Derbyshire v Glamorgan day 1

Derbyshire 253-5  (Reece 111, Hughes 63 not)

v Glamorgan

It was overcast with flashes of sunshine at Derby this morning, chilly enough for the batsmen and fielders to retain their sleeveless sweaters, but with the hope of warmer weather later. The first sighting of the wicket revealed a bowler-friendly green tinge, but a toss took place, confirming that both sides saw the route to success as batting first. It followed the newly-established fashion for Derbyshire and Billy Godleman and Luis Reece walked out to face the new ball and the visiting attack, knowing well the importance of a solid first session.

The Glamorgan side in the scorecard bore little relation to that which took the field, illness and injury changing their plans after already making the decision to rest de Lange and van der Gugten. Indeed, Andrew Salter had to drive up from Wales to replace Bull, who had picked up a back strain.

The openers started solidly, before Godleman was caught on his crease by Hogan, bowling round the wicket, and was adjudged leg before with the score on nineteen. Thereafter, Reece and Madsen, the latter in his 150th first-class game for the county, batted sensibly and with good judgement, both playing well off their legs and producing some fine drives. A ball leaving the middle of Madsen's bat still has one of the finer sounds in the game, while Reece continues to look a player of rare talent. There were a couple of shouts for leg before, but only one which suggested serious consideration, but two or three balls did seem to keep low, which will have been viewed with greater pleasure in the home dressing room than that of the visitors. The ever-reliable Hogan bowled a beautiful last over before lunch, primarily to Reece, which ended with Madsen, from the session's final delivery, being caught behind from a ball he should really have left alone.

107-2 at the interval represented a decent morning's work for Derbyshire, as long as it could be built upon in the afternoon. Tom Lace came and went quickly, but Luis Reece continued to bat well, accelerating through to an excellent century with fourteen fours. At the other end, Alex Hughes showed positive intent and the two added 104 in 22 overs before Luis  hooked at the debutant, Douthwaite, and was caught at long leg. When Hosein was yorked soon afterwards for only a single, another partnership was needed.

Critchley joined Hughes and took the score past 250, before bad light ended play, together with a few drops of rain, twenty-seven overs early. Heavier rain put paid to any resumption, which must wait until the better forecast of tomorrow. Hughes will resume on 63, having looked in good nick from the outset and has now reached three thousand first-class runs for the county. He looks a very good player and will doubtless score many more.

253-5 on the opening day represented decent work by Derbyshire, even allowing for a couple of wickets given away. If they can get north of 350 tomorrow they will feel they have a chance of pressing home an advantage, on a wicket where the ball went past the bat sufficiently to encourage the bowlers.