Records tumble as Petersen and Prince record career-best scores

Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince both recorded new career-best scores as they shared the highest ever partnership for Lancashire worth a staggering 501 runs for the third-wicket stand, on the second day of their match against Glamorgan at Cowlyn Bay.

The South-African duo ended 87 years of history by surpassing the 371 recorded by Frank Watson and Ernest Tyldsley against Surrey at Old Trafford in 1928 and their efforts guided Lancashire to a mammoth total of 698/5 declared.

Petersen made 286 runs, batting for more than eight hours, while Prince achieved 261 in just under six hours at the crease, hitting 35 fours and seven sixes to beat his previous best score of 257 not out against Northamptonshire in 2013.

Glamorgan were then reduced to 165/6  by close of play, after veteran seamer Glen Chapple picked up figures of 3-28 to leave the home side in real trouble at 60/3 just after tea.

Lancashire started the second day of their trip to Colwyn Bay on 425/2 with Petersen and Prince’s stand already worth an incredible 321 runs. The Port-Elizabeth duo needed 44 more runs to achieve the best third-wicket stand for Lancashire and 51 more runs to record the best partnership for any wicket.

Personal milestones were also in the pipeline with Petersen needing only six more runs to record a new career-best, his previous best coming against Surrey for Glamorgan at The Oval in 2011.

It was a slow start to the second day, as the players left the field in the second over due to rain, but the Proteas duo were unfazed by the delay. When Lancashire moved to 469/2, it meant that Petersen and Prince had beaten the previous record for Lancashire’s third-wicket partnership set by Michael Atherton and Neil Fairbrother in 1990.

A further seven runs added to the total then took Lancashire to their highest partnership for any wicket, ending 87 years of history. Glamorgan’s misery was far from over and the efforts of Petersen and Prince denied the hosts a single bowling bonus point, having only taken two wickets after 110 overs.

Glamorgan then conceded their highest partnership against any team when the South-African maestros surpassed the 401 runs made by Mal Loye and David Ripley in 1998 at Northamptonshire.

Petersen rubbed salt into the wounds of his former county, reaching 250 for the first time in his career in 334 balls with 35 boundaries and one six and Prince advanced to the fourth double-hundred of his career and second of the 2015 season in 230 deliveries.

Lancashire reached lunch on 566/2 having added 141 runs in the morning session at an impressive rate. Prince added 73 of these runs, while Petersen made 65 in the first session and he was fast approaching the only the sixth triple-century in Lancashire’s history.

Prince showed his intentions after the interval, lofting a huge six out of the ground in the second over after lunch and he proved to be the more aggressive of the two batsmen at the crease as he advanced to 250 for the second time in a Lancashire shirt in 253 balls with 34 fours and six sixes.

The 38-year-old, who has now scored 1,311 runs at an average of 81.94, equalled the highest score of his career with his seventh maximum, taking him to 257 and his 35th boundary took him to a new career-best score.

Glamorgan finally claimed Lancashire’s third wicket with the score at 605/3 and the partnership between Petersen and Prince worth 501 runs, when Prince skied a delivery from David Lloyd (3-164) to Andrew Salter, who had to make up considerable ground to dive forward and cling on with both hands.

Petersen went on to record the eighth highest individual score in Lancashire’s history, but a second wicket for the addition of 20 runs came when he found Michael Hogan at long-off, rewarding Lloyd with his third scalp of the innings.

Steven Croft added a quickfire innings of 57 not out from 51 balls, racing to his fifth fifty of the summer in 46 balls with three fours and as many sixes to prolong Glamorgan’s frustration. James Faulkner enjoyed the opportunity to play his natural game, adding 21 to the total before he was the final Lancashire wicket to fall, guiding a delivery from Colin Ingram (1-32) into the hands of Graham Wagg.

Lancashire declared on 698/5 and Chapple, who needed just 24 wickets to reach 1,000 first-class wickets, made early progress to frustrate the hosts further. Captain Jacques Rudolph made a bright start, hitting seven boundaries in his innings of 32 and it appeared that Glamorgan were due their share of fun with the bat after a good start.

Having hit Chapple for several boundaries in the same over, Rudolph tried to drive Chapple straight but the veteran seamer worked his way through the defences of the opening batsman and bowled him with the score at 35/1. Chapple claimed two wickets for the addition of no runs when he dismissed the dangerous Ingram without scoring, encouraging an edge through to Alex Davies.

Glamorgan made it to tea without losing any more wickets at 51/2, but after the break Chapple inflicted more damage by removing Chris Cooke (5), who shouldered arms and was bowled at 60/3.

Faulkner (1-30) then had Will Bragg back in the pavilion when he was judged lbw for 25, with the score at 70/4. Arron Lilley then struck another breakthrough in his first over to remove Lloyd for 21 when he guided an innocuous delivery into the hands of Kyle Jarvis at point, after Lloyd and Mark Wallace had added 54 for the fifth wicket.

Wallace finished unbeaten on 39 and added a further 33 runs with Craig Meschede (21) but Glamorgan suffered a late blow with the score at 157/6, as Meschede picked out Faulkner at mid-wicket off the bowling of Simon Kerrigan (1-24).

Glamorgan closed on 165/6, trailing Lancashire's first-innings total by 533 runs. The Red Rose could hardly have hoped for better against their promotion rivals and they will be hoping to make good of their formidable position in this game and secure a victory which could see them maintain their position at the top of the second division for the rest of the season.