Kent frustrated Glamorgan’s bowlers at the start of their second innings in their County Championship Division 2 match at Cardiff on Wednesday.
Ben Kellaway, who struck a mammoth 181 not out in the reverse fixture, scored 90, together with Colin Ingram’s 87 to combine for a 174-run stand, resuming on the second day.
Glamorgan finished 327 all out, damage limited by Matt Parkinson taking 4-103 to grind his way through the Glamorgan lower order after Wes Agar claimed four wickets to handle the top order on day one.
Ben Compton led in the visitors’ controlled reply of 106-1. The opener closed in on 1,000 runs for the season – needing a further 33 to pass the milestone in a race to be the first to do so this summer.
Ingram and Kellaway continued to rebuild from their 47-run partnership as Glamorgan sat in the ambiguous position of 125-4 at the start of the day after rolling Kent for 155 on day one.
The engine room of Glamorgan’s leading run-scoring pair tormented the rotating Kent bowlers with the ageing Kookaburra ball.
If the partnership was able to build overnight after a period of bowlers dominating, with the day starting 42 overs into Glamorgan’s first innings, the lack of movement created a chance to set up an unassailable lead.
A top-edged slog sweep landed into no-man’s-land from Kellaway in the only moment until lunch where the visitors thought they had a glimmer of hope. The 50 came – as did the century partnership – with hardly any notice.
A wicket-less session looked inevitable until Ingram was given out caught at slip, questioning a bump ball at 12.59pm to give Kent something to enjoy their lunch with.
Almost as if Kellaway was lost at the crease without his 40-year-old newly-appointed white-ball assistant coach, uncertain shots began to creep in before being drawn into the flighted ball to drive directly to cover from Parkinson.
Ned Leonard added a flurry with two straight sixes on Glamorgan’s way past a second batting point to be the only difference from the two sides’ tails. The 25 runs from the No.10 came for the hosts after losing four wickets for 24 runs, coming together with a stubborn Chris Cooke for the ninth wicket.
As they did in the first innings, Jaydn Denly and Compton looked unphased against the new ball.
Asitha Fernando (0-24) and Timm van der Gugten (0-23) were unable to find their line before the latter walked off mid-over through injury.
Kellaway (1-26) added control as the only front-line spinner in the side.
James Harris (0-10) found some reverse swing after tea and enjoyed a threatening spell against the left-handers, which ended in only economical rewards. The unseen reward for Harris in the wickets column may just have been what brought Kellaway’s however; Denly playing out of frustration after a positive start, top-edging a slog sweep.
The newly-formed pair of Compton and Chris Benjamin had no concerns, though, in closing the deficit further.
Compton ended the day 38 not out while Benjamin was unbeaten on 22.
