Clark, Salter fifties keep contest in balance

Durham 342 and 158 for 3 (Clark 63*) lead Glamorgan 353 (Salter 75, Cooke 69, Donald 51, Coughlin 4-87) by 147 runs
Scorecard

The Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash between Glamorgan and Durham was delicately poised as the visitors ended the third day 147 runs ahead with seven wickets remaining. It had looked at one stage like Glamorgan would have to follow on but they secured a first-innings lead of 11 thanks to a career-best 75 from Andrew Salter.

Durham began their second innings after lunch on and it took just 2.2 overs for Glamorgan to get their first breakthrough with the ball, Stephen Cook playing a loose shot into the off side straight to Salter at point off Marchant de Lange's bowling.

Durham were only ahead by 24 when they lost their second wicket, Cameron Steel bowled by Timm van der Gugten for 10. But the visitors got back on track as Keaton Jennings and Graham Clark added 40 for the third wicket before the former fell victim to David Lloyd's first ball of the innings, trapped lbw for 35. The easiest of chances then went begging when Clark skied a pull off de Lange, the bowler running to the batsman's end, getting under it but letting it drop at the very last second.

Durham were 105 for 3 by tea, with 39 overs still to be bowled due to overs lost on the second day. Clark reached his half-century off 97 balls soon after the break, in a crucial fourth-wicket partnership with skipper Paul Collingwood.

Glamorgan's bowlers were made to toil in the evening session as the batsmen found their feet under darkening Swansea skies, before bad light forced the players off at 5.18pm. Clark went off having made an unbeaten 63 - his best first-class score.

Glamorgan wicketkeeper-batsman Chris Cooke only added six runs to his overnight score of 63 before he was caught and bowled by Paul Coughlin, the bowler diving forwards to take the catch. Cooke could have dismissed in the opening couple of overs, almost playing on to his stumps. Add into the mix a dislocated finger for Durham keeper Stuart Poynter and it was an eventful start to proceedings.

De Lange came to the crease and showed some attacking intent with a series of powerfully hit boundaries, one of which saw non-striker Salter duck under a straight drive. He followed it up with a driven six off debutant left-arm spinner George Harding, but swung once too often to be bowled by Chris Rushworth for 30, ending a 45-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Salter.

Van der Gugten quickly followed, caught at slip by Jennings for 0. Glamorgan captain Michael Hogan then came in and struck fours off the first two balls of his innings, following up with a six over Coughlin's head towards the pavilion shortly after.

Salter brought up his fifty with a pull for six off Coughlin and added another as Glamorgan closed in on Durham's first-innings total of 342. They went on to surpass it before Salter was caught by Jennings off James Weighell for 75 as Glamorgan were all out for 353.