Super Hendo is star turn for County

Date: Thursday 06 August 2009

Day Two Report: Glamorgan 320-8 (Bragg 80, Rees 44, Dalrymple 40, Powell 40, Henderson 6-88) lead Leicestershire 313 (Ackerman 92, Dippenaar 85, Dalrymple 3-11, Harris 3-90) by seven runs.

Six of the best for Claude Henderson ensured Leicestershire battled back gamely in the Championship encounter against Glamorgan at Rhos-on-Sea.

The slow left armer was outstanding in taking 6-88 from 38 excellent overs and gained good back-up from County’s hardworking seamers as the hosts slipped from 213-2 to 320-8 by stumps.

It means everything is delicately poised at the halfway stage as Glamorgan lead by seven runs with two wickets left in the bank.

In many ways the proceedings were similar to that on the first day, with the batsmen initially getting on top before the bowlers gained reward for sticking to their task.

Henderson was undoubtedly the star turn, but young guns Harry Gurney and Nathan Buck also claimed wickets while AJ Harris worked incredibly hard for the team with nothing in the magic final column to show for it.

Chris Thompson also sent down nine tidy overs on debut that cost just 20 runs, so in all everyone put in a good shift, which meant Glamorgan were never allowed to get away even when wickets were not forthcoming.

Glamorgan started the day on 45-0 with Gareth Rees and Will Bragg at the wicket and the stand soon passed 50 as Rees leant into a drive through extra cover.

Although the odd boundary came in the first hour, Harris, Buck and Gurney were largely disciplined and the experienced seamer led the attack with enthusiasm and effort.

However, both left-handers re-established themselves at the wicket and Boeta Dippenaar decided on a change of pace at noon.

The early signs were promising for Henderson. He beat Rees all ends up with his first delivery, which prompted an audacious reverse sweep from the next ball.

A clean connection ensured the ball raced to the boundary, but with Henderson operating around the wicket, it was hardly a percentage shot.

The intent was admirable but surely a little foolhardy and Henderson soon had his man when Rees’ ambition got the better of him.

The youngster miscued a drive and Jacques du Toit snapped up the chance at cover to end a promising opening stand that had passed three-figures.

Glamorgan were no doubt well aware if how one wicket bought two so Michael Powell decided to drop anchor alongside his young colleague.

Bragg was still willing to play his shots, including a lapped aerial four off Henderson to bring up an 84-ball fifty. The stroke was his ninth boundary.

Although only one wicket fell in the opening exchanges, County kept a lid on the scoring rate and the hosts managed just 88 from the opening session of 31 overs – and that included five penalty runs when the ball struck a helmet left behind Tom New.

The twirler continued his parsimonious stint after the break and Bragg was getting increasingly frustrated with Henderson’s accuracy.

Bragg did manage a lovely cover drive but scoring strokes were few and far between. After being tied down and unable to rotate the strike freely, the opener holed out to Gurney at long-off, where the bowler took a super diving catch.

It ended his knock of 80 and the stand of 56 and Henderson could have had a third wicket immediately when Powell attempted to break the shackles.

The batter charged down the track but somehow survived as the ball missed everything. Technically it was a missed stumping but Powell was expecting the death rattle and, no doubt, New was too.

Jamie Dalrymple added an injection of momentum, though, and his knock was a respite for the large home contingent who wanted to see their side press down on the accelerator.

Powell had virtually ground to an halt in adding just 24 runs in the middle period of play, but Dalrymple added an entertaining 40 and dominated the second successive 56-run stand.

The captain played a nice series of drives, cuts and flicks but perished when Gurney rearranged his stumps around half an hour before tea.

The left armer bowled with good aggression in that particular spell, and new batsman Tom Maynard lived a charm life in edging him twice for four when the ball could so easily have gone to hand in the cordon.

He was also fortunate not to pick out Harris at long-off when Henderson returned at the Embankment End and also survived a huge leg-before shout from the spinner.

However, Maynard was still there and had added 21 brisk runs, with Powell on 35 in a knock that had spanned three hours.

Steady progress was fine for Glamorgan, though; that point was made clearer when the hosts lost five wickets for 78 overall in the final session.

The wickets actually fell in a period where just 44 were managed and it started when Powell’s turgid vigil of 40 came to an end.

Henderson could easily have bowled Powell earlier and this time he had his man when the batter was castled by a ball that tweaked nicely.

The wicket fell at an important time – with just one more delivery to come before the new ball was due.

Dippenaar made a couple of astute decisions; delaying the new cherry and then allowing Henderson to continue alongside the returning Harris.

In the interim period, Mark Wallace could have been stumped by New but the ‘keeper was unable to finish the good work started by the spinner.

The home ‘keeper then swept a six to add insult to injury and that prompted the new ball to come out.

Harris bowled with good accuracy and Henderson continued to impress. His fourth wicket was that of Wallace in freakish manner, as the ball lodged in some part of James Taylor’s anatomy at short leg.

Henderson was due a bit of luck but there was nothing fortunate about his fifth as James Harris was leg-before looking to sweep a straight ball.

County were now in the middle of a cracking little spell of play and wickets continued to fall.

Firstly, Maynard could not resist trying to take the attack to Henderson, and Greg Smith held a quite magnificent catch at long-off to ensure the spinner had County’s third Championship six-wicket haul of the season.

Maynard was the fourth batter in the top five to make between 38 and 44 and that statistic will have been a frustrating one for the hosts.

Still, the bowlers deserve credit for forcing errors and Buck got his name on the scoresheet before the close when Dean Cosker nicked a ball he was looking to leave.

Robert Croft (15*) and Adam Shantry (12*) were joined with the score now on 296-8, but saw the total past 300 and then into a slender lead by stumps.

The amount Glamorgan lead by could be a crucial factor in this tight affair, so County will need to mop things up quickly tomorrow morning.

However, they can firstly reflect on a good battling effort today, and Henderson – who has now bowled more than 100 overs in the last two bowling innings – can be proud of an outstanding day’s work.