Visitors leave Glamorgan with plenty to do at Sophia Gardens

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Sep-2025Glamorgan 265 and 41 for 2 trail Lancashire 374 (Wells 78, Jones 62, Balderson 51) by 68 runsLancashire have left Glamorgan with much to do to force a positive result after gaining a three-figure lead at Sophia Gardens.

Luke Wells’ dogged 78 to pass 1,000 runs for the season along with a much-needed 62 for Scottish international Michael Jones and George Balderson took Lancashire to 374. Several other starts, including Keaton Jennings’ 1,000-run landmark, also boosted the visitors to a 109-run lead.Allrounder Timm van der Gugten’s involvement in his 100th first-class match wasn’t finished with a half-century on day one as he took the reigns to take 5 for 85, Glamorgan fighting back with the final four wickets inside nine overs with the second new ball.Resuming overnight on 55, openers Wells and Jennings resumed momentum with the expectation to bat all day. Jennings’ half-century looked inevitable before being removed on 49 as Van der Gugten’s first victim despite Jennings’ tall stature batting outside his ground on a rising delivery.George Bell was next to fall short of a half-century with a stylish 45 while Wells remained quiet since pulling a boundary to bring up his thousand-run season.Partnerships of substance without kicking on continued to be the theme. When Wells eventually was undone by Mason Crane finding some turn, a chance to rip through the middle order looked possible, Jones struggling to line up Crane initially in a good battle. Even after two sixes in quick succession from the Scot, Sam Northeast persevered with bowling the former England leg-spinner who created numerous chances in a long spell which deserved more than his 2 for 109 suggests.Ned Leonard hobbling off two balls into a spell left more pressure on Glamorgan. Jones’ second half-century of the season came after just 42 balls and Hurst was the next to fall short of the milestone.Tom Hartley pleasantly drove the first ball of the 89th over (Glamorgan’s first with the new ball) for four, giving warning signs of more to come at 337 for 6 – but Van der Gugten’s experience to gain his 300th first-class Glamorgan wicket, and one for Harris, was enough to wrap up before more potential damage on a variable pitch.Similar to the previous day, the opening pair would need to negate 17 overs as the sun lowered at Sophia Gardens. Zain Ul Hassan avoided his pair and stuck out the day after an important spell of bowling claiming both Jones and Hurst, who put together 88 in the afternoon.Asa Tribe and nightwatcher Harris couldn’t grind out Lancs’ seamers despite a positive start from the former; a low ball making him the latest to succumb to that method on the deteriorating Cardiff pitch.