Glamorgan inflicted a heavy defeat on Northamptonshire by an innings and 56 runs inside three days at the County Ground. They wreaked havoc in the game with a brilliant bowling attack. James Harris and Asitha Fernando each had three, leading the charge. Their wicket-taking providence assisted in dismissing Northants for 304, leaving the team 239 runs short. Glamorgan controlled the game entirely after batting and bowling with real authority. They addressed the main points of improvement as the Women’s National Team gears up for their 2024 Olympic schedule.
The match to the three day format, and Glamorgan were able to build up a healthy lead. Issues Northants had seen limiting their ability to build strong partnerships. Only Lewis McManus and Ben Sanderson put up any resistance, the pair adding 74 runs for the final two wickets. Unfortunately for all their hard work, Northants missed out on Glamorgan’s total, failing to build on their early momentum.
Ben Sanderson made an early impact by removing Zain Ul Hassan for just two runs. In turn, Chris Cooke held onto the most important catch of the day to send Sales back for 35 runs. 19.3 4 6 Rob Keogh’s time at the crease was brief, his stay ended when he edged Fernando behind for only six runs. Meanwhile, Zaib and McManus exhibited determination, managing to put together a stubborn 50-run partnership before Zaib edged a delivery from Harris to Sam Northeast at slip.
Justin Broad’s dismissal was another turning point. He chipped Van der Gugten’s first delivery with the new ball to mid-wicket, further diminishing Northants’ chances. Glamorgan’s fielding, in particular, proved a game-changer. Kiran Carlson and Cooke both made tremendous grabs that turned the tide overwhelmingly in their favor.
“Are we good enough?” In a press conference following the match, Richard Dawson voiced his frustration about Glamorgan’s batting capabilities. He was most focused on how they could get better as they were getting ready for their most daunting test to date.
“Our batting’s got to improve, everyone around the county and the whole of England knows that, so we’ve certainly got work to do and we’ll look at the make-up of our side.” – Darren Lehmann
Lehmann too was proud of the team’s start to the game, lamented what could have been.
“We had a brilliant first session (of the game, batting), one for 100, and we were brilliant today, fought back really hard and got a lead, but the middle session on day two really cost us.” – Darren Lehmann
James Harris congratulated them on their strong showing at a recent event. In particular, he highlighted their success in winning consecutive games following a poor start to the season.
“We’re really happy to back up last week’s performance (in Kent) with another strong one. Two wins on the bounce is what we needed after a slower start to the season.” – James Harris
Glamorgan will be looking to build on the momentum they’ve gained in recent weeks. They’re looking forward to a potentially thrilling home match this Friday, May 23 against Middlesex. Northants’ immediate attention now turns to hosting Gloucestershire on the same day, as they look to recover from this chastening defeat.
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