Leicestershire v Glamorgan: Scores & match report

Match scores (Grace Road)

Match drawn 

Leicestershire 1st inns: 420 all out (Dearden 87, Pettini 69; Carey 4-127)

Glamorgan 1st inns: 426 all out (Ingram 137, Selman 117, Rudolph 58; Raine 4-105, McKay 3-95)

Leicestershire 2nd inns: 360-6d (Pettini 110*, Eckersley 73; De Lange 3-77)

Glamorgan 2nd inns: 144-4 (Donald*; Raine 2-23)

Day four report

An unbroken fifth wicket partnership of 87 between Aneurin Donald and Chris Cooke saw Glamorgan rescue a draw against Leicestershire.

The visitors, asked to chase an unlikely 355 off 57 overs, had slipped to 57 for four on the final evening of the Specsavers County Championship match before Donald and Cooke bailed them out, with a draw declared while they were on 144 for four.

The early dismissals of Glamorgan's first-innings centurions Nick Selman, leg below to a Clint McKay delivery which kept low to go four four, and Colin Ingram, lbw to a Ben Raine inswinger to go for one, gave the Foxes hope of securing the win.

Their chances increased when Zak Chappell produced a brute of a delivery which Glamorgan skipper Jacques Rudolph could only glove to wicket-keeper Lewis Hill when on 19.

Had Cameron Delport, diving forward from point, not dropped Donald when he fended off a Charlie Shreck bouncer with the score on just 65, Leicestershire might well have forced the win.

As it was, however, McKay and Raine were both forced to leave the field with injuries, and though Ned Eckersley shuffled his pack, Donald and Cooke were able to see the game to a conclusion eight overs before the scheduled close.

Earlier, an unbeaten century from Mark Pettini, his first for Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground, had enabled Eckersely to declare on 360 for six after Glamorgan's seamers initially controlled the scoring rate to impressive effect.

Fast bowler Marchant De Lange made two early breakthroughs, finding the edge of Eckersley's bat with his second delivery of the day, Selman taking a comfortable catch at second slip to send the skipper back for 73, before Delport failed to middle an attempted drive and gave Lukas Carey the simplest of catches at mid-off to go for one.

Pettini and Hill were given few opportunities to accelerate, and only when the front-line bowlers were rested were the batsmen able to improve the run rate. Pettini reached his century off 163 balls, and Raine struck three huge sixes off De Lange before Eckersley - not before time in the opinion of a number of Leicestershire supporters - called his batsmen in.

Day three report

An unbeaten 70 from Ned Eckersley, his third half-century in his last four innings, means Leicestershire's acting captain could have a difficult decision to make on the fourth day of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two match against Glamorgan.

Eckersley's unbroken partnership of 91 in 19 overs with Mark Pettini for the fourth wicket of the Foxes' second innings at the Fischer County Ground helped his side close day three leading the visitors by 194, with seven wickets remaining.

It is a strong position, but the pitch is flat, the outfield fast, and Zak Chappell - a key member of his bowling attack - is unable to bowl after being hit on the right shoulder while batting in the nets before the start of the second day. It means Eckersley will have much to ponder should it come to setting a target.

Even so, it was an impressively positive response from Leicestershire after Colin Ingram had become the second centurion of Glamorgan's first innings.

The South African was slightly fortunate to survive a caught and bowled opportunity given to Charlie Shreck on 92 but reached his century by hooking a Neil Dexter delivery to the midwicket boundary.

It looked as though Glamorgan would go on to build a substantial first innings lead, but they lost their last five wickets for just 42 runs, beginning with Ingram's dismissal for 137 - his best for Glamorgan - bowled off an inside edge by Clint McKay in the over before lunch.

McKay removed Kiran Carlson immediately after the break, Harry Dearden holding a fine catch at second slip, as he did when Marchant De Lange edged the same bowler soon afterwards.

Lukas Carey's attempt to hook Ben Raine gave Dexter a simple catch at third slip - the ball looping off the back of the bat - and Dexter was again the grateful catcher when Hogan chipped Raine gently in to the covers.

Leicestershire did lose opener Dearden early, smartly caught by Nick Selman low to his right at second slip when the opener edged an attempted drive at Michael Hogan.

Dexter was run out after a poor call from Paul Horton, who fell leg before wicket to a De Lange yorker that knocked the batsman off his feet.

However, Eckersley - dropped by David Lloyd on 48 - and Pettini scored quickly in the final hour.

Day two report

Opener Nick Selman became Glamorgan's first County Championship centurion of the season as their batsmen produced a spirited reply to Leicestershire's first-innings score of 420 at the Fischer County Ground.

The 21-year-old, whose hard-working 117 was made from 170 deliveries, shared in partnerships of 83 for the first wicket with captain Jacques Rudolph and 161 with Colin Ingram for the third, before the Foxes picked up two wickets in the final hour to see Glamorgan close on 281 for four.

The morning had seen Leicestershire's tail throw the bat to impressive effect after Glamorgan's seamers had made three early strikes.

Resuming on 275 for five, the Foxes added only six runs before they lost overnight batsmen Lewis Hill (32) and Mark Pettini (69), both caught by Aneurin Donald at fourth slip off the bowling of Lukas Carey and Marchant De Lange, respectively.

When Carey then found the edge of Zak Chappell's bat, the catch again neatly taken by Donald in the slip cordon, it looked as though Leicestershire would fall well short of 350.

However, all-rounder Ben Raine took the attack back to the bowlers, hitting nine boundaries in racing to 45 before top-edging an attempted pull at De Lange to Chris Cooke behind the stumps.

Raine was fortunate on 17 when he edged Carey straight to Selman at second slip, only for the chance to go down.

Charlie Shreck rarely detains opposing bowlers for long, but the Leicestershire number 11 rode his luck and swiped four boundaries in an entertaining partnership of 61 in just eight overs with Clint McKay, who was 41 not out when Shreck was finally bowled by Ingram.

Given their previous struggles this season, it would have been understandable if Glamorgan had been downhearted. Yet Rudolph, having survived a concerted appeal for a catch behind off his second ball, stroked 12 boundaries in racing to 50 at a run a ball.

The South African had hit 58 of a stand of 83 with Selman for the first wicket when occasional off-spinner Harry Dearden bowled the left-hander with a delivery that turned past his outside edge.

Selman was initially less fluent and was hit on the body on several occasions. He lost a second partner when David Lloyd went leg before to a Raine delivery that seamed back in to the right-hander, but replacement Ingram played solidly from the start.

A tired Selman was finally leg before pushing forward at a Shreck delivery, but after Donald was bowled off the inside edge by Dexter, Chris Cooke joined Ingram (84 not out) in seeing the visitors through to the close without further loss.

Day one report

Harry Dearden was dismissed just 13 runs short of what would have been a maiden first-class century as Leicestershire enjoyed the best of the first day's play against Glamorgan.

Dearden survived a couple of close calls at the Fischer County Ground before Andrew Salter dashed his hundred hopes shortly before tea.

The 19-year-old's efforts, and an unbeaten 63 from Mark Pettini, helped the hosts post 275 for five in the Specsavers County Championship Division Two contest.

Glamorgan chose to bowl first under heavy cloud but Michael Hogan, Lukas Carey and Marchant de Lange did not find as much swing or seam as they might have expected.

Carey should have made an early breakthrough, though, when the left-handed Dearden clipped an in-swinger straight to short mid-wicket, where skipper Jacques Rudolph could not hold the chest-high chance despite getting two hands to the ball.

The other opportunity of the morning came when Paul Horton, having hit the ball straight to Salter at point, called for a single. Had Salter's throw hit the stumps, Dearden would have been four yards short of his ground.

After going through the morning session without losing a wicket, the Foxes lost three for just five runs shortly after lunch.

Horton was bowled by Carey and the 19-year-old seamer made it two in two balls by finding the edge of Neil Dexter's bat.

Acting captain Ned Eckersley then drove over a full delivery from Michael Hogan to leave his side teetering on 86 for three, but Dearden and Pettini fought their way through a testing period before the former reached his 50 off 154 balls.

The pair had added 90 for the fourth wicket when Dearden tried to clip a full delivery from off-spinner Salter through mid-wicket but missed and was bowled off his pads.

Cameron Delport, making his first-class debut for Leicestershire, hit three sweetly timed boundaries before lifting Hogan high back over his head for a huge six. When Carey dropped him off Salter Glamorgan might have feared the worst, but three balls later Salter bowled the South African without further addition.

But Pettini went to his second half-century in as many games, receiving solid support from Lewis Hill before bad light saw play close seven overs early.