Dent dominates Glamorgan attack
23 September 2015
A third century of the season for opener Chris Dent was the backbone of Gloucestershire's response to a big Glamorgan total on the second day of the final Championship match of the season at the Bristol County Ground
Dent made 102 not out, and shared in a century partnership with Hamish Marshall as Gloucestershire made 243-3 in reply to Glamorgan's 433 all out before bad light ended play for the day shortly after five o'clock.
Earlier in the day Gloucestershire had taken the last six Glamorgan wickets for 95 runs before lunch, with Tom Hampton opening his Championship tally when he trapped Graham Wagg lbw for 24.
Listen to Chris Dent's thoughts on the day here :
Glamorgan began the day in a strong position on 338-4 and with Aneurin Donald only nine runs away from a maiden Championship century. The new ball was, however, due after only three overs play and it was give Gloucestershire the chance to restore some balance to the scorecard.
Donald was the first man to go, having got to within two runs of his own personal milestone. James Fuller, from the Ashley Down Road end, got some extra bounce and Donald, in trying to cut a ball square off the back foot, top edged to Chris Dent at second slip. In the same over Lloyd, having accumulated 47 with minimal effort, tried to take his bat away to a ball that was too full and straight was clean bowled.
It was left to Wagg and Meschede to secure Glamorgan's fifth batting point, which they did with a stand of 50 in nine overs before Wagg became Hampton's first Championship wicket. Thereafter, it was all down to Benny Howell, who took the last three wickets for four runs in 21 balls as he removed Meschede for 28, Salter for one and Hogan for one, two of them with the help of James Bracey, the Academy 'keeper fielding as a substitute for Gareth Roderick.
The visitors had still scored 95 in 23 overs, and it left Tavare and Dent three awkward overs to see out until lunch, which they did without undue alarm.
Neither had got close to a century in any format this summer, but on this occasion Dent settled in for a long stay at the crease. Skipper Tavare edged Meschede to Cooke soon after lunch for eight, and although Gareth Roderick came in as normal at number three, Michael Hogan bowled a fine yorker to leave a big responsibility on the shoulders of Dent and Marshall.
Together the pair steadily put together an unbroken stand which occupied the rest of the afternoon session, adding 133 in 30 overs with the bulk of the runs coming off the back foot, a strength for both men. Dent struck the first six of the match in off spinner Andrew Salter's opening over, and the scoreboard ticked along with pulls and cuts to the fore as the Glamorgan bowlers found the pitch less and less responsive.
Two half centuries were brought up in the same Salter over, Dent's off 89 balls with five boundaries and one six, and Marshall's from 83 deliveries with seven fours. Marshall's innings also took the New Zealander past 1000 runs in all cricket for Gloucestershire in 2015.
As often happens however, a lunch or tea break and a bowling change produced a breakthrough as Michael Hogan, recalled for a second spell, hurried Marshall (58) in the first over following the resumption and his edge was snapped up by 'keeper Cooke.
At 169-3, 114 runs were still needed to avoid the follow-on, but Howell and Dent made a big hole in the deficit before bad light forced the players off. Dent took his time to get going after tea, but driving Hogan to the long off boundary seemed to release the shackles and a pull to mid wicket off Meschede brought up his third Championship hundred of the summer, constructed from 154 balls and containing one six and a dozen fours.
Howell punished Penrhyn Jones and Meschede to the tune of five quick fire boundaries, and he'd reached 40 not out within an unbeaten stand of 74 in 15 overs when umpires Nigel Cowley and Paul Baldwin decided the light was too poor to continue, leaving Gloucestershire still needing 40 runs to avoid the follow-on when play resumes on Thursday morning.
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