Meschede impetus lifts Glamorgan

Ryan ten Doeschate spear-headed a middle order revival as Essex fought back to leave their LV= County Championship clash at Glamorgan finely poised after the second day.

Earlier on the hosts reached 314 all out with Craig Meschede's 52-ball 68 giving Glamorgan a valuable nudge towards a respectable first innings total.

Things looked even better for Glamorgan when their Division Two rivals slumped to 86 for 3 in reply, but ten Doeschate and James Foster combined to add 54 for the fourth wicket and keep Essex in the hunt before they reached 183 for 4 at stumps.

Glamorgan resumed on 187 for 5, but they quickly lost their captain Jacques Rudolph who added just a single to his overnight score before he nudged a delivery from James Porter to gully.

Meschede then joined Graham Wagg and immediately changed the course of the Glamorgan innings. His explosive 52 included four sixes - three in one over from leg spinner Adeel Malik - and seven fours. The pair added 92 in 14.3 overs before Wagg was out leg before on 47, and after Meschede had holed out on the midwicket boundary the innings quickly folded.

But after being 151 for 5 at one point on day one Glamorgan will have been more than happy with their recovery and three batting points.

Essex's Jaik Mickleburgh (19) and Nick Browne (31) shared 54 for the first wicket, before David Lloyd dismissed both of them in the space of three balls. Mickleburgh was the first to go, edging to Rudolph at slip - who caught it at the third attempt, then Browne got a delivery that left him off the pitch and nicked to Mark Wallace.

After a second break for rain, Meschede made further inroads when Dan Lawrence, attempting to cut, edged low down to Wallace who held on to a good catch low to his right.

That left the visitors in a spot of bother, 229 runs off taking the lead with seven wickets remaining before the middle order got to work. Foster, who has promoted himself in the batting order this season, and ten Doeschate had much to do to keep Essex in contention, while Glamorgan lost the services of Lloyd - who left the field with a hamstring strain after bowling two balls of his fifth over.

Foster looked the most assured of the Essex batsmen, and apart from a couple of wafts outside the off stump, settled into a useful partnership with ten Doeschate.

They put 54 for the fifth wicket before Foster, who had struck three fours was bowled for 38 by Wagg with one that nipped back off the pitch.

Callum Taylor, one of two 17-year-olds in the Essex team, stepped up to the crease to make his championship debut - but he was not overawed by the occasion.

He joined ten Doeschate and saw out the rest of the day, finishing on 23 not out at the close himself as Essex trailed by 131 runs with six wickets remaining at the close.