Glamorgan rally after Hankins' half century
15 May 2016
It's difficult to gauge the balance of this Championship match against Glamorgan after the first day at the Brightside Ground.
On the one hand, George Hankins made his maiden Championship half century, and there was an innings of promise on debut from Graeme Van Buuren, but it took a ninth wicket stand of 90 between Craig Miles (49 not out) and David Payne (39) to provide respectability in a season littered with first innings scored of over 300.
Gloucestershire's final first innings total was 262, and with 26 overs to bat before stumps, Glamorgan made steady progress after the early loss of Mark Wallace to reach 82-1 at the close.
Listen to George Hankins thoughts on his innings and the day's play here :
Gloucestershire handed a debut to recent signing Graeme Van Buuren, who came into the side at number three in place of Ian Cockbain. The remainder of the side was unchanged from the draw at Canterbury against Kent, so to lose the first five wickets in two hours play wasn't the response head coach Richard Dawson was looking for after Glamorgan skipper Jacques Rudolph took up the option to bowl first.
The chief problems for the batsmen appeared to be judging the swing of left armer Graham Wagg and the pace of the pitch. Although there were 16 boundaries in the session only a handful were timed with comfort, and anything bowled just short of a good length had to be watched carefully.
Wagg's morning began with two wickets in his first three overs, trapping Chris Dent lbw for six as the ball rapped the pad after eluding the left hander's defensive push, and then clean bowling Cameron Bancroft between bat and pad for five.
Skipper Gareth Roderick played one text book straight drive off Timm van der Gugten but it was Middlesex loanee Harry Podmore who gave Glamorgan their third breakthrough, Roderick playing a ball straight to Andrew Salter at point for 12.
At that point Gloucestershire were 43-3, and debutant Van Buuren was having difficulties too, surviving a big appeal by Wagg for lbw and dropping his bat at the last moment to block a yorker from Podmore.
However, in between some anxious moments the diminutive South African began to find his feet with three boundaries off Hogan, all on the leg side, and he'd made 33 in just over an hour when Cooke juggled with and finally held onto an edge at third slip to give van der Gugten his first wicket.
The same combination thought they had removed George Hankins shortly afterwards, only for umpire Illingworth to turn down their appeal, but a wicket did fall at the other end as Wagg snared the in-form Hamish Marshall lbw for 18. It was his third wicket of the morning, and Gloucestershire, with Hankins and Noema-Barnett together, took lunch at 98-5.
Any thoughts the pair might have had of a patiently built recovery disappeared in the third over after the resumption when a mix up between the pair and a smart throw - again by Wagg - left Noema-Barnett stranded with only a single against his name.
Jack Taylor's arrival then brought about a change of tactics, with Hankins joining the all rounder in a period of counter attack. It didn't last long but runs came briskly, Hankins cracking Podmore to the point boundary and Taylor lofting the same bowler over third man for six at the Ashley Down Road end.
By the time Michael Hogan trapped Taylor lbw for 24, the pair had added 42 and Hankins had grown in confidence, playing some attractive off side strokes and completing his first Championship fifty from 55 deliveries.
Understandably for a 19 year old, Hankins' defence isn't as tight as a more experienced player but he tries to play straight and there were a couple of well executed drives among nine boundaries before van der Gugten returned to finally bowl the teenager for 56.
At 169-8, Glamorgan would hoped to have been batting before tea, but they were held up by a spirited and sensibly constructed stand of 90 between Craig Miles and David Payne, breaking the record for the ninth wicket between the teams in matches at the Brightside Ground.
Against a frequently rotated attack, including the spin of Salter and Rudolph, they worked the ball into the gaps and - with some fortune on occasions - punched and drove when they could to add 80 in 19 overs until tea, when Miles had made 41 and Payne 38.
A second batting point was secured in the first over of the day's final session, but Payne was then bowled by van der Gugten for 39, and Miles was left 49 not out when Rudolph's leg spin deceived Josh Shaw to end Gloucestershire's first innings on 262.
Only when Glamorgan came to bat would it be possible to judge how challenging a total they faced and Craig Miles broke the opening stand in his first over, wicket keeper Mark Wallace spooning a catch to Graeme Van Buuren at point.
Another left hander, Will Bragg, then joined skipper Rudolph as they tried to build the sort of platform which had eluded Gloucestershire earlier in the day.
Rudolph in particular was a picture of patience with only five scoring strokes in the first hour, a solitary single and four boundaries from the only other deliveries he believed he could safely score from, the pick of them a gun barrel straight drive off Craig Miles.
Payne tested Bragg with a couple of bouncers without success, and both batsmen picked off the bustling Josh Shaw through the covers as he strove for a breakthrough before the close.
By stumps, Glamorgan had cut the deficit to 180 at 82-1, with Rudolph 33 not out and Bragg 45 not out. Which direction the match takes will hinge a lot on how Gloucestershire bowl on Monday morning.
