Hamish Marshall acted as the sheet anchor of the visitor's innings
Lunchtime Report
Most of the trees at the River End are still without their leaves, but as testified by the bird song around the ground yesterday, plus the sound of leather on willow, Spring is most definitely in the air at the SWALEC Stadium with Glamorgan's cricketers engaged in their first pre-season contest against their Severnside neighbours. Half centuries by James Kettleborough and Mark Wallace, as well as the sunshine which bathed the Stadium for most of the afternoon, warmed the hearts and hands of the spectators who attended what is the earliest inter-county fixture ever staged in Wales.
Visitors from across the water would also have been heartened by a pleasing innings from Hamish Marshall, with the former Kiwi Test batsman unbeaten on 44 by the time the light had dimmed shortly before six o'clock, forcing the umpires to call an early finish with Gloucestershire on 101/4 after 30 overs.
In contrast to yesterday, and the leaden grey skies throughout the morning, there was barely a cloud in the sky when play began with Graham Wagg and Ruaidhri Smith resuming the bowling duties. Marshall duly despatched his first ball of the day, from Smith, through backward point for four before caressing the third off the front foot through cover to complete his fifty from 72 deliveries.
He celebrated with a pair of cover drives against each bowler before his partner, Cameron Herring added a pair himself against Smith. But the young bowler gained revenge later in the over as he bowled Herring with the total on 134. With Iain Cockbain resuming his innings after retiring hurt with a damaged digit Craig Meschede duly replaced Wagg whilst Will Owen took over from Smith at the Cathedral Road End.
Cockbain showed no sign of discomfort as he steered Owen through extra cover for four, before Meschede found the edge of Marshall's bat with the ball flying high between second slip and gully to the vacant third man boundary. The all-rounder beat the edge on several further occasions during his probing spell at the River End, whilst Cockbain pierced the ring of off-side fielders with a couple of flowing drives before thick-edging Owen past gully for four.
Jack Murphy and Dean Cosker then had a spell in tandem with Marshall square-driving the former, before Cockbain brought up the fifty stand with a forcing off-drive against the latter. However he then sparred at a rising ball from Murphy and was caught by Mark Wallace. 187/6 saw Jack Taylor join Marshall and he announced his arrival by lofting Cosker straight for six. Shortly before lunch there was an all North Walian bowling partnership as Dewi Penrhyn Jones bowled in tandem with David Lloyd who was on-driven for four by Taylor.
In the final over before lunch, Marshall glided LLoyd to third man to complete his 161-ball century.
Fuller struck a 37-ball fifty
Afternoon update
Resuming after lunch on 218/6, Jack Taylor despatched Dewi Penrhyn Jones through the covers for four, but the flame-haired pace bowler had the last laugh as to the final ball of the over , the Gloucestershire man top edged a pull with James Kettleborough completing a good catch running in from deep backward square-leg. James Fuller came in and started with a four to third man and then a cavalier six over long-off against Ruaidhri Smith who returned at the River End.
With the total on 234, Marshall's innings came to an end as he tried to sneak a single to Jack Murphy at mid-on, but the youngster's throw left the veteran batsman well short of his ground at the bowler's end and he departed for 104 after batting, largely in an untroubled vein, for a fraction over four hours.
Fuller, who had been joined by David Payne, continued to bat in a cavalier manner, merrily swatting Penrhyn Jones square for four and then unleashing a lusty drive of which the legendary Gilbert Jessop would have been proud, high over mid-off. A mix-up in calling then saw Fuller almost run out after aborting an attempted second run. But despite having slipped up in mid-pitch and desperately lunging back with an outstretched bat, he survived courtesy of a fumble by the fielder who ran in to remove the bails at the bowler's end.
Fuller then turned his attention to Will Owen, smearing him through mid-wicket for another rustic four before drilling Smith through mid-on. With the total on 271, Owen bowled Payne but Fuller continued his merry spree pulling Craig Meschede for six into the Pavilion seating before swatting him over backward point to complete a 36-ball fifty. He celebrated by clubbing Meschede over long-on and mid-wicket for six, besides driving Dean Cosker back over his head for four, whereupon Gloucestershire declared on 311/9 with Fuller unbeaten on 75.
Glamorgan had thirty minutes batting before tea, with James Kettleborough and Will Bragg safely negotiating the new ball attack of Fuller and Matt Taylor as Glamorgan reached 8/0 at the interval.
James Kettleborough came within two runs of completing his second fifty of the game
Close of Play Report
A century from Hamish Marshall plus an unbeaten 75 by James Fuller saw Gloucestershire declare on 311/9 on the final day of their two-day friendly against Glamorgan at the SWALEC Stadium. Trailing by 109 runs, the Welsh county made129/1 in their second innings with Will Bragg making 60 and James Kettleborough an unbeaten 48 as the game ended in a draw.
Resuming after tea on 8/0 James Kettleborough and Will Bragg continued to steadily accumulate as Spring sunshine once again bathed the Cardiff ground. The former cover drove and late cut David Payne with aplomb, whilst the latter punched Tom Hampton off the back foot through point before pulling him for four.
Bragg also straight drove and pulled Hampton before straight-driving Payne, whilst Kettleborough flayed Kieran Noema-Barnett through backward point for four as Glamorgan serenely moved past the 50-mark. The opener then clipped the Kiwi to the ropes at mid-wicket before Bragg greeted the introduction of Jack Taylor's spin by driving him to long-off and mid-wicket in successive balls, before completing an 82-ball fifty by again drilling the off-spinner through mid-off.
Kettleborough also unfurled a pair of sweetly-timed drives through the leg-side with Glamorgan reaching 100 in the 28
th over as Bragg regally drove Noema-Barnett for four through extra-cover. But with the total on 108 and the arrears almost erased, their stand was ended by Taylor as Bragg was caught at backward point having made 60 in unruffled fashion.
As the shadows lengthened, Chris Cooke joined Kettleborough who struck Taylor for successive fours through the covers shortly before the contest ended.