Match Report: Glamorgan vs. Kent
Kent faced Glamorgan in Group 3 of the 2021 LV= Insurance County Championship.
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Day Two Report:
Kent were all out for 74 in their second innings and beaten in two days by Glamorgan in the LV= Insurance County Championship.
Darren Stevens celebrated his 45th birthday with his 30th first-class five-wicket haul and figures of five for 53, but Glamorgan took a first-innings lead of 59 runs which Kent only just surpassed.
Glamorgan’s 39-year-old Australian seamer Michael Hogan destroyed the Kent top order with five quick wickets. Hogan produced an exceptional 10 overs to take five for 28.
Glamorgan opener David Lloyd knocked off the 16 runs to win on his own and finished it with a six to record a 10-wicket win.
A total of 18 wickets fell on Day Two.
Glamorgan’s overnight batters Lloyd and Billy Root were both dismissed as three wickets fell in the half hour played in the morning session before rain meant an early Lunch.
Stevens bowled immaculately and trapped Lloyd leg before wicket for 62.
Matt Milnes then dismissed Root LBW and clean bowled Glamorgan captain Chris Cooke for a golden duck in consecutive deliveries. Wet weather then forced the players from the field.
When the teams returned, Kiran Carlson was caught at second slip by Zak Crawley from the bowling of Stevens and Milnes accounted for Callum Taylor LBW.
Stevens soon grabbed his fifth wicket when Timm van der Gugten was caught behind by Ollie Robinson. Kent’s change bowlers Miguel Cummins and Fredrick Klaassen wrapped up the Glamorgan innings.
Kent’s second innings was a disaster. Opener Daniel Bell-Drummond skied an attempted pull shot off the bowling of Lukas Carey which just escaped Van der Gugten at mid-on, but Hogan did remove Jordan Cox LBW.
Carey then had a huge shout for leg before against Kent’s new man Crawley which was turned down.
Hogan’s accuracy was relentless. He had Bell-Drummond caught behind and clean bowled England’s Crawley – who failed to play a shot – for just a single. Joe Denly was the next to go.
He had nearly been run out by Carlson after dropping his bat, but was then LBW to Lloyd.
Hogan had Robinson caught behind by Cooke after tea as Kent slipped to 41/5, still 18 runs behind. The Australian then made it five when Jack Leaning looked disappointed to be given out LBW.
Stevens took a wild hack at a Lloyd delivery and was clean bowled. Kent’s Heino Kuhn was batting with a runner due to a calf problem, but when he was LBW to Van der Gugten, his team collapsed to a paltry 74 all out. Glamorgan then wrapped up victory with two days to spare.
Kent Head Coach Matt Walker said: “It was not good enough over the day and three quarters for which the game lasted.
“It wasn’t an easy pitch to play on and when you look at the batting that was reflected by the scores. Regardless of the pitch we have to be better than that and we didn’t find the answer. Some of the boys will look back on good balls which got them out, but we have to better.
“Two poor batting innings on good pitches leads to a lack of a confidence and it’s difficult to find a performance on a pitch like this. Glamorgan bowled very well. Michael Hogan was outstanding at time.
“It always looks bad when you lose a game by 10 wickets. We haven’t played well in the last three weeks and this result typifies that. Some of our players aren’t performing to the levels they can.”
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Day One Report:
Kent managed to claw two wickets back after falling to 138 all out after Day One against Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens.
Australian superstar Labuschagne was back in the Glamorgan side after only arriving in Cardiff on Monday, but he suffered a hand problem when he fell entering the field before play started.
The third best Test batter in the world missed part of the afternoon session while his hand was assessed. He did return to the field as Kent were bowled out for 138.
David Lloyd claimed four for 11 and Timm van der Gugten four for 41. Glamorgan ended day one 109 for two in response, trailing by just 29 runs. Labuschagne was dismissed for just 11.
Glamorgan won the toss and chose to field.
Kent openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Jordan Cox put on an untroubled first-wicket stand of 54, but when Bell-Drummond was bowled by van der Gugten for 31 it gave Glamorgan hope.
England batting coach Marcus Trescothick was in Cardiff to see Zak Crawley immediately into his stride when he got to the crease.
A four through mid-on was his best shot of the first session as he went to lunch unbeaten on 26.
But at the other end his team struggled as Lloyd dismissed Cox and Joe Denly in the same over. Denly was leg before wicket to Lloyd for a fourth-ball duck.
Michael Hogan also accounted for Jack Leaning as Glamorgan took three wickets for five runs at the end of the first session.
Labuschagne didn’t return to the field after lunch, but Hogan continued to cause trouble and he soon dismissed Heino Kuhn LBW.
Even without Labuschagne, Glamorgan were well on top and they grabbed the key wicket of Crawley as the first drops of rain came down at Sophia Gardens.
The returning van der Gugten did the damage as Crawley nicked through to Chris Cooke. Crawley’s departure was followed by the players leaving the field.
When they returned, Lloyd cleaned up Darren Stevens and Ollie Robinson was caught by Lloyd off the bowling of van der Gugten as the Glamorgan pair wrapped up the innings.
Stevens immediately removed Joe Cooke without scoring and then trapped Labuschagne – whose hand injury seemed to be troubling him while batting – LBW.
Lloyd was dropped at slip late on after a second rain break, but continued his impressive start to the season by finishing unbeaten on 54.
Kent Head Coach Matt Walker said: “We were very poor. It was not good enough in any aspect.
“To go from 88 for one to 138 all out is not good enough. It’s hard to put my finger on why, but we’ve had too many days like this already this season. It’s Day One and the positive is wickets can go quickly if you bowl in the right area.
“We’ve got to be better on day two if we want to win this game.
“Everyone is working hard, but we are just not getting it right on the pitch. I remember from being a player it’s difficult to get out of a bad spot.
“We have to get out of it quickly, but we won’t hit the panic button. We need to get more balls in the right areas.”
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