Northants fight back after Glamorgan pile up 467
Saif Zaib moved past 1,100 Championship runs for the season
- Published
Rothesay County Championship Division Two, County Ground, Northampton (day two)
Glamorgan 467 (121.4 overs): Tribe 206, Cooke 84; Ramesh 3-42, Procter 3-89
Northamptonshire 309-5 (67.1 overs): Zaib 76*, Procter 67, Vasconcelos 50; Crane 4-86
Northamptonshire 4 pts, Glamorgan 5 pts
Northants hit back strongly to reach 309-5 after promotion-chasing Glamorgan piled up 467, thanks to Asa Tribe's superb innings of 206.
Tribe completed his maiden double century in the first session, striking 31 fours and two sixes in a mature knock off 293 balls that underlined the 21-year-old Jersey opener's case for England consideration.
But half-centuries from Ricardo Vasconcelos (50), Luke Procter (67) and the prolific Saif Zaib (76 not out) gave Northants strong momentum with the bat on a high-scoring day, despite a pitch that offered turn and some inconsistent bounce.
Leg-spinner Mason Crane (4-86) was Glamorgan's most threatening bowler, but Northants scored quickly and were only just short of reaching the follow-on target of 318 by the close.
Both teams will hope the poor weather forecast for day three does not derail any chance of a positive result.
Glamorgan resumed on 367-6 with Tribe on 181, and the opener had to work hard for his runs against a testing spell from Luke Procter.
But Tribe's key milestone of 200 came up with a clip to backward square leg off Justin Broad, marking the latest step in a rapid development for the talented 21 year old, who was not even in the Championship team at the start of the season.
It followed two unbeaten centuries in the One Day Cup, plus knocks of 175 and 53 not out for Jersey.
Tribe added 83 for the seventh wicket with Timm van der Gugten before losing his off stump to a ball that kept low, while van der Gugten fell lbw to Calvin Harrison for 33 in the next over.
There was no immediate relief for the hosts as Crane (41 not out) and James Harris put on a further 50 before 17-year-old debutant spinner Nirvan Ramesh took the last two wickets.
Vasconcelos led a rapid reply after almost being run out by a dreadful call from Procter early on, with Glamorgan initially failing to take advantage of the vagaries of the pitch.
He reached his 50 off 66 balls, but clipped Zain Ul Hassan's medium pace to Crane at mid-wicket immediately afterwards, with the score on 87.
Procter and Calvin Harrison kept the momentum up, but fell in successive overs from Crane, Harrison well caught by Colin Ingram at slip for 30 while Procter (67) turned one to Kiran Carlson at leg-slip.
Crane should have had James Sales caught on eight, but Ingram could not hold on to the slip chance, leaving the hosts to dominate the evening proceedings as Zaib and Sales kept the score rattling along in a stand of 107.
Glamorgan looked short of inspiration, one option down with spinner Ben Kellaway missing from the field because of a calf problem, but Crane got a third when Sales came down the wicket and slapped the ball to mid-off for 35.
Zaib, coming into the match with an impressive total of 1,047 first-class runs for the season, continued to play fluently in the evening gloom under the lights.
But Justin Broad, with two innings of 150 plus behind him, was caught behind for 31 off the first ball of the final over with Crane striking again.
Glamorgan's Asa Tribe told BBC Sport Wales:
"It felt great to reach 200, it felt weird because it was only 20 runs on from overnight, but still a great feeling. I wasn't nervous overnight, more happy to be sat on 180.
"It feels as though I can't do much wrong at the moment so I'm really happy with how it's going. Unfortunately I didn't do it (get two centuries) when we were in competition in the one day cup, but still nice to get runs at the back end and I always enjoy scoring runs in a Jersey shirt.
"I haven't heard anything personally (about England consideration), just whispers of guys talking, it's easy to get caught up in that chat but I need to focus on my own game.
"We're currently talking (about a new contract), the conversations are happening at the moment. It's always good to be in the position I'm sat in, I haven't had approaches from any other counties yet and Glam is a good county for me at the moment, I'm really enjoying it."
Northants' Ricardo Vasconcelos told BBC Radio Northampton:
"We're going to keep the real intent we've shown all day. We're happy with the way everyone's batted, but disappointed no-one has really gone on, though Saif can do that tomorrow.
"If we carry on with that blueprint, showing good intent, putting away bad balls and not letting people bowl at us, we'll do well over a longer period of time than we have done.
"The wicket has done a bit when the ball's been in the right area, so we've said that anything that's there to go, must go.
"It's been a tough season but I'm working hard trying to put things right and I feel things are starting to come."