RESULT
Canterbury, May 10 - 13, 2015, LV= County Championship Division Two
357 & 327
(T:404) 281 & 309/9

Match drawn

Report

Glamorgan hold on for gritty draw

Gritty Glamorgan batted throughout the final day in Canterbury to deny Kent a first win of the Championship campaign and land an unlikely draw

Glamorgan 281 (Bragg 104) and 309 for 9 (Cosker 69, Ingram 51, Wagg 51, Haggett 4-61) drew with Kent 357 (Bell-Drummond 123, Stevens 50, Hogan 5-71) and 327 (Denly 66, Cowdrey 54, Tredwell 53, Hogan 4-65)
Scorecard
Gritty Glamorgan batted throughout the final day in Canterbury to deny Kent a first win of the Championship campaign and land an unlikely draw. Set to chase an improbable 404 for what would also have been their maiden success of the season, battling Glamorgan lost eight wickets throughout the fourth day to clinch a fourth draw from as many Division Two games.
Though bowlers Matt Coles and Calum Haggett gave it their all, Kent were unable to blast through the Glamorgan tail and the hosts were made to settle for 12 points as the visitors reached 309 for 9 for a 10-point return.
They had three heroes in nightwatchman Dean Cosker, Graham Wagg and then No. 10 David Lloyd, who batted 89 minutes for an unbeaten 43 to complete Glamorgan's great escape.
Kent encountered their first major stumbling block in the shape of Cosker, sent in as makeshift No. 3 on the third evening. Playing in his 246th first-class game, the 37-year-old veteran's four-hour vigil for a career-best 69, set the determined tone for the final day.
Glamorgan, resuming on their overnight total of 32 for 1, lost opening batsman James Kettleborough in the seventh over for 20. Playing back and across the line to a Darren Stevens in-ducker, the right hander was trapped leg before. Will Bragg perished in similar fashion five overs later when he played across a full length ball from Coles to depart without scoring to make it 50 for 3.
Cosker and Colin Ingram combined either side of lunch to add 87 for the fourth wicket until Ingram, the ball after posting his 77-ball half-century, nicked a good delivery from Ivan Thomas to slip to go for 51.
Nine overs later Sam Northeast held a juggled chance at mid-off to account for Chris Cooke then Cosker's 183-ball stay ended when he played across a near yorker-length ball from Haggett to make it 194 for 6 at tea.
Kent claimed the second new ball 10 overs after the resumption to account for Mark Wallace, who was undone by the pace of Coles and trapped leg before to a very full length delivery before Craig Meschede had his stumps rearranged by Haggett.
A counter-attacking 65-ball 50 by Wagg extended Glamorgan's resolve into the final hour of the match but, after 136 minutes at the crease, the right-hander was caught off balance by another near yorker to depart lbw and give Haggett career-best figures of 4 for 61. Coles might have finished the job in the next over, only for Darren Stevens to spill a regulation catch at second slip off Lloyd's outside edge.
Kent circled the bat in the final overs but last man Hogan combined with Lloyd to see out the final 32 minutes and salvage a draw much to the delight of their team-mates on the St Lawrence balcony.
A delighted Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph said: "I thought our guys fought all the way and deserved something out of the game. We were up against it at the start but battled back well after what seemed a long first day in the field and Kent's second-wicket century stand.
"Generally, we've managed to take wickets in the second and third sessions and, although that has kept us competitive, we could maybe work on our plans at how to get into teams quicker. As for the batting, the way William Bragg batted in our first innings was particularly pleasing. He's our in-form batsman. He prepares really well and shows a lot of grit. I've set him a target of five centuries this summer, so I'm backing his form to continue.''

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LV= County Championship Division Two

TEAMMWLDPT
SURR16817264
LANCS16718254
ESSEX16655200
GLAM16448183
NHNTS163310180
GLOUC16556177
KENT16475161
DERBS16376153
LEICS16295118