County DIV2 2024, GLAM vs NHNTS 29th Match Match Report, June 23 – 26, 2024

Northamptonshire 279 and 236 for 4 (Vasconcelos 99, Procter 55*) lead Glamorgan 490 (Crane 56*, Procter 3-51) by 2\5 runs

Glamorgan had extended their first-innings lead to 211 thanks to late order runs from Crane, James Harris and Andy Gorvin allowing them to add to their overnight total.

Northamptonshire will begin the final day of this match on 236 for four, just 25 runs in front with six second-innings wickets in hand. They will be hoping for another partnership to help them save this game but Glamorgan will be looking for early wickets so they can push for the win.

Glamorgan resumed 111 runs in front of Northamptonshire and Crane and James Harris set about extending that in the opening hour. Crane is having his best season as a batter in first-class cricket. He made the second half-century of his career, the first coming in the away fixture against these opponents earlier in the season.

Crane and Harris shared a stand of 63 that took Glamorgan into a sizeable lead, but the concern for the home side would have been the ease with which their lower order were scoring runs. The prodigious seam movement that was a feature of the first two days had all but disappeared and the final wicket stand between Crane and Andy Gorvin put on another 53 runs to take Glamorgan to 490 all out.

Northamptonshire’s innings had a solid start thanks to a stand of 59 between Emilio Gay and Vasconcelos. Gay was dismissed by Gorvin when he edged through to Chris Cooke for 24. Prithvi Shaw had made it to 23 before he edged a low catch to Cooke to leave Northamptonshire 95 for two.

Vasconcelos was steady throughout but as the day progressed the odd ball did misbehave. There were one of two balls from the Glamorgan seamers that bounced more than he expected but it wasn’t until the final session of the day that there seemed to be a real threat with the ball thanks to Crane’s leg spin. He bowled a long spell in the evening session where the ball began to turn.

The stand between Procter and Vasconcelos took Northamptonshire exactly level with Glamorgan when Crane made the long-awaited breakthrough when he trapped Vasconcelos LBW for 99. When Crane had Rob Keogh caught at short leg first ball Northamptonshire were four wickets down in their second innings and exactly level with Glamorgan’s first innings score.

Procter and Lewis McManus took Northamptonshire to the close without any further damage but there is still a long way to go before the visitors can consider this game safe.