Lancashire’s dominance at the top of Division Two continues as they beat Glamorgan by an innings and 157 runs. There was to be no repeat of Glamorgan’s lower-order heroics of the first innings as they lost their last five wickets for 12 runs in 53 balls.
The north Wales coast did not look quite so pretty on the morning of the final day as heavy drizzle prevented play in the first session. When it did get under way, the overnight not-out batsmen, Chris Cooke and Andrew Salter, played out the first 45 minutes comfortably, the former reaching his fourth half-century of the season with a boundary through midwicket.
It was the first bowling change that brought the breakthrough when James Faulkner got a bit of away swing to the right-handed Cooke who edged to first slip where Paul Horton took a juggling catch.
The previous day, the otherwise docile Colwyn Bay pitch had started to show signs of a bit of bite and turn and Lancashire’s captain, Steven Croft, quickly decided to abandon the use of the seamers and turned to spin from both ends with men round the bat.
The off-spinner Aaron Lilley got a wicket with his second delivery. Craig Meschede, who has scored more than 500 championship runs this season, went back into his crease and was struck on the back pad. With very little bounce in the pitch umpire Bodenham was quick to put his finger in the air. Then, with his fourth delivery of the day, he bowled Graham Wagg, who had been so destructive against him in the first innings.
Three overs later Simon Kerrigan ended Salter’s watchful innings of 34, leaving Dean Cosker and Michael Hogan with the almost impossible task of surviving 54 overs.
Hogan came out swinging, as he does, and started by blasting a six over long-off before miscuing to Kyle Jarvis at backward square-leg to bring the match to its expected conclusion. Kerrigan finished with four for 28 from 21.4 overs.
This match was all but decided on the second day by the 501-run partnership between Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince and even the most partisan of Glamorgan fans had to admit they had witnessed something special.
The win puts Lancashire 32 points clear at the top of Division Two and all but promoted. For Glamorgan the defeat seriously damages their hopes of joining them, coming on the back of defeat by Essex last week, and there is now clear water between them and second-placed Surrey. They do have a game in hand over the top two but it is going to require something akin to snookers to catch them.
