Lancashire approaching victory against Glamorgan

Lancashire need only five more wickets to secure a vital win against promotion rivals Glamorgan after another profitable day at Colwyn Bay.

The hosts were bowled out for 348 just after lunch and suffered a top-order wobble to close on 146/5, still trailing Lancashire’s mammoth first innings score of 698/5 by 204 runs.

Glamorgan started the third day on 165/6 and the combination of Mark Wallce and Graham Wagg appeared to be a resilient one at the resumption of play on Day Three.

Both batsmen were able to keep Lancashire at bay and potentially hinder their progress for an important victory, but Wallace played an uncharacteristic drive outside the off-stump and played on to his stumps for 41 with the score at 173/7.

This wicket gave Glen Chapple (4-62) his 980th first-class scalp and the veteran seamer was in contention for his first five-wicket-haul since June 2014 – the 40th of his esteemed career – when he took 5/51 against Northamptonshire last season.

Wagg (45) showed his intentions at the death on Day Two with a thumping six out of the ground off Arron Lilley and the Glamorgan all-rounder replicated the desired effect when he advanced down the track and lofted Lilley over the wall, with the first of three sixes in four balls taking the hosts to their first batting bonus point.

It was their first bonus point in the entire game after they had been deprived a solitary bowling point, courtesy of a mammoth and record-breaking partnership worth 501 runs between Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince, a stand which gave Lancashire a first-innings total of 698/5 declared.

Wagg’s efforts helped Glamorgan to register a fifty partnership for the eighth wicket with Andrew Salter, but he was, perhaps, guilty of trying to swing for one too many when he picked out Karl Brown at deep mid-wicket. That is not to say that it was not a good catch, as Brown had to make up good ground to hold on with both hands off Lilley’s bowling, a timely reward for the off-spinner after Wagg’s antics.

Salter played his part and at times was equally enthusiastic to find the boundary. Adding 55 runs with Wagg for the eighth wicket, Salter proved to be a useful lower-order batsman for the home side and the England Under-19 representative gave Lancashire plenty to ponder as they went in search of enforcing the follow on. 

Cosker added useful support to Salter’s defiance, as the Glamorgan spin duo contributed 45 runs for the ninth-wicket stand. Salter hit the ball well and found the rope four times in his innings, but Kyle Jarvis (1-67) struck an important breakthrough before lunch with the new ball to leave Glamorgan 273/9 as the Zimbabwean bowled Salter for 43.

This wicket meant that the morning session was extended by half an hour, but Glamorgan’s tail continued to offer Lancashire very little in the way of chances as Cosker and number eleven Michael Hogan went on to add a further 75 runs for the last wicket either side of lunch.

Hogan recorded only the second fifty of his first-class career, as well as a career-best score of 57, while Cosker added an unbeaten 40 on a wicket which made batting easy even for the most incompetent of batsmen.

Lilley may have thought that the onslaught against his flighted off-spin had ceased with the dismissal of Wagg, but Hogan also took the aggressive route to achieve the fifty partnership for the last wicket and his own fifty in only 38 balls, his third six taking him to this milestone and simultaneously to a new career-best.

Glamorgan took no shame in enjoying their chance to thrive on this pitch after the efforts of Petersen and Prince throughout the first two days, but they finished 350 runs behind Lancashire’s first-innings total when Hogan edged to Paul Horton off Lilley (3-113), as Glamorgan were bowled out for 348.

The hosts were asked to follow on and Lancashire made a superb start with the ball second time around, as Jarvis removed both of the Glamorgan openers in quick succession. Jacques Rudolph (13) edged to Steven Croft at second slip when he mistimed a cover-drive and Will Bragg soon followed when he forced Alex Davies to dive to his right and hold on with one hand, as he departed for 14 at 33/2.

This took Jarvis’s tally for the season to 61 wickets and his efforts left Glamorgan in an uncomfortable position at tea, still trailing by 310 runs. The home side took the defensive route after the interval, but the first true shot in anger resulted in Colin Ingram’s demise, although he was unfortunate to be caught by a contender for catch of the season from Petersen at deep long-on.

Ingram fell for seven to Simon Kerrigan (2-26) after Petersen’s superb diving catch, which he had to take running backwards, a wicket which left Glamorgan in real trouble at 57/3.

Chris Cooke and David Lloyd (34) added 52 runs for the fourth-wicket partnership as Glamorgan’s cultured approach resumed, but the latter was visibly disappointed when he was judged lbw to Lilley (1-28) in the closing stages of the third day.

After scoring 41 in the first innings, Lancashire were keen to get Wallace back in the pavilion for the second time in the same day and Kerrigan claimed his second wicket of the innings when Wallace (2) played inside a delivery which took his off-stump at 120/5.

Glamorgan closed on 146/5 with Cooke unbeaten on 43 and Salter on 11, but with the hosts still trailing by 204 runs, they face an uphill battle to save the draw on the final day. Lancashire meanwhile will hope to secure a win which would go a long way towards their bid for promotion and the Division Two title.