County Championship: Labuschagne gives Glamorgan lead over Northants

A sparkling innings of 93 from Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne was the highlight for Glamorgan as they reached 390-8 on day two of their County Championship Division Two game, a significant lead of 111 over Northants.

Labuschagne’s runs came off just 124 balls including 16 boundaries.

Kiran Carlson’s 71 was the best of the supporting cast in Cardiff, as scoring was rarely easy in overcast conditions and with some variable bounce.

Captain Luke Procter (3-38) was the pick of an inexperienced visitors’ attack.

Resuming on 36-0, Eddie Byrom and Billy Root took the score to 63 before Byrom edged to slip for 22 in Liam Patterson-White’s first over, at the start of a hard-working day for the left-arm spinner..

Root took a sharp blow to the hand but battled to 41 before being trapped lbw by a ball from Justin Broad which kept low.

That brought Labuschagne and Carlson together as they quickly went on the offensive either side of the lunch interval.

Labuschagne was in such prime form, timing and placing the ball beautifully, that he dominated the stand of 140 in 31.1 overs for the third wicket with the usually aggressive Carlson.

Glamorgan were well on top when Broad (2-78) won another leg-before shout when Labuschagne was trying to leg-glance.

Teenage paceman Raphy Weatherall (2-62) quickly had Sam Northeast caught behind for four in a useful spell as the visitors fought back, and Carlson fell to the accurate Procter on his 36th birthday with Glamorgan still behind.

But Chris Cooke and Timm van der Gugten put together a useful gritty partnership of 68 as the Dutch international justified his elevation in the order with 41, before Procter returned to remove him and Harry Procter with the new ball.

Cooke worked hard for his 58 before Weatherall had him caught at slip, but James Harris (26 not out) helped take the lead into three figures as Glamorgan finished the second day on top.