Northamptonshire beat Glamorgan by 233 runs on the final day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff after the Welsh county, set a target of 434 were dismissed for 200.
Lunchtime Report
He may sound more like a footballer competing in the World Cup in Russia but Ricardo Vasconcelos has played a major role in securing the dominant position in which Northamptonshire find themselves on the final morning of this four-day game. Having arrived in Cardiff without a Championship half-century to his name, the diminutive batsman with Portuguese parentage hit fifties in each innings and shared a stubborn stand of 147 for the sixth wicket with Stephen Crook to help his adopted county set a target in excess of 400, before last evening taking a reflex catch at short-leg to send Usman Khawaja back to the Sophia Gardens pavilion.
The Australian was one of four wickets to fall during the final session of play with Glamorgan starting the final day 313 runs in arrears with night-watchman Timm van der Gugten and Kiran Carlson facing the bowling of Seeku Prasanna and Ben Sanderson. In the fifth over of the day, van der Gugten was snared l.b.w. by Prasanna as he played back to the leg-spinner. 126/5 saw Chris Cooke join Carlson and he began with a flowing cover drive for four against Prasanna.
Carlson edged a pair of drives for four against the Sri Lankan, before Cooke scythed Sanderson over gully for four. Cooke then cover drove Prasanna for four before he was twice cut for four by Carlson. The youngster then greeted the return of Brett Hutton by edging a drive over fourth slip but the bowler made the perfect riposte by finding the edge of Carlson’s bat once again with Adam Rossington completing the regulation catch.
174/6 then became 187/7 as Brett Hutton bowled Chris Cooke with a delivery which appeared to keep low. Andrew Salter responded by on-driving Hutton for four before Nathan Buck returned to bowl and trapped Smith l.b.w. With Michael Hogan being absent for family reasons, Prasanna ended the contest as Ricardo Vasconcelos held a smart catch at silly point leaving Northamptonshire the victors by 233 runs ten minutes before lunch.