SOUTHEND

Day two of four (Glamorgan won toss)

Glamorgan 139 and 252 for 5; Essex 206

Lunch

Essex earned themselves a 67-run first innings lead at Garon Park this morning, a significant advantage on a surface still favouring the seam bowlers. At lunch Glamorgan had reduced the deficit by 15, for the loss of Robert Croft.

Chris Wright, who had taken 4 for 30 to undermine Glamorgan’s first innings yesterday, also starred with the bat as he finished up 29 not out from number 10, pushing Essex past 200 and thus also securing a batting bonus point that did not look likely when three wickets fell for 20 runs in the first 10 overs of the day.

Essex resumed on 139 for 5, and immediately lost Mark Pettini, their captain, who did not add to his overnight 21. Pettini drove to extra cover, as did James Foster to give Adam Shantry his fourth wicket.

Graham Napier, dropped on 5, offered a few meaty blows to reach 17 before holing out to deep mid-wicket, and Jason Gillespie finally added the scalp of last man Danish Kaneria to claim 4 for 32, his best figures for Glamorgan.

Tea

To the surprise of everyone in the ground, the first hour after lunch saw the batsmen take control of things for the first time in the match. Gareth Rees, who had joined Richard Grant at the fall of Croft, was the initial aggressor as he mixed a reverse sweep for four off Danish Kaneria with some more orthodox strokes.

Essex rotated their bowlers in a bid to break the partnership, but to no avail as Rees and Grant built the first century stand of the match. The pitch seemed not to hold the terrors of the first four sessions – although both batsmen played with a good mix of aggression and watchfulness.

Rees had reached 62 – one run short of being the first Glamorgan batsman to 500 in the Championship this season – when he flashed unworthily at David Masters, however, and was caught at the wicket.

Tom Maynard joined Grant, and moved into double figures as he pulled Napier powerfully over midwicket for four, and by tea Glamorgan were 102 runs in front at 169 for two. Grant was unbeaten on 68, a fine effort.

Close

Grant reached 75, from 155 balls in more than three hours of resistance, before becoming one of three wickets to fall in quick succession soon after tea.

First Maynard was well-held above his head in the gully by Ravi Bopara, for 21, and Napier struck again in his next over from the Southchurch End when Grant carved to cover.

Then, an over later, Jamie Dalrymple was bowled behind his legs by Kaneria as he tried to sweep; it was his third duck in his last six innings and Glamorgan’s 186 for 2 had suddenly become 190 for 5.

Glamorgan now needed to rally themselves again, if they were to make the most of the Rees/Grant fightback, and in Michael Powell and Mark Wallace they found another determined partnership.

Powell was dropped on 31, by Napier at gully off Bopara, but he will start tomorrow’s play on 36 not out and, with Wallace unbeaten on 26, the pair had added 62 when rain intervened just before the scheduled close.