County Championship: Northeast hits treble for Glamorgan against Leics

Sam Northeast's previous highest score was 191 for Kent against Derbyshire at Canterbury in 2016

Sam Northeast reached the verge of setting the highest score in Glamorgan's history as he hit an unbeaten 308 against Leicestershire.

Northeast stood one run behind Steve James's 309 after an imperious knock.

He and Colin Ingram (139) put on 306, Glamorgan's highest ever partnership against Leicestershire.

Northeast and Chris Cooke (71*) then put on 229 unbeaten, but remarkably Glamorgan are still 21 behind the Foxes' total of 584.

Just 15 wickets have fallen in the first three days of the match, not helped by poor catching on both sides.

But Northeast's only half-chance in his eight-hour innings was when he edged Callum Parkinson through slip on 99.

The 32 year old former Kent and Hampshire captain, in his first season with Glamorgan, raced past 1,000 first-class runs for the season as he accelerated in the evening session, finishing the day with 34 boundaries.

Glamorgan wobbled in mid-afternoon at 334 for five, still 101 short of the follow-on target, before the Northeast-Cooke partnership removed any remaining danger.

Ingram and Northeast batted through the morning session in fairly untroubled fashion, although both offered slip chances.

The experienced pair saw off the belated introduction of spin from Parkinson and Ackermann, before seamer Wiaan Mulder made the breakthrough in the last over of the old ball when Ingram edged behind to Harry Swindells, his innings including 18 fours and a lofted straight six.

Chris Wright (3-74) then bowled Kiran Carlson for nine and had Billy Root caught at slip first ball, while Cooke had early lives as he was dropped by Swindells and Kimber off Mulder either side of tea.

Any talk of the follow-on was short-lived as Northeast cruised past a series of landmarks in stylish fashion with 218 runs coming in the final session.

Meanwhile Glamorgan supporters were relieved to see Sussex hold out for a draw against their nearest promotion rivals Middlesex, who started the round a point ahead of Glamorgan and picked up 14 more at Lord's.

Glamorgan batter Sam Northeast told BBC Sport Wales:

"It feels brilliant to have a treble century, getting the first double of my career was a real highlioght but to go on and make it a triple was very special.

"It was nice to bat with Colin Ingram who played unbelievably well but we were under pressure at one stage, we managed to ride that, get past the follow-on and have a bit of fun at the end of the day.

"I didn't think I'd be getting a thousand (for the season) today, there was clapping from the changing room but I didn't realise it was for the thousand, so it's really special to achieve that in the first season at Glamorgan.

"If (the record) happens, it would be an honour to go past (Steve James), but we've got a bit of work to do. It's a very good pitch but if we get ahead you never know, we can put them under a bit of pressure."

Leicestershire bowling coach Alfonso Thomas said:

"We had opportunities and if we had taken them, who knows, it might have been a different game. We dropped a few catches and it's the kind of pitch where as fielders you don't expect anything, not to make excuses.

"The guys toiled well but the last session was the graveyard one where they felt a bit tired, we have to take the lessons out of this game and we can be a bit more disciplined."