Glamorgan on top in tight contest with Northamptonshire

Glamorgan kept their noses in front in the Vitality County Championship match against Northamptonshire thanks to two wickets in as many balls from Mason Crane in the final session at Cardiff.

The hosts had extended their first-innings lead to 211 thanks to late order runs from Crane, James Harris and Andy Gorvin as they reached 490 having been 390 for eight overnight.

A score of 99 from Ricardo Vasconcelos and 55 not out from Luke Proctor saw Northamptonshire claw themselves back into the Division Two match but the wickets from Crane pushed Glamorgan back into the stronger position.

Northamptonshire will begin the final day on 236 for four, just 25 runs in front with six second-innings wickets in hand.

Sizeable lead

Crane and Harris shared a stand of 63 that took Glamorgan into a sizeable lead before the latter was caught by Vasconcelos off Rob Keogh for 40.

The final wicket stand between Crane and Andy Gorvin put on another 53 runs but Gorvin went for 26 to leave Crane unbeaten on 56 – the second half-century of his first-class career.

Northamptonshire’s innings had a solid start thanks to a stand of 59 between Emilio Gay and Vasconcelos but Gay was dismissed by Gorvin when he edged through to Chris Cooke for 26.

Prithvi Shaw had made it to 23 before he edged a low catch to Cooke to leave Northamptonshire 95 for two.

The stand between Procter and Vasconcelos took Northamptonshire exactly level with Glamorgan when Crane made the long-awaited breakthrough, trapping Vasconcelos lbw for 99.

Crane then had Keogh caught at short leg first ball, with Procter and Lewis McManus taking Northamptonshire to the close without any further damage.