Glamorgan thrash hapless Leicestershire

Glamorgan 166 and 198 for 0 beat Leicestershire 291 and 71 by 10 wickets
Scorecard

Glamorgan made it four wins in a row by completing a crushing 10-wicket victory over Leicestershire with more than a day to spare at Grace Road. After dismissing Leicestershire for the season's lowest score of 71 in their second innings, Glamorgan then added to the home side's embarrassment by reaching their victory target of 197 in under 34 overs without losing a wicket.

Mark Cosgrove smashed a century off 104 balls and Gareth Rees hit an unbeaten 73 as the visitors clinched victory an hour before the tea interval. Their unbeaten partnership, coming after Glamorgan had trailed by 125 runs on first innings made this the largest ever deficit that has been turned into a ten wicket win. The previous record of 109 occurred in the famous match at Southport in 1981, when Warwickshire set the first-class record (broken only very recently) of the highest partnership (470) in a losing cause. It was an astonishing turnaround after 17 wickets fell on the second day, prompting the pitch panel to make a visit during lunch today.

By then the visit was looking completely unnecessary with Glamorgan already on 79 without loss off 18 overs, having earlier taken Leicestershire's last five wickets for 26 runs, and indeed after interviewing the umpires, the captains and coaches of both teams and the Leicestershire Head Groundsman, the pitch panel determined that the pitch should be rated "above average".

The home side started the third day on 45 for 5, but in a hapless performance only one batsman managed to reach double figures. That was James Taylor, who was left stranded on 34 not out as wickets tumbled around him. The next highest scorer in the innings was Paul Nixon, who made nine.

Glamorgan's seamers, James Harris and David Harrison, did the damage. Harris claimed 4 for 34 while Harrison took 4 for 17 off 12 overs to give him career-best match figures of 8 for 88. Leicestershire's total of 71 was their lowest in a championship game since they were bowled out for 69 by Worcestershire at New Road in 1997.

It left Glamorgan chasing 197 for victory and there were no signs of any pitch problems as Cosgrove and Rees flayed Leicestershire's bowlers to all parts, hitting 31 boundaries between them.

Cosgrove struck eight fours in his first 50, reached his century of 104 balls having hit another nine boundaries, and then smashed the winning four through midwicket to finish on 113 off 111 balls. Rees made 73 off 93 balls with 12 fours as Glamorgan completed a sensational recovery after being bowled out for 166 in their first innings to concede a lead of 125 runs.

For shell-shocked Leicestershire it was one of their most humiliating defeats of the season and their fourth in a row in the championship having won the first two games. It was Glamorgan's first win at Grace Road since 1986.