Glamorgan dismiss Kent for 309 before losing early wickets

Evidence that the 2015 cricket season is drawing to a close is all around us - the early morning dews, the "Back to School" notices in the shops and the fact that during the past ten days the Welsh capital has played host to cricketers from Australia, as well as the rugby team from Italy and the Israeli footballers. Play duly began at 10.30 this morning, and with clear skies overhead, Kent captain Sam Northeast had no hesitation in opting to bat first.


With Jacques Rudolph on paternity leave following the birth this morning of his son, Mark Wallace was leading a Glamorgan side showing three changes from the one which drew with Lancashire at Old Trafford, with James Kettleborough, Aneurin Donald and debutant Jeremy Lawlor replacing Rudolph, Bragg and Bull for the final home Championship match of the summer at the SSE SWALEC.


However, it was the usual new ball pairing of Michael Hogan and Graham Wagg who were in action at first after Kent had won the toss with opening batsman Daniel Bell-Drummond clipping the fourth ball from Wagg to the backward point boundary. But Hogan removed him with his second delivery as the Australian was clean bowled, with his departure seeing Sean Dickson, the South African with an English passport, make his way to the middle. He duly cover drove Hogan for four before edging him just wide of third slip.


Rob Key struck his first two boundaries by twice glancing Wagg to fine-leg, with the bowler also beating the outside edge of the veteran's bat on several occasions. David Lloyd then replaced Hogan at the Cathedral Road End, with the all-rounder being steered through point and backward square-leg by Key for a pair of fours, before Key brought up the fifty by on-driving Lloyd. Dickson then despatched Lloyd through the covers for four before the off-spin of Andrew Salter entered the fray in the 20^th over.


Key greeted Salter by harpooning his second delivery to mid-wicket for four, before Dickson pulled the fifth to the boundary ropes. Key's next boundary came from a leading edge through point against Meschede before the increasingly assertive Dickson swatted Meschede for a pair of fours. Key then swept Salter for four to complete a 70-ball half-century with Hogan returning at the River End in a bid to regain the upper hand.


Dickson slashed Salter through point for four as the century stand came up, before the Springbok clipped Hogan through mid-on for three en route to his maiden Championship fifty from 78 balls which he celebrated by on-driving Salter. Colin Ingram's leg-spin then appeared for the penultimate over of the session with Lloyd returning at the River End, and with his third delivery ne ended Dickson's innings as he slashed a ball into Wallace's gloves.

With Sean Dickson having departed to what proved to be the final delivery of the pre-lunch session, Sam Northeast joined Rob Key with his side on 127/2, and he began by firmly cutting Lloyd for two before on-driving him for four. The visiting captain duly greeted the return of Wagg by swatting a short ball to the ropes at long-leg before Key inside-edged the left-armer to fine-leg for four, followed a few overs later by a similar stroke when Craig Meschede returned to the attack..


The assertive Northeast then struck successive deliveries from Hogan to square-leg and extra cover for four before Wagg returned and beat the outside edge yet again, but the man who has produced some almost superhuman efforts with bat and ball this season, could not make further headway. In a bid to break the stand, Jeremy Lawlor who this season has converted from off-spin to seam-up, had his first trundle in first-class cricket.


But after four tight overs at the Cathedral Road End, Lloyd returned and with his third delivery he ended Key's stay at the crease as the opener, when seemingly in sight of his 54^th first-class hundred, edged an expansive drive into Wallace's gloves. Joe Denly, who had been unwell earlier in the day, duly made his way to the middle and had an early life as Aneurin Donald at first slip dropped an outside edge as the batsman miscued a drive against Lloyd.


Denly celebrated by biffing Meschede over extra cover and backward point for a pair of fours before Northeast completed a solid fifty from 83 balls. But with the total on 230 Denly's quixotic innings ended as Donald briefly made amends for his earlier blunder by safely pouching an edge as Lloyd claimed his third scalp, but next over, Meschede twice found the outside edge of Northeast's bat only for both chances to be spilled.


Darren Stevens announced his arrival by drilling three fours in an over from Lloyd before Wagg returned shortly before tea. Stevens also drilled Meschede to long-off for four as the veteran stabilised the innings.

Resuming after tea on 259/4, Sam Northeast and Darren Stevens were looking to consolidate on their position and good fortune which had seen three chances dropped during the afternoon session. But to the fifth ball after tea, Northeast edged Michael Hogan with Mark Wallace completing a good low catch to his right. 260/5 then became 264/6 as in his next over Hogan bowled Callum Haggett.


With Ryan Davies as his new partner, Stevens on-drove Lloyd for another coruscating four before steering Hogan through backward point, but Hogan then claimed his third wicket in the space of fourteen balls as Aneurin Donald, diving low to his left at third slip took a good catch to remove Davies.


Matt Coles then made his way to the middle before Stevens completed his fifty from 43 balls by drilling Lloyd over long-off for six, but on 291 Coles became the third successive batsman to depart for nought as he was trapped leg before by Graham Wagg. Stevens responded by hoisting Craig Meschede to long-off but he perished next over attempting to repeat the stroke as Andrew Salter running across from mid-on to mid-off completed the catch. Wagg then claimed the last wicket as he bowled Matt Hunn with Kent ending on 309 having lost their last six wickets for 50 in 14.3 overs after tea,


James Kettleborough and Jeremy Lawlor began Glamorgan's reply with fifteen overs remaining in the day's quota, but after Kettleborough had steered the first delivery through the slip cordon, he was trapped leg before by the fourth delivery from Coles. 4/1/ then became 4/2 as Lawlor was bowled by Hunn with the final ball of the second over.


David Lloyd and Colin Ingram then joined forces with the former cover driving Coles for four before Ingram, struck Haggett for successive fours to mid-wicket and square-leg. But with the total on 35, Ingram edged a drive against Coles with Davies behind the stumps completing the regulation catch.Chris Cooke joined Lloyd and saw Glamorgan to the fifty mark with a pair of rasping square-cuts for four against Stevens, but in the penultimate over of the day, Lloyd drove Riley in the air to mid-on where Stevens completed a diving catch. Salter then came in as night-watchman as Cooke survived the final over from Coles.