Dal steers Derbyshire to huge lead over Glamorgan
Anuj Dal’s 94 was his highest Championship score of the season
- Published
Vitality County Championship Division Two, County Ground, Derby (day two)
Glamorgan 168 (Chappell 6-47) & 39-0
Derbyshire 429: Dal 94, Came 84, Madsen 70: Crane 3-43, Kellaway 3-59
Glamorgan (3 pts) trail Derbyshire (7 pts) by 222 runs with 10 second-innings wickets remaining
Derbyshire batted themselves into a strong position on day two against Glamorgan as they piled up 429, a lead of 261 on first innings.
The visitors survived 12 overs to reach 39-0 second time around.
Anuj Dal, last out for 94, held the home innings together after Harry Came’s 84 and Wayne Madsen’s 70 early on.
Glamorgan spinners Mason Crane and Ben Kellaway took three wickets apiece.
Home prospects of victory, which would their first Championship triumph at headquarters since September 2019, may be lessened by poor weather forecast for much of day three.
But there are signs of the ball keeping low to make Glamorgan’s survival bid more difficult.
The overnight pair of Came and Madsen looked fairly untroubled against Glamorgan’s seamers despite another tight spell from Timm van der Gugten, taking their stand to 130 on a bright and breezy morning.
But Kellaway clung on to a ferocious return catch to dismiss Came for a solid 84, while Madsen reached 70 but mistimed an attempt to hit Kellaway over the top and holed out for 70.
That brought the Welsh pair of David Lloyd and Aneurin Donald together, with the latter's rapid cameo of 28 ended by a brilliant leg-side catch by keeper Chris Cooke, anticipating a paddle shot.
Dal could have been run out before lunch, but added useful runs for each wicket down the order after former Glamorgan captain David Lloyd (44) was bowled by a Crane googly.
Once Zak Chappell went for 29, Dal did his best to take the strike, but although last man Pat Brown shared in a stand of 48, there was no effort to maximise the time available for their bowlers and Dal was eventually caught in the deep off Crane as he tried to reach his century with a six.
That left Glamorgan just 12 overs to negotiate, with first-time opener Kellaway edging through slip for his first Championship runs.
Billy Root was dropped at slip off Chappell, and that proved Derbyshire’s last opportunity as Kellaway got a few fluent drives away to ease his nerves.
Derbyshire’s Anuj Dal told BBC Radio Derby:
“We got a message the over before (I was out) saying I needed to crack on, so it’s not ideal, but you’re trying to put the team in the best position you can, just a bit frustrating because batting at seven you don’t get many chances to get hundreds.
“But we’re trying to take 10 wickets to win the game and that takes priority.
“I pride myself on being able to go big when I get in, and I like to value my wicket, but as long as I’m doing a job for the team that’s the important thing.
“I haven’t looked at the weather, but we’re in a fortunate position that we’ve earned ourselves time in the game, so whether there is or isn’t rain, we’ve got time to take 10 wickets on day four.”
Glamorgan’s Ben Kellaway told BBC Sport Wales:
“It was nice to get a spell under my wing for my first wickets and help the team bowl them out, then a bit of relief with the bat (after three ducks). It’s a new challenge for me at the top of the order so to get the first one away, however unconvincing it was, and to get through the day unscathed, hopefully I can go big.
“Opening is something completely new to me, but I’ll throw everything at it and give it a go, I back my technique since it was my way to get into the team.
“We’re behind in the game, but with the batting we’ve got, and the way the pitch has become a bit easier with less seam movement, I back our boys to get into a dominant position.”