael Hogan resumed the bowling at the Penrhyn Avenue End and in his first over, Prince inside-edged a drive to fine-leg. Graham Wagg returned at the Embankment End but after two balls it started to rain, causing a 35 minute delay and the loss of one over.


When play resumed, Petersen edged Wagg just short of the gully with the four seeing the South African post a career-best score. Two balls later he repeated the stroke as the stand reached 341, making it the highest third wicket stand by a county side against Glamorgan beating the 339 added by Ravi Bopara and Andy Flower for Essex at Sophia Gardens in 2005.


Petersen off-drove Wagg for four to bring up the 350-run stand, before steering the left-armer through backward point. Craig Meschede then replaced Wagg and a clipped single by Prince saw the stand reach 363, beating the unbroken 362 by Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq for the Pakistanis at Pontypridd in 1996 which had been the best by any side in first-class cricket for the third wicket against Glamorgan.


Shortly afterwards, Cosker returned at the Penrhyn Avenue End with Petersen clipping the spinner for a single as the stand reached 365, and became Lancashire's all-time best third wicket stand beating the 364 added by Neil Fairbrother and Mike Atherton against Surrey at The Oval in 1990.


A further single by Prince against Cosker took the stand to 372 making it the highest for any wicket for Lancashire beating the 371 run stand for the second wicket added by Frank Watson and George Tyldesley against Surrey at Old Trafford in 1928. Petersen celebrated by swatting a short ball from Meschede to mid-wicket as the stand reached 375 making it the highest partnership for any wicket at Colwyn Bay, surpassing the 374 added by Glamorgan's Matthew Elliott and Steve James in the run-fest against Sussex in 2000.


At 110 overs, Lancashire were 488/2 meaning that Glamorgan did not secure a bowling point, and a reverse sweep by Petersen against Andrew Salter brought up the 500, before another flick to long-leg by Prince saw the stand reach 402 making it the highest stand for any wicket against Glamorgan beating the 401 added for the fifth wicket by Mal Loye and David Ripley for Northamptonshire in 1998.


The records continued to tumble as a leg-glance by Prince against Salter saw the batsman reach 200 from 230 balls, making it the first time since 1998 that there had been two double-centurions in an innings against Glamorgan. The only previous occasion was when Northamptonshire's Mal Loye scored 322* and David Ripley hit 209 at Wantage Road. Prince celebrated by using one hand to sweep Cosker for four, before driving the next ball from the spinner straight for four and harpooning the next delivery high over the pavilion for six.


Petersen then lofted Salter onto the pavilion roof for six before Colin Ingram returned to the attack shortly before lunch. Prince brought up the 450-stand by lofting Salter over extra cover for four before in the final over of the morning session Petersen reached 269 making it the highest individual score for Lancashire against Glamorgan surpassing Mike Atherton's 268 at Blackpool in 1999.

Resuming after lunch on 566/2 having added 462, Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince continued their record-breaking stand with the first milestone of the afternoon session coming in the opening over, delivered by Craig Meschede, as Lancashire's total became their best-ever total against Glamorgan, beating their 567 at Old Trafford in 2013.


Prince celebrated by pulling the next delivery high over square-leg for six. He then hoisted a no-ball from David Lloyd over the Pavilion for six and almost twenty-four hours after arriving in the middle he reached his 250 by glancing Meschede into the leg-side. He celebrated by pulling Lloyd for six to bring up the 600, before on-driving the all-rounder to wide long-on to reach a career best 261 and to bring up the 500 stand.

But next ball their stand ended as Prince miscued to long-on where Andrew Salter held a good low catch running in, as the stand which had added 501 came to an end and became the second highest in Championship history for the third wicket, surpassed only by the 523 added by Michael Carberry and Neil McKenzie for Hampshire against Yorkshire at the Rose Bowl in 2011.


Steven Croft duly joined Petersen who was 25 short of a maiden triple hundred, and the pair quietly worked the ball around with the former almost being acrobatically caught at cover by a diving Graham Wagg. But with the total on 625 and Petersen on a career-best 286, his innings ended as he lofted a ball to long-off where Michael Hogan held the catch.


James Faulkner came in and began by driving Lloyd to long-on for four before another lofted drive brought up the 650 in the 138^th over. Croft then smeared a drive through backward point against Lloyd before hoisting the all-rounder over deep mid-wicket for six. Faulkner then hoiked Cosker to deep backward square-leg before Croft pulled Ingram for a pair of massive sixes en route to a 46-ball fifty, but in the leg-spinners next over he chipped a ball to Wagg at cover whereupon Lancashire declared on 698/5.


There were 52 overs remaining in the day's quota as Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg began the Glamorgan response with Kyle Jarvis - the leading wicket-taker in the second division - and Glen Chapple opening the bowling. Rudolph had a moment of good fortune as he edged Jarvis over the slip cordon for four before playing a more assured off drive to the ropes, followed by a crisp flick to the boards at mid-wicket.


Next over Rudolph unfurled a rasping square-cut against Jarvis before straight-driving him for another well-timed boundary. After Bragg edged Chapple just short of the slip cordon, Rudolph cover drove the veteran for four, but next ball, Chapple bowled Rudolph with a delivery which appeared to keep a bit low. 35/1 then became 35/2 as Ingram edged a delivery from Chapple into Alex Davies' gloves.


Chris Cooke joined Bragg and late cut Chapple for four before Bragg clipped Faulkner to square-leg for another boundary as Glamorgan went to tea on 51/2.

Glamorgan had reached 51/2 when played resumed after tea with 39 overs remaining, and in the fifth over of the session, the visitors claimed their first bowling point, and Glen Chapple his third wicket as Chris Cooke was bowled shouldering arms. With David Lloyd as his new partner, Will Bragg off-drove James Faulkner for four before clipping him to the mid-wicket ropes. But the Australian gained revenge with his next delivery as he trapped the southpaw leg before.


70/4 saw Mark Wallace join Lloyd who square-cut Chapple for four before glancing Simon Kerrigan to fine-leg for four. Wallace opened his account by twice cover-driving Faulkner for four, whilst Lloyd lofted Kerrigan to long-on for another boundary. He then late cut the spinner for four but he departed in the next over at the Penrhyn Avenue End as Aaron Lilley entered the attack and had Lloyd caught at backward point as he attempted to repeat the stroke, with Glamorgan slipping further to 124/5.


Craig Meschede came in and pulled Jarvis for six before twice cover driving Lilley for four as well as on-driving Lilley for another six. Wallace also cover drove the off-spinner for four, but Kerrigan switched to the Embankment End and in his second over had Meschede caught at short mid-wicket attempting another drive. 157/6 saw Graham Wagg joined Wallace and saw Glamorgan through to the close with Wagg lofting Lilley into Penrhyn Avenue for six in the final over.