Sam Northeast closing in on Glamorgan record after making unbeaten 308 at Leicester

He shared a 306-run partnership for the third wicket with Colin Ingram, who made 139, comfortably beating the Glamorgan record against Leicestershire of 242 set by James and Matthew Maynard in 1995, before putting on an unbroken stand of 229 for the sixth with Chris Cooke (71 not out).

Northeast could have been out on 96 – missed at slip – while Cooke was dropped twice as Leicestershire, for whom Chris Wright took three for 74, missed a number of opportunities to take hold of a match that now looks likely to end in a draw.

Northeast and Ingram completed their centuries in a morning session in which both could have been out without reaching three figures, each in turn missed by the normally reliable Colin Ackermann in the slips.

Ingram, on 77, edged a ball from Wiaan Mulder that went between Ackermann’s legs at second slip, while Northeast should have been dismissed to the ball that saw him go to 100 with his 16th boundary, an edge flashing past Ackermann’s right shoulder as the only slip to spinner Callum Parkinson.

Ingram completed his century from 175 deliveries when he drove Ben Mike square of the wicket for his 14th boundary and Glamorgan were 242 for two at lunch.

Spinners Parkinson and Ackermann bowled for almost an hour in tandem at the start of the afternoon, without making any inroads, but when Mulder returned at the pavilion end, things began to happen.

Ingram almost played on to his fellow South African on 138, and he picked up only one run more before Mulder found just enough movement to induce an edge. The wicket broke the partnership at seven short of Glamorgan’s third-wicket record against any opponent.

New ball

The new ball was available in the next over, which Leicestershire took immediately despite Mulder’s success with the old one.

The decision was vindicated when a testing five-over spell by Wright was rewarded with wickets from consecutive balls as Kiran Carlson was bowled off an inside edge, driving, before Billy Root edged to second slip, where Ackermann – no doubt to his own relief – took the catch.

Having grabbed three wickets for 29 in 10 overs, with Glamorgan still 101 runs away from avoiding the follow-on, Leicestershire sensed an opportunity, yet the session ended in more frustration for Mulder as Harry Swindells dropped Cooke on three which would have sent the visitors in at tea on 341 for six.

Cooke escaped for a second time soon after the resumption, dropped by Louis Kimber at second slip on 15, again off the suffering Mulder. Having profited from Glamorgan’s laxness in the field, Leicestershire seemed oddly determined to pay their opponents back in kind.

Glamorgan were only too pleased to accept their generosity, the next passage of play seeing them match Leicestershire with five batting bonus points shortly before Northeast reached the 200-mark with his 22nd boundary as he drove Parkinson handsomely down the ground.

The follow-on was avoided as the total passed 435 in the same over as the Northeast-Cooke partnership moved into three figures.

With Leicestershire’s bowlers looking understandably weary, Northeast’s third hundred came off just 74 balls, completed when he cut Ackermann for the 37th or his 38 fours so far.