Glamorgan v Gloucestershire Specsavers County Championship - Match Report Day 2
11 September 2018
When Gloucestershire lost their sixth wicket, they were only 24 runs ahead, but Jack Taylor and Ben Charlesworth then shared a potential unbeaten match winning partnership of 143 for the seventh wicket and a sizeable lead of 147.
When play was abandoned for the day with 16 overs remaining, Taylor was unbeaten on 98, two runs short of the sixth century of his career, with Charlesworth a solid partner at the other end on 65.
Twenty eight overs were lost during the morning session, and when play resumed at 1.25pm, Taylor and Ryan Higgins added a further eight runs before Higgins was bowled by Hogan off the inside edge for 18.
Charlesworth, a 17 year old all rounder was again released by his school, St. Edward’s Oxford, to play in his fourth championship game after scoring an unbeaten 77 and taking three wickets in Gloucestershire’s last game against Middlesex. A compact left hander, he began with a couple of edged boundaries, but then settled to play some elegant strokes through the offside.
Taylor, renowned for his attacking strokeplay, remained steadfast for the early part of his innings, accumulating mostly in singles and the occasional boundary, taking 128 balls to reach his fifty.
Charlesworth however, should have been out after making 33, but was dropped at backward point off Hogan, and went on to reach his fifty from 104 balls with nine boundaries.
Glamorgan were handicapped by the absence of Ruaidhri Smith, who was off the field throughout the second day suffering from a side strain, and with the flat pitch not offering any assistance to the bowlers, Gloucestershire’s seventh wicket pair continued to pile on the runs.
Gloucestershire all rounder Jack Taylor said, “It would have been nice to have reached three figures last night, but hopefully it will come tomorrow. Ben and I have put on a good partnership and we hope to kick on in the morning. There are two days left, and if we can build up a good lead, it will give our bowlers plenty of time to dismiss them a second time. I'm only averaging 16 this season, so I need to cash in tomorrow”.