Jefferson ton puts Leicestershire on top

Glamorgan 112 for 3 and 146 v Leicestershire 238 and 245
Scorecard

Glamorgan will need 226 runs on the final day of their match against Leicestershire, with seven wickets remaining, if they are to make a winning start to the County Championship Division Two season.

Leicestershire set the Grace Road visitors a victory target of 338 after Will Jefferson had steered them out of trouble with a magnificent century - and Glamorgan closed day three on 112 for 3.

At once stage Leicestershire were 43 for 5 in their second innings - but Jefferson and Jigar Naik shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 149 to lead the home side to a total of 245.

Jefferson's 112 was the 15th first class century of his career and his third for Leicestershire since he joined them from Nottinghamshire at the start of last season, while Naik weighed in with 67.

Starting the third day on 78 for 5, the hosts made good progress - adding 104 runs in 34 overs by lunch without losing any more wickets. Jefferson, 48 overnight, reached his 50 with two early singles and then took successive boundaries off Robert Croft to bring up the 100 partnership.

The opener looked in excellent touch, timing the ball well - particularly through the offside. Two more fours off Dean Cosker took Jefferson to 100 off 180 balls with 12 boundaries. Although it was his third century for Leicestershire, it was the first he had scored at Grace Road.

Naik was providing solid support and reached 50 off 128 balls with eight fours, before the partnership was broken shortly after lunch. Jefferson, looking to drive off the back foot against Adam Shantry, edged a low catch to Michael Powell at slip having made 112 off 213 balls.

Naik was out a few overs later, snared at short leg off the bowling of Robert Croft. But he had done an outstanding job for his side, hitting 10 fours in his 179-ball innings.

The last three wickets added another 35 runs before Cosker had captain Matthew Hoggard leg before wicket, leaving Glamorgan a challenging target of 338 on a pitch starting to show some variable bounce.

Cosker was again Glamorgan's most successful bowling finishing with 4 for 50, while Graham Wagg claimed 3 for 59.

Gareth Rees and Alviro Petersen gave Glamorgan a solid start to the run chase until both were out in the space of four balls with the score on 43.

Petersen was first to go, trapped lbw by a Nadeem Malik yorker, then Rees then chopped the third delivery of the next over from Claude Henderson back into his stumps.

Bragg and Powell carefully set about rebuilding the innings and looked to have succeeded with a stand of 64 until, in the penultimate over of the day, Naik had Will Bragg lbw for 43 to give Leicestershire the edge in what looks like being a tight finish.