By Gareth James
Glamorgan coach Grant Bradburn believes his team are offering fans full value for money – even if they are not winning many matches.
The Welsh county are up to fourth in Division Two of the County Championship but have only won one game from eight, with six draws.
Their latest draw – at home to Northamptonshire – came after the visitors came close to pulling off a remarkable comeback win.
A career best 168 from Lewis McManus and wickets for Alex Russell and Liam Patterson-White had Glamorgan hanging on.
Northamptonshire declared on 472 for eight to leave Glamorgan a target of 262 in 39 overs. The home side made a good go of chasing down the stiff target with Marnus Labuschagne scoring his second fifty of the match but late wickets left Northamptonshire a chance of pulling off victory.
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Having been 211 runs behind on first innings, Northamptonshire had nine catchers around the bat in the closing overs as they pushed for the win.
Glamorgan finished on 207 for eight with Northamptonshire two wickets short of victory.
“It was a roller-coaster day and probably a roller-coaster game,” said Bradburn.
“We played well in parts and not so well in parts, Northants also played well, and credit to both teams in terms of the intent to search for a win.
“With a shorter amount of overs left, it was a tough chase, but (it was) a fair chase and one we were prepared to have a good crack at.
“It wasn’t to be, but fans will go away seeing a brand of cricket they’re excited by.”
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Northants coach John Sadler said: “We don’t do boring games. Credit to both sides, I thought it was a brilliant game and a great advert for county cricket. Those people who say four-day county cricket isn’t interesting, they’re wrong.
“Our plan was to try to save the game first, then the longer the game drew out, the more chance we had to potentially cause a twist.
“Lewis and Procter, and Vasconcelos yesterday, the balance between defending and keeping the scoreboard moving was fantastic. Our blueprint was to try and cause some panic in their dressing-room, and it materialised pretty well.”
Northamptonshire resumed their second innings just 25 runs in front of Glamorgan but their biggest partnership of the match extended that lead significantly. Luke Procter and McManus shared a stand of 161 that lasted past lunch on the last day. As with the third day there seemed to be little threat from the quicker bowlers but Glamorgan were hampered in their pursuit for wickets by the absence of James Harris who was off the field with a quad injury.
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In the absence of Harris, Labuschagne came on to bowl seam and he generated some decent pace, albeit without managing a breakthrough. He also sent down a few overs of leg spin once the shine was off the new ball.
The first wicket of the day came in the second session when Timm van der Gugten trapped Procter for 98, the second Northamptonshire batter to get out in the nineties in this innings after Ricardo Vasconcelos fell for 99 late on day three.
Lewis McManus had past his hundred from 150 balls just before the fall of Procter’s wicket and he looked to be more attacking once he had reached his milestone, scoring at better than a run a ball as he looked to set a target for Glamorgan to chase.
McManus passed 150 for the first time in first class cricket and took four consecutive sixes off Crane in the last over before Northamptonshire declared to leave Glamorgan needing to score at seven an over to win.
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Glamorgan were 30 for one at the tea break and after the interval they made a real push to keep the required rate under control, but that desire for quick runs brought about the demise of Billy Root when Labuschagne called him through for a very sharp single and both batters ended up at the same end.
Carlson and Labuschagne kept up the intensity in their stand of 62 from 57 balls. Carlson was bowled by Alex Russell when he attempted a big shot to the shorter boundary on the Grandstand side of the ground.
Labuschagne looked very keen to secure a win in his last home game in the Championship this season but he chipped a catch to point off the bowling of Liam Patterson-White for 64.
Chris Cooke continued to attack but he fell for 27 looking to hit Russell over long off. Mason Crane was dismissed for a duck and Harry Podmore was bowled for 1 as Northamptonshire continued the late push to complete the comeback but Timm van der Gugten saw out the last over to secure the draw.
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