The outcome of this match and indeed the reverse-fixture in August could determine whether or not Lancashire return to Division One. Glamorgan have been in tremendous form in the County Championship and are now chasing the Red Rose and Surrey for promotion to the first division.
Glamorgan suffered their first defeat of the season in their last four-day match against Essex, a vital result for both Lancashire and Surrey, who are now aiming to inflict further disappoint to the Welsh outfit and perhaps win the Division Two title.
Lancashire are 47 points ahead of Glamorgan in the second division of the LV= County Championship having played one more game than their upcoming opponents and so the result of this fixture could be the difference between daylight or heartache for Ashley Giles's side.
The Red Rose have been in respectable form and are unbeaten in their last seven four-day fixtures, although the rain did spare them their blushes at home to Northamptonshire in a game which appeared to be heading the wrong way for the Division Two leaders.
Glamorgan have won four of their last six matches and were poised for a club-record fifth consecutive win before drawing with Derbyshire earlier this month. This is the first time these two have faced each other since May 2013 and it was Lancashire who emerged victorious on that occasion by 14 runs, a win which went a long way towards securing the Division Two title and the Red Rose will be hoping for a similar outcome two years later.
Key Players:
Graham Wagg has enjoyed an incredible all-round success this season and he has been a vital component to Glamorgan's recent success. The all-rounder, who is primarily known for his exploits with the ball, has taken 33 wickets and is ever-present in the Championship this season.
The 32-year-old has also been a more than useful lower-order batsman, scoring 651 runs and he is currently top of Glamorgan's batting averages. Wagg hit his highest score of the season and indeed his career, recording a double-hundred against Surrey at Guilford and his form with the bat has been consistent ever since, making him a key wicket for Lancashire.
Ashwell Prince has been a formidable presence at the crease this season and has been a cornerstone of Lancashire's success in all formats of the game. A return of 1,050 at an average of 70.00 is the most by any batsmen in county cricket from either division and Prince has also hit the most runs since the start of the 2014 season.
The 38-year-old South-African batsman has hit four centuries this season and also a double-hundred against Derbyshire at Southport. Lancashire will be hoping that Prince goes well on another out ground with this game being contested at Colwyn Bay.
Glamorgan 13-man squad: Jacques Rudolph (c), Will Bragg, Chris Cooke, Dean Cosker, Aneurin Donald, Collin Ingram, Michael Hogan, David Lloyd, Craig Meschede, Andrew Salter, Ruaidhri Smith, Mark Wallace (w/k), Graham Wagg.
Lancashire 14-man squad: Steven Croft (c), Tom Bailey, Karl Brown, Jordan Clark, Alex Davies (w/k), James Faulkner, Glen Chapple, Paul Horton, Simon Kerrigan, Kyle Jarvis, Toby Lester, Arron Lilley, Alviro Petersen, Ashwell Prince.
Match Information:
Weather and conditions: The weather looks clear and bright for the first day of the match, although it is harder to predict how much or how little rain will hit the North of Wales as the match progresses. A mixture of sunshine and showers could see delays later on in the game, but there should be no problems for the first day which starts tomorrow. For a full forecast, click here.
Ground: Colwyn Bay CC
Start time: 11.00am
Umpires: Martin Bodenham, Neil Mallinder
Match odds (Sky Bet): Glamorgan 6/5, Lancashire 8/13
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