Northamptonshire's Near Comeback Falls Short in Draw with Glamorgan

Northamptonshire 279 and 472 for 8 Dec (McManus 168, Vasconcelos 99, Procter 98) drew with Glamorgan 490 (Crane 56, Procter 3-51) and 207 for 8 (Labuschagne 64, Patterson-White 3-101)

Northamptonshire almost achieved an incredible comeback against Glamorgan in their Vitality County Championship match, driven by a career-best 168 from Lewis McManus and key wickets from Alex Russell and Liam Patterson-White.

Northamptonshire declared at 472 for eight, setting Glamorgan a target of 262 runs in 39 overs. Glamorgan made a strong effort to chase the challenging target, with Marnus Labuschagne scoring his second fifty of the match. However, late wickets gave Northamptonshire a chance to push for victory.

After trailing by 211 runs in the first innings, Northamptonshire had nine fielders around the bat in the closing overs, trying to secure the win. Glamorgan ended on 207 for eight, leaving Northamptonshire just two wickets short of victory.

Northamptonshire resumed their second innings with a slim lead of 25 runs over Glamorgan. Their biggest partnership of the match came from Luke Procter and McManus, who shared a 161-run stand that extended the lead significantly. With little threat from the faster bowlers and James Harris absent due to a quad injury, Glamorgan struggled to take wickets.

Labuschagne bowled some seam and leg spin without a breakthrough. The first wicket of the day fell in the second session when Timm van der Gugten dismissed Procter for 98. Earlier, Ricardo Vasconcelos had been out for 99 late on day three.

McManus reached his hundred from 150 balls before Procter’s dismissal and then accelerated, scoring quickly to set a target for Glamorgan. He passed 150 for the first time in first-class cricket and hit four consecutive sixes off Crane in the last over before the declaration, leaving Glamorgan needing seven runs per over to win.

Glamorgan was 30 for one at the tea break and pushed hard to maintain the required rate afterwards. However, Billy Root was run out after a mix-up with Labuschagne. Labuschagne and Carlson added 62 runs from 57 balls before Carlson was bowled by Russell attempting a big shot.

Labuschagne, eager to win his final home game of the season, chipped a catch to point off Patterson-White for 64. Chris Cooke continued to attack but was caught off Russell for 27. Mason Crane was dismissed for a duck, and Harry Podmore was bowled for 1 as Northamptonshire pushed for a win. Timm van der Gugten survived the last over, securing a draw for Glamorgan.