Glamorgan fight back after major problems

Glamorgan 120 for 6 v Derbyshire
Scorecard

Jim Allenby and James Harris helped promotion hopefuls Glamorgan recover from a shaky start against bottom-placed Derbyshire before rain brought at early end to the first day of the County Championship Division Two encounter at Cardiff.

The seventh-wicket pair shared an unbeaten 54-run stand as the hosts progressed from 66 for six before lunch to finish on 120 for 6 from 39.2 overs when play was abandoned for the day at 1630.

Glamorgan captain Jamie Dalrymple won the toss and decided to bat after naming an unchanged team from the side which drew with Surrey last week. Derbyshire did not include Graham Wagg, who is set to be unveiled by Glamorgan this week as a new signing for next season.

Glamorgan began solidly enough, reaching 31 without loss, but then proceeded to lose three wickets in the space of 24 balls for the addition of just 12 runs. Opener Gareth Rees, who has been struggling for form, was bowled by Jon Clare, who struck in his next over when Dalrymple - also having a poor season with the bat - was caught at third slip by Wes Durston.

And two overs later Ben Wright drove loosely at Greg Smith's first ball and was caught by Chesney Hughes at second slip without having troubled the scorers. The collapse did not stop there. Tom Maynard was next to go when he was the victim of a sharp caught and bowled by the accurate Tim Groenewald as Glamorgan slipped to 48 for 4 in the 15th over.

A brief break for rain did not help as the home team lost Mark Cosgrove to the first ball from Smith after the resumption. Cosgrove, who had looked relatively secure in reaching 32, was bowled leaving the home side on 56 for five.

That became 66 for 6, six overs later, when Mark Wallace drove a Steffan Jones delivery straight to Robin Peterson at extra-cover. Allenby and Harris then came together and shared an unbeaten stand of 54 for the seventh wicket either side of lunch before the umpires - David Millns and Steve Garratt - took the players from the field at 2.20pm because of rain.