Hamish Top Scores On Cold Day At Swalec
27 March 2013
Skipper Hamish Marshall top scored with 45 as Gloucestershire made 193-7 on the opening day of the two-day friendly fixture against Glamorgan at the SWALEC Stadium.
There were also useful contributions from Chris Dent (40), Dan Housego (39) and Jack Taylor (26 not out) before bad light brought play to a premature close at 5.15pm.
After Dent and Housego had given Gloucestershire a solid start with a half-century opening stand, Glamorgan hit back by taking five wickets for 32 runs in the space of 19 overs either side of lunch.
Play began on time despite more arctic temperatures, but was curtailed at 5.15pm when bad light forced the players off.
Dent and Housego were restricted to just five scoring shots in the first half hour. The first boundary of the season at the SWALEC came in the eighth over as Dent clipped Huw Waters to the ropes at square-leg.
Gloucestershire’s fifty duly came up in the 18th over, courtesy of a leg-glance by Housego off John Glover before Dent added to his boundary tally by despatching Mike Reed through the covers.
Housego greeted the introduction of Jim Allenby into the attack by on-driving the all-rounder for four. Dent then pulled Glover to the ropes, but the bowler made the perfect riposte as next ball he trapped the opener leg before pushing forward.
After lunch, 79-1 became 82-2 as Alex Gidman departed in similar fashion to Allenby for a single. And without any addition to the total, Graham Wagg also had an appeal upheld as Housego became the third man to be dismissed lbw.
Benny Howell and Marshall then took the score into three figures, but Wagg struck again as Howell was bowled for seven
A light flurry of snowflakes briefly swirled around above the players’ heads as Will Gidman joined Marshall, with Waters also returning to the fray in place of Wagg at the River End.
Gidman edged Reed through a vacant third slip position and Marshall did the same just short of first slip’s grasp before edging another drive down to long-leg. But next over Reed gained due reward as Gidman, on six, edged into Wallace’s fluorescent green gloves.
Cameron Herring joined Marshall at 113-5. The latter responded by savagely pulling Waters for four and more delicately caressing both Waters and Reed through backward point for further boundaries.
After 51 overs of swing and seam, Dean Cosker’s left-arm spin entered the attack at the Cathedral Road End as another light flurry of snowflakes descended on the hardy cricketers shortly before the tea interval, which was taken at 143-5.
The final session saw Herring dismissed for six and Marshall depart after facing 101 balls and hitting 5 fours.
But Jack Taylor hit four boundaries in reaching 26 not out, while Ed Young was unbeaten on 15 at stumps.
