Chris Cooke century helps Glamorgan set Derbyshire 401 victory target

Chris Cooke scored an unbeaten 126 as Glamorgan set Derbyshire a target of 401 to win their County Championship match at Cardiff.

Wicketkeeper Cooke, who received good late support from James Harris (61 not out) and Dan Douthwaite (32), recorded the first century of the match to help Glamorgan declare on 361 for seven.

Derbyshire reached 40 for one in the 12 overs they faced before the close of day three, with captain David Lloyd (24) and Luis Reece (13) the unbeaten batters following the early loss of Harry Came.

Mixed weather

That left the visitors needing another 361 runs for victory heading into a final day with a mixed weather forecast.

Glamorgan nightwatch Mason Crane did a good job of supporting Colin Ingram during a 45-run stand for the fifth wicket before being trapped lbw by Alex Thomson for 19, bringing the experienced pair of Ingram and Cooke together.

Ingram was batting with great rhythm as he passed fifty but shortly after reaching the milestone, he called Cooke through for a single and was sent back too late and was run out by a throw from Sam Conners.

Cooke and Douthwaite then put on a partnership worth 109 as the former recorded the 13th hundred of his first-class career.

Spinner Thomson continued to be a threat, though, and he would end up finishing with career-best match figures of 12 for 201, including the scalp of Douthwaite to end his stand with Cooke.

However, Glamorgan continued to turn the screw and Cooke and Harris put on 116 for the eighth wicket before the declaration left Derbyshire facing a tricky evening spell.

Harris was the man to make the one breakthrough when he trapped Came lbw for three but, as the clouds came over Sophia Gardens in the early evening, it became too dark for play to continue and teams left the field with three overs unbowled.