MATCH DRAWN: Yorkshire 392-9d and 0-0d; Glamorgan 63-0d and 291-8.

It was a surprise after almost a day’s continuous rain of varying intensity to arrive at the ground under low grey clouds with the occasional drizzle to see that the groundstaff were making every effort to get the ground ready to play. And, after an umpires’ inspection, play did get under way albeit half an hour late.

Setting a game up so that a result can be achieved was first on the agenda. Yorkshire declared on their overnight score. Glamorgan opened their first innings and were served buffet – help yourself! – bowling by wicketkeeper Jordan Lowe and Billy Root. In five and a half overs, sixty-three runs were deducted from Yorkshire’s lead

Glamorgan declared, Yorkshire forfeited and the game was set up. Glamorgan set out on their quest to score 330 to win off the minimum 80 overs remaining to be bowled, Yorkshire to take ten wickets and in the seventeen overs bowled before lunch, 68 runs were scored and two wickets taken; both quests on target

The afternoon session began late – the kitchen had forgotten that lunch is quarter of an hour earlier on the last day – and it was much as before. It took the best part of an hour to capture the third wicket as the score was doubled. Michael Powell, the hosts’ captain, was threatening to take the game away from Yorkshire with some faster run scoring but, after striking five fours in four overs, he was caught by Callum Geldart off the last ball of James Lee’s eighth over

Seven overs later, Jordan Lowe, reverting to his wicketkeeping role in this innings, took a couple of catches in two balls. The opener Dion Holden’s lost his wicket to Lee Hodgson and next ball, David Lloyd lost his to the first ball of Gurman Randhawa’s fifth over, the first of his third spell

The spinner was to bowl unchanged for the rest of the day’s play but there was another hour’s play before he took another, the sixth to fall. The partnership he broke, was again swinging the game Glamorgan’s way, Aneurin Norman holing out to Hodgson on the deep square leg boundary. And there was a carbon copy entry in the scorebook when Alex Jones repeated the shot in the first over of the last hour

John Blain bowled John Glover, the eighth man out, in the fourth over. But seven balls later it began to rain for the first time in the day’s play. Eleven overs remained to be bowled, thirty-nine runs to be scored, two wickets to be taken……………. But the conditions dictated that handshakes be exchanged and the match drawn

A damp end to the Second Eleven Championship and a finish in the bottom half of the group table. But the youngsters who have played the majority of the season will have learnt much from the experience and better results will surely accrue next season

But there’s still some cricket to be played. Next Wednesday, Surrey come a-visiting Stamford Bridge for a three-day game, the counties agreeing to the reduction to avoid Bank Holiday Monday travelling. So, don’t go to the Bridge expecting to see some cricket.

DAY TWO REPORT

The rain duly arrived at the hour appointed by the weather forecast on the local television channel. Rain, rain and more rain thus prevented any play on this, the second day. Tomorrow, there will have to be an understanding reached between the two sides so that a result can be achieved – if the rain stops in time to allow the groundstaff to dry off the saturated ground.

DAY ONE REPORT

The SWALEC Stadium ground was still suffering from effects of the weather and the start of the Second Eleven Championship match was put back by an hour but with the full allocation of overs to be bowled

Yorkshire’s captain, John Blain, called correctly at the toss and invited the hosts, Glamorgan, to field as his side batted first. After Gary Ballance was deemed leg before in the fifth over, the Roots forged a partnership of 55 before Joe the Elder was caught in the slips, one short of a fifty

Billy the Younger was bowled, one short of a forty. Callum Geldart, having joined him at the wicket at the fall of Joe’s wicket, went on to be bowled one short of an eighty – one short seems to be a repetitive theme of this report!

The innings was coasting along at not much more three an over with three under three hundred scored off the ninety overs bowled by what would have been the close of a normal day’s play. In the second of the fourteen overs remaining to be bowled, James Lee was caught behind, the eighth wicket to fall

Jordan Lowe joined Gurman Randhawa at the crease. Randhawa scored a run a ball with nine fours in his innings, which in the context of the day’s play was a run riot but his efforts were overshadowed by his partner. Lowe struck three sixes albeit on a ground with shortish boundaries, one of the sixes clearing the southern stand, the highest roofline in The Stadium

Randhawa was bowled by the last but one ball of the day’s play. The partnership with Lowe had added 93 runs, a new record for the ninth Championship wicket against Glamorgan

A high note to end the day’s play on! But there’s a forecast of heavy rain on the morrow and that will probably wash out the second day’s play. Forfeits may be the game on the third day.

SCORECARD