County Championship: Bowlers dominate day one at Worcester

Opener Nick Selman fell early in Glamorgan's reply at Worcestershire

Glamorgan struggled to 44-2 in reply to Worcestershire's 205 all out as the seam bowlers dominated day one in the County Championship Division Two game at New Road.

Michael Hogan (4-53) and the returning Timm van der Gugten (3-44) ensured a modest home total.

Riki Wessels' aggressive 45 and opener Daryl Mitchell's stubborn 36 were the main contributions.

But Glamorgan then also found it tough going in the final session.

A wicket each for Charlie Morris and Ed Barnard, who did not concede a run until his 29th delivery, pegged the visitors back,

But West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite defended solidly to the close on 15 not out on his debut for the promotion-chasing visitors.

Earlier Worcestershire also failed to put any substantial partnerships together, as Ruaidhri Smith and Lukas Carey kept up the pressure imposed by the experienced Hogan and Van der Gugten, who was playing his first senior game in two months after injury.

Mitchell made 107 in the match against Glamorgan in Cardiff earlier in the season prior to the T20 break. Since then, he had made just 45 in eight first-class innings, but he ended that poor run of scores with a typically battling effort on his 200th first-class appearance.

Pears opener Daryl Mitchell told BBC Hereford and Worcester:

"It was hard work after a no-brainer to stick us in with plenty of moisture in the wicket. It nipped around considerably most of the day. Hopefully it'll zing around for the first hour in the morning as well.

"We did all right to get 200, although we'd have liked 250-plus, but it was one of those days when it could have gone horribly wrong, so we did ok to fight our way to a competitive if not brilliant total.

"It was tough going. Credit to Michael Hogan who does what he does very well with scoring very difficult. 250 runs in a day is very unusual in this day and age."

Glamorgan bowler Timm van der Gugten told BBC Sport Wales:

"It was a slow day's play with both sides bowling well and making it hard to score, although we would have taken that at the start of the day and hopefully we can bat big now.

"There's a little bit happening on quite a slow wicket where you have to stick in and play a patient game. Kraigg Brathwaite did brilliantly to set a platform and hopefully take the game on from there.

"It hasn't been the greatest season personally but it's nice to contribute and it's quite exciting to be a part of this (promotion bid), which we haven't really been in for the last decade."