Leicestershire lay down early-season marker

Leicestershire 427 (O'Brien 93, Horton 67, McKay 65, White 58) and 115 for 0 (Horton 64*, Robson 49*) beat Glamorgan 348 (Wagg 64, Lloyd 59, Cooke 56, Bragg 50) and 191 (Donald 57, Raine 4-57) by 10 wickets
Scorecard

Leicestershire launched their season in style with a convincing 10-wicket victory against Glamorgan which reflected their superiority over the four days.

Paul Horton and Angus Robson made light work of a target of 113 after Glamorgan's final two wickets had been taken within the first six overs of the morning as Ben Raine finished with 4 for 57.

Victory was achieved half an hour after lunch as Leicestershire secured 23 points and demonstrated to other Division Two teams that they are no longer the whipping boys after spending three seasons propping up the table.

Clint McKay showed in this game that he is a consummate professional, taking eight wickets in the game and scoring a valuable 65 in the first innings which was instrumental in Leicestershire gaining a first innings lead. The club has also recruited well, with Horton, the former Lancashire opener scoring two fifties in the match and establishing a solid opening partnership with Robson. Neil Dexter and Mark Pettini are also shrewd signings, and with promising young players establishing themselves, there is a good blend of youth and experience.

Andrew McDonald, Leicestershire's Director of Elite Performance, could have issued the same advice to his squad that Richard Cockerill gave to his rugby players as they prepare for the European Cup, when he said he "wanted the Tigers to emulate the city's footballers, and make their own bit of noise in the city"

Although there might not be the same noise emanating from Grace Road on a balmy summer's afternoon, this success will hopefully attract plenty of supporters for Leicestershire's first home game against Kent on Sunday for which the club are offering free admission to the first day.

McDonald said: "[I'm] thrilled with the very professional performance over the four days. All our batsmen contributed, while our bowlers - after perhaps a below par performance in the first innings - were spot on in the second innings. They got the rewards they deserved , while Mark Cosgrove and the others who make up the leadership team - Horton, Pettini and Dexter - were always talking and discussing tactics."

Glamorgan, meanwhile, managed a decent first innings total of 348, but then let themselves down at the start of Leicestershire's innings when the openers were dropped three times before lunch and then allowed the opposition to score 147 for the last four wickets.

When Glamorgan started their second innings, yet again the top order failed to contribute - as happened on many occasions last year - and apart from 19-year-old Aneurin Donald's half-century, there was little resistance top order. They will be hoping that Colin Ingram, one of their leading batsmen, will soon be fit again after suffering from a troublesome knee that caused him to miss the opening game.

Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph said the defeat was "a wake -up call, and we must learn that after being 132 for 2 it is not acceptable to lose three wickets for one run. Our catching was not good enough, but it was not easy on the second day fielding in the slips in the bitterly cold conditions."