Carlson rescues Glam at promotion rivals Derbyshire
Kiran Carlson took his tally to 978 runs for the Championship season
- Published
Rothesay County Championship Division Two, Central Co-op County Ground, Derby (day two)
Glamorgan 259 (88.3 overs): Carlson 94; Reece 4-67, Dal 3-29
Derbyshire 17-0 (5 overs)
Derbyshire 3 pts, Glamorgan 1 pt
Kiran Carlson's 94 rescued Glamorgan as they struggled to 259 all out against promotion rivals Derbyshire on a bowler-friendly wicket.
Anuj Dal (3-29) and Luis Reece (4-67) reduced the visitors to 99-6 after the first day was lost to the weather, while Ben Aitchison (2-51) bowled with hostile intent.
But Carlson counter-attacked during the afternoon, leading Glamorgan's only substantial partnership of 94 with Timm van der Gugten (37).
Derbyshire reached 17-0 in the last five overs of the day.
The hosts went into the match in third in Division Two, 27 points behind Glamorgan and needing a win to stay in realistic contention, but could face further weather delays on day three.
Both sides showed two changes, with Derbyshire bringing in ex-Glamorgan player Aneurin Donald and first-class debutant Amrit Basra for spinner Jack Morley and the departed Caleb Jewell, while Glamorgan fielded Billy Root and seamer Andy Gorvin in place of Ben Kellaway (calf injury) and spinner Mason Crane.
Glamorgan lost six wickets in the first hour in the previous year's encounter at Derby and they suffered another torrid start on a pitch of variable bounce at 13-2, as the in-form Asa Tribe fell lbw to Reece while Zain Ul Hassan's struggles continued when he edged behind off Ben Aitchison.
Sam Northeast almost played on to Reece on 12, but could not take much advantage as he was leg-before to Zak Chappell for 25, while Carlson was struck on the hand with the bounce proving unpredictable.
The visitors' lunch score of 80-3 quickly deteriorated as Colin Ingram (15) had just enough time to pass 10,000 first-class runs before Reece speared one between bat and pad.
Meanwhile the presence of England batter Joe Root could not inspire brother Billy, who hit one boundary before steering Dal to slip, and Chris Cooke edged Dal's next ball to slip as Derbyshire collected their second point.
After playing cautiously in the morning, Carlson showed signs of opening up as he hit Rory Haydon for two sixes over square leg while Timm van der Gugten settled in alongside him.
Batting never looked straightforward, but the pair survived the odd near-miss in their measured partnership which earned their side some respectability and took vital time out of the game.
Carlson eventually fell to a stunning slip catch by Aitchison off Dal, having faced 178 balls, while Van der Gugten was caught behind off a fine lifting delivery from Aitchison.
Andy Gorvin (20) and James Harris started slowly, but Harris got going with six boundaries in his 31, his highest of the season, as a ninth-wicket stand of 45 earned a batting bonus point before Reece finished the innings off.
He and Aneurin Donald survived the closing stages under the lights, though Derbyshire will need to score rapidly as they face running out of time to win the match.
Derbyshire's Anuj Dal told BBC Radio Derby:
"We bowled really nicely as a unit, a couple of chances went down and it could have been a different day. It's nice to be contributing in a crucial game like this and to be able to do a job for the team, and I'm glad I had the wind (at my back) for a change.
"Mickey (Arthur, head coach) said at the start of the season that we want to get to September with everything to play for, we've got exactly that but unfortunately the great British summer has come to an end and we're dealing with autumn at its finest.
"If we keep playing good cricket and trying our best, that's all you can ask for.
"We're going to have to do something to push the game forward, hopefully it's going to be an exciting day and the rain stays away."
Glamorgan's Kiran Carlson told BBC Sport Wales:
"The wicket's pretty tricky at times, there's plenty of grass and enough in it for the bowlers, so I think 250 was about par for the day.
"I was trying to roll with the punches, a lot of plays and misses, a lot of scunges off the edge but when there are wickets falling around you, you go inside your box for a bit and then try to take the opportunity to score when you see it.
"I thought Timmy and me batted nicely in a big partnership and the boys at the back end got us to 250 which was a great effort.
"There's no point in trying to draw games too early on, that's going to put you in a negative frame of mind, so we're going to try to put in a performance where we can walk away with a win."