Leics lead by 170

Leicestershire have a lead of 170 at the halfway stage against Glamorgan after a day where wickets tumbled in the LV=County Championship game at Grace Road.

After Andrew McDonald made his first Leicestershire hundred to take the team to 291, the attack - led by Matthew Hoggard's Leicestershire best of 4-32 - produced a polished performance to bowl out Glamorgan for 166 at Grace Road and claim a first-innings lead of 125.

However, four wickets fell in the space of two overs in the second dig as Glamorgan kept themselves in the contest by reducing County to 17-4.

That paired young duo James Taylor and Josh Cobb together in a dificult scenario as James Harris (10-6-15-2) and David Harrison (8-3-11-2) had their tails up. The batsmen were extremely watchful and battled gamely but Cobb fell shortly before the close as the team closed on 45-5.

Taylor was unbeaten on 19 from 59 balls by stumps and he and Jigar Naik (6*) will resume the innings tomorrow with a fascinating day in prospect.

Earlier in the day, Leicestershire resumed on 263-8 with McDonald unbeaten on 86 and Hoggard on two. There was bad news this morning inasmuch that McDonald will be unavailable for a month of the season given his Australia A call-up but better news with his ton.

The Australian was straight back into his stride with a drive through mid off which took him into the nineties. He moved seamlessly through that period and reached his hundred with an inside edge that flew past Mark Wallace.

The method mattered not; it was a fantastic innings and a richly deserved maiden hundred in Leicestershire colours. It came from 179 balls and the four that took him past the landmark was his tenth at that stage.

McDonald drove powerfully through cover but unfortunately fell to his next ball. He drove at Harrison and Wallace took the comfortable catch. Gurney then fell to his second ball as Harrison - who finished with 4-71 - wrapped things up via Jamie Dalrymple at second slip.

Leicestershire then bowled extremely well. To go with Hoggard's haul, Harry Gurney bowled superbly in his first appearance of the season. He took 2-33 from twelve overs and Claude Henderson also took 2-8 from six overs. Naik and McDonald chipped in with one apiece.

The Glamorgan innings had a similar start to the Leicestershire first knock as Gareth Rees and Mark Cosgrove opened the batting with intent but after a decent partnership of 41, four wickets fell in the space of twelve runs and 6.5 overs before lunch.

That got Leicestershire a firm footing in the game and came about due to Hoggard and Gurney both extracting late swing. That was the key to Glamorgan's downfall as a lot of the top-order batsmen went hard at the ball and paid the price.

Hoggard beat Rees with his very first delivery but batter's reply was impressive as he drove through cover for four.
It was good bowling from the skipper and Nathan Buck but the left-handed duo negotiated the opening five overs and then went on the counter attack.

Cosgrove then played an excellent shot through mid off and followed that up with two more powerful drives in that region.

With plenty of left-handedness at the top of the order, Gurney was then introduced from the Pavilion End. Cosgrove played two drives either side of gully though as the Australian continued to attack. It was looking slightly ominous but an aggressive outlook always keeps the opponents interested.

Rees was also expansive as he flashed through gully but the stroke proved his downfall next ball. The opener edged Gurney and McDonald took the catch safely at slip.

Cosgrove was still a danger though and Hoggard removed his threat. The batsman was pinned in front by an inswinger and was out for 25.

That quick double burst changed the picture and Dalrymple and Ben Wright were now together at the crease. Gurney ripped a beauty past Dalrymple's outside edge and Hoggard was bowling a super spell down the hill.

Gurney then struck for a second time by having Wright adjudged leg before to become the third wicket to fall for five runs. The left armer then had a huge appeal against Tom Maynard and was clearly enjoying his return to the first team fray.

Hoggard then also struck for a second time as Naik took a sharp catch at gully. It was a great turn in fortunes for the team and bought former Fox Jim Allenby to the crease.

He nearly fell first ball when inside edging a Hoggard delivery but it flew past the stumps and raced away for four. An outside edge also flew to the ropes but it was encouraging stuff for the attack.

At lunch, the score was 67-4 and Gurney and Hoggard resumed their spells after the break. The captain immediately made his third breakthrough as Allenby nicked through to Tom New and Leicestershire had their fifth wicket.

That bought Wallace to the wicket as the visitors needed a partnership to get a foothold in proceedings. McDonald replaced Gurney at the Pavilion End after the seamer's first spell of 9-4-23-2.

Wallace cut through backward point for four but just when the two men were getting established, McDonald had the visiting skipper caught by Matthew Boyce at slip. That left the score on 89-6 with Harris at the wicket alongside Wallace.

The left hander looked in decent touch and cut to the ropes as the score edged towards 100. Naik entered the equation and Wallace was determined to be positive. Four ambitious sweeps greeted the off-spinner's arrival and Wallace could have fallen to any of those deliveries.

However, the keeper lived to tell the tale and was generally playing well off his pads against the quicker men. He was soon the top-scorer and Harris was also playing nicely; a cover drive for four showed that.

Wallace then cut Naik for four but after both he and the partnership had reached 36, he took one liberty too many against Naik and was bowled by the spinner.

Henderson, who finished with 2-8 from 6 overs, then bowled in tandem with his spin colleague. Harris edged past Naik at slip as Glamorgan avoided the follow-on but he then played a really classy stroke to demonstrate he has batting talents as well as bowling ability.

The youngster advanced down the track before driving sweetly through extra. The stand had reached 23 but Henderson ended it by trapping Cosker leg-before; an exact reversal of Henderson's first-innings dismissal.

Harrison drove through extra as the score moved past 150 and the bowler also picked up a stroke over mid-wicket. Harrison continued to play well before tea and cut and drove for four as his side went in on 166-8.

County wanted to wrap up the innings quickly after tea and did exactly that as Glamorgan did not add another run to their tally.

The batsmen played well before the break but Harrison fell immediately after when Henderson got his second leg before decision of the afternoon. Harrison contributed 17 of the 18 run partnership and Harris was also trapped lbw by the returning Hoggard.

Despite all of the excitement throughout the day, there were still 28 overs remaining. Harris and Harrison were very accurate early on and just four runs came from the first eight overs.

Seeing off the new ball was the priority in taking the game away from the visitors. The team could not survive though and had a nightmare passage of play as four wickets fell in the space of twelve balls.

Harrison struck twice in the tenth over. Boyce fell when the seamer got one to shoot through to trap him leg before and Nixon then nibbled at one and was caught behind. It left the score on 9-2 with 18 overs still left in the day.

Two more wickets fell in the next over as New clipped the ball to Tom Maynard at mid wicket and McDonald adjudged leg before to a ball that looked extremely high.

Taylor drove nicely down the ground for four off Harrison and also had a good battle against Lions colleague Harris. Allenby replaced Harrison at the Bennett End and Will Owen came on from Harris.

Taylor drove exquisitely through mid on off Owen as the duo ticked off the overs. However, Cobb was trapped lbw by Allenby in the 26th over.
Naik drove handsomely for four in the last as the pair gutsed it out.

It sets up an intriguing day tomorrow and Taylor's presence at the crease will be vital.