Northamptonshire beat Glamorgan by seven wickets shortly after tea on the final afternoon of their Specsavers County Championship match at The SSE SWALEC as half-centuries from Rob Newton and Simon Kerrigan saw the visitors successfully chase a target of 218.
Close of Play Report
When play resumed, it took just nine more balls for the visitors to score the nine runs required to keep Northants hopes of a promotion spot alive with Wakely cover driving Meschede and Levi pulling and clipping de Lange to square-leg to seal victory in the 59th over.
Afternoon update
Northamptonshire resumed after lunch on 149/2, needing a further 69 runs to keep their promotion bid alive on a morning which had seen Essex clinch the Division One title and Simon Kerrigan, the night-watchman, complete a maiden fifty for his new county. He was unbeaten on 57 with his captain Alex Wakely at the other end as Colin Ingram and Michael Hogan continued the bowling.
Kerrigan clipped Hogan to mid-wicket but next over he was bowled shouldering arms to the seamer. With Northants on 156/3 Richard Levi joined Wakely and he began by sweeping Ingram to the ropes at fine-leg. Wakely then pulled Ingram for six high over mid-wicket followed next over by a four in the same direction.
Levi also swatted Hogan through the covers for four before lofting de Lange straight for six to bring up the 200, but with nine to win the heavens opened and the players left the field. An early tea was taken at 2.40pm as mopping up operations began with the umpires inspecting at 3pm at which it was decided to resume play at 3.30pm.
Morning Report
September 15th 2016 saw Glamorgan defeat Essex at Chelmsford after a stirring fightback in the Welsh county’s second innings before a fine bowling performance on a wearing wicket saw the visitors secure an 11-run victory. Events later today will show whether September 15th 2017 will result in another Glamorgan victory as Northamptonshire begin the day on 42/1, still requiring a further 175 runs to win.
Minds were also cast back before play to the game at Cardiff in 2015 when Northants lost seven wickets for 106 runs on the final day. Home supporters were therefore hoping that the same could happen again today as Rob Newton and night-watchman Simon Kerrigan made their way to the middle to resume the Northamptonshire second innings with their side still requiring a further 176 to win and maintain their promotion hopes..
Michael Hogan and Marchant de Lange resumed the bowling duties with Newton twice cover-driving de Lange for four, whilst Kerrigan also found the ropes at fine-leg. Newton also pulled de Lange for four before Kerrigan square-cut Hogan for four, with Newton then adding further to his boundary tally by again cover-driving de Lange to the ropes and then glancing Hogan to long-leg.
Kerrigan did the same to Lukas Carey when the youngster had a spell had the Cathedral Road End, besides thick-edging the seamer to third man and unfurling a more authentic square-cut for four. Andrew Salter then had a spell at that end with Newton on-driving his first delivery for three before Kerrigan chipped him to the ropes at mid-wicket to bring up the hundred.
Newton then completed his fifty from 99 deliveries by cover-driving Craig Meschede before Kerrigan straight-drove Salter for four followed by a lofted on-drive just out of the reach of Hogan. But with the total on 124 Newton’s innings ended as he was bowled by Meschede. Alex Wakely began by on-driving the all-rounder to mid-wicket for four before Kerrigan reached his maiden fifty for the East Midlands side by thick-edging Hogan to third man for a single.