Glamorgan stutter amid rain delays

Jack Taylor and David Payne took two wickets each as Gloucestershire dominated a rain-reduced first day of their Division Two clash with Glamorgan at St Helen's, Swansea. Only 27 overs were possible but Glamorgan were still reduced to 64 for 6.

This was the first time the two sides had met this season with their previous three matches - a four-day game and two T20 contests - all washed out. No play was possible until 3pm because of heavy rain but they did manage to get the toss in, which Glamorgan won.

But captain Mark Wallace probably had second thoughts about batting first as his side were reduced to 19 for 4 within 14 overs. Three of those wickets fell in the space of four balls.

The early damage was done by left arm seamer David Payne who trapped Gareth Rees with a ball that ducked into him from outside off-stump. That left the home side 12 for 1 in the eighth over. Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman made the bold move to bring on offspinner Jack Taylor as early as the 11th over, and it paid dividends.

Taylor, on a pitch that was showing signs of early turn, took two consecutive wickets at the end of his second over. Stewart Walters was well caught by Dan Housego at short leg before Marcus North, Glamorgan's overseas batsman, went caught behind first ball attempting to sweep.

Two balls later Payne trapped Will Bragg leg before in similar fashion to that of Rees. But just as the fifth-wicket pair - Jim Allenby and Ben Wright - seemed to be rebuilding the innings Ian Saxelby broke through to bowl Allenby. It left Glamorgan 56 for 5 and in the next over Wallace was bowled leaving a ball from Rob Nicol's part-time offspin.

Only 16 balls were possible after tea before the umpires took the players off the field for bad light, which turned into rain, and play was called off for the day at 5.35pm. With six wickets falling so quickly the pitch inspector David Hughes was expected to stay overnight to have a look at the action on day two.

Meanwhile, Huw Waters, the Glamorgan seamer who has taken 31 first class wickets at 18 apiece this season, has been given permission to speak to other counties as he is out of contract at the end of the season.