There might have been a nip in the air, but 65.2 overs were possible on day two at Sophia Gardens under predominantly blue skies and it was Glamorgan who made the most of the opportunity ending the day on 283/4. Apart from a short period in the afternoon session, when Matt Taylor took three wickets for one run in the space of 13 balls, the Glamorgan batters held sway, Colin Ingram continuing his excellent season with 84. He has now scored at least a half century in each of the 11 Championship games he has played this season.
No play had been possible on day one and they eventually got underway at 12:00, Gloucestershire having elected to bowl first. It was yet another opening pair for Glamorgan, with Asa Tribe joined by Will Smale on Championship debut. Ajeet Singh Dale and Matt Taylor produced testing opening spells, but Gloucestershire let themselves down in the field, shelling a number of catches during the day. Smale and Tribe edged into the slips in the fifth and sixth overs and it appeared that they just carried. A clearer opportunity was presented by Smale to James Bracey, diving in front of first slip, off the bowling of Matt Taylor, but that too went down. With this good fortune and other edges finding the boundary, Glamorgan were speeding along at 4.5 runs per over. The 50 partnership came off 71 balls and they went into lunch at 61/0.
In the third over after the resumption Ollie Price eventually held on to a chance at second slip, off the bowling of brother Tom, Smale gone for 41. However that was not the end of the fielding woes as Colin Ingram was dropped by Miles Hammond at third slip when on 13, a sharp high catch off the bowling of the unfortunate Tom Price. He was then put down again on 67, a much easier chance at cover. In between Ingram had been batting fluently, punishing the bad ball, his fifty coming off just 53 balls. Tribe was also growing in confidence and he too brought up his half century, albeit more sedately, off 106 deliveries. The hundred partnership came off 129 balls and they went in at tea on 195/1.
The Gloucestershire bowlers had better fortune after the break, Tribe going in the second over of the session, lbw to Taylor for 70. He had put on 129 with Ingram and the latter was the next to go, chopping on to Taylor for 84 and Glamorgan needed to rebuild at 209/3. However Taylor then picked up Kiran Carlson for one, as the Glamorgan One Day captain wafted at a ball outside off stump and Bracey completed the dismissal. However the rest of the day belonged to Glamorgan.
There was a 10 minute break for light rain which turned into bad light, but the sun was out again when play resumed. Sam Northeast and Chris Cooke were untroubled as they picked off the Gloucestershire bowling, Zafar Gohar bowling 21 overs unchanged from the Cathedral Road end. He failed to trouble the batters and play was ended at 5:38pm by a heavy shower with Northeast on 27 (his highest Championship score at Cardiff this season) and Cooke on 43.
The weather looks fine for day three, but with further rain forecast for day four, a result will be difficult to conjure.
