Durham batters make hay at Glamorgan

Fifties from Ollie Robinson, Michael Jones, Scott Borthwick and Brydon Carse put Durham well in front heading into the second day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Glamorgan in Cardiff.

Despite having picked a seam-heavy attack, there were two wickets for Marnus Labuschagne, bowling off-spin, as Glamorgan chipped away at the Durham batting line up on a surface where pace and movement were hard to come by. The pick of the Glamorgan seamers was Timm van der Gugten, who finished the day with 2 for 60 as the visitors closed on 382 for 6.

Having scored at just under four runs an over, Durham will be the happier of the teams, especially considering Glamorgan's decision to bowl first.

The decision to insert Durham did not draw dividends in the first session despite van der Gugten claiming a wicket from his fifth delivery when he trapped Alex Lees lbw. The pitch was slow and offered little swing or seam but van der Gugten came close to another early breakthrough. Kiran Carlson, a replacement slip fielder for Glamorgan with Sam Northeast out of the cordon due to a finger injury, put down Borthwick when he was on 2. That was the last clear-cut chance in the morning session as Durham reached the interval at 104 for 1.

Both Jones and Borthwick made half-centuries as the two put on a stand of 117. Borthwick was dismissed when he clipped a ball into the hands of Labuschagne at midwicket for 59. When Jones also fell, given lbw attempting to reverse sweep Labuschagne's for 69, it felt as if Durham were in danger of failing to capitalise on a good start.

Those fears were fuelled when David Bedingham also hit a ball in the air towards midwicket with Labuschagne taking a very good diving catch. When Graham Clark was dismissed 22 runs later, edging one through to Chris Cooke off van der Gugten it left Durham 239 for 5 with four wickets falling for just 82 runs.

An excellent innings of 73 from Ollie Robinson was the steadying hand that Durham needed as he and Liam Trevaskis shared a stand worth 62 to take their team past 300. Robinson was the second wicket to fall to Labuschagne's bowling when he was given out caught behind.

Glamorgan took the new ball with Durham on 321 for 6 and they would have been hopeful of making further inroads, but Trevaskis and Carse stood firm in an unbroken partnership worth 81. Trevaskis finished on 41 not out while Carse was undefeated on 53.

In Glamorgan's match against Gloucestershire at this venue two weeks ago the pitch only improved with time, so that may have influenced the decision to bowl first, but with close to 400 already on the board, early wickets are needed for the home side tomorrow.

It will be interesting to see if a Durham attack that features the spin of Matt Kuhnemann can create more chances on this surface, but with the Labuschagne back with Glamorgan they will be hoping for a big statement from the No.1-ranked Test batter.