NEW ROAD

(day two of four; Glamorgan won toss)

Worcestershire 457-8 dec (134.5 overs, BF Smith 99, SM Davies 83, DKH Mitchell 78, VS Solanki 69, SC Moore 57); Glamorgan 136-4 (37 overs)

Lunch

The long toil continued for Glamorgan until, 20 minutes before lunch, James Harris at last claimed the fifth and sixth wickets in the space of nine balls. In a remarkable innings, five of Worcestershire’s batsmen have now passed fifty but none has reached his hundred.

This was particularly cruel for Ben Smith, the veteran who last recorded a century on July 22, 2006, for, having advanced to 99, he offered a defensive bat to a Harris ball that lifted and was taken at first slip. This at last ended a 143-run fifth-wicket stand, the final 70 runs of which required only 15 overs as the home side increased the tempo punishingly in the morning.

But Steve Davies soon followed his partner when quite outstandingly caught by Gareth Rees at short cover. Rees, who is making something of a name for himself with his astounding efforts in the field, somehow held on to the batsman’s savage, full-blooded cut to remove Davies for 83, his highest championship score this season.

Tea

Worcestershire charged on, adding 49 in 53 balls after lunch, before declaring at 457 for eight, their highest championship score this summer. Kabir Ali soon fell for 12 to a highly alert leg-side catch behind the stumps when a mighty, miscued swipe popped the ball up, but Simon Jones, in his first game against his old colleagues at this level, entertained regally if briefly.

Of his 25 runs, 24 came in sixes, two of them off successive balls in what proved the final over when, going for another off the next ball, he holed out in the deep. The second of his strikes off Dean Cosker, the relieved spinner who undid him to return three for 82, sailed over the hospitality marquee and landed on a Bentley, parked in a far corner of the ground.

In the 50 interrupted minutes before more rain brought an early tea, Jones then claimed the only wicket in the reply, ironically with probably the worst ball he bowled. Flicking at a very wide one down the leg-side, Richard Grant got a thin edge to the wicketkeeper. At tea, Glamorgan trailed by 415, needing 266 more to avoid the follow-on.

Close

A magnificent first thrust from Imran Arif, making his debut, brought him a wicket in his third over and two more in his next ten balls as Glamorgan capitulated limply to 56 for four. At least Rees restored some pride with an impressive, battling 59 to the close, carefully supported by Mark Wallace.

Arif, who generated comfortably more pace through the air than Jones, concluded his maiden first-class bowl with three for 22 overnight, but Jones’s wayward two spells as he tried too hard returned one for 65 from a dozen overs. Glamorgan, with six wickets in hand, need 172 more to avoid the follow-on.