Day 2
ANDREW AND MITCHELL PUT WORCESTERSHIRE IN CONTROL AT SWALEC STADIUM
Gareth Andrew's wicket-laced start to the season continued to put leaders Worcestershire in the driving seat on a rain-hit day two of the LV = County Championship match with Glamorgan at the Swalec Stadium.
Andrew returned a career best 5-40 as the home side were bowled out for 155 to give Worcestershire a first innings lead of 85 after skipper Daryl Mitchell's superb 109.
The paceman has now taken 18 wickets this season in six innings after a return to fitness – and with a shortened run-up – following two injury-hit years and is relishing taking the new ball.
Worcestershire secured maximum bowling points for the fourth successive match.
But Mitchell and Matt Pardoe were only able to face 11 overs in reaching 20-0 before the heavens opened and curtailed the final session by 27 overs with Worcestershire leading by 105.
Charlie Morris has had a knack of making early breakthroughs and he struck in his third over when Jacques Rudolph (7) was caught behind by Ben Cox with 12 on the board.
It became 12-2 in the next over when Gareth Rees (3) was adjudged lbw against Andrew.
Andrew claimed another scalp in his next over with Murray Goodwin departing in the same fashion for a duck.
Glamorgan lunched at 53-3 but Andrew was back amongst the wickets in the first over after lunch as Stewart Walters (18) was adjudged lbw.
Andrew picked up his fourth wicket in his next over when Will Bragg (24) edged to Mitchell at second slip with the score on 55.
Mark Wallace and Jim Allenby added 52 for the fifth wicket before the latter on 19 provided Saeed Ajmal with his first wicket as Mitchell held onto a juggling catch at slip.
The last four wickets went down for 13 runs in five overs beginning with Mark Wagg (19) shouldering arms to Jack Shantry and being bowled.
Dean Cosker (2) fell lbw to Ajmal while Will Owen (0) miscued the Pakistan star to Alex Hales at square leg.
Andrew completed his five wicket haul when on loan Tom Helm (4) edged to Cox to wrap up the innings in exactly 49 overs.
Ajmal finished with 3-48 and he now has figures of 11-148 from his three innings since returning to Worcestershire.
Worcestershire had been indebted on day one to another superb marathon effort from Mitchell after his side had been put into bat.
Mitchell had scored 172 not out in the opening game of the campaign at Hampshire and he followed that up with 109 before being last out early on the second day for 109.
His innings spanned 402 minutes and he struck 11 boundaries in his 323 ball stay in the middle.
Mitchell, who had been struck on the knee late on the first day, was eventually caught behind off spinner Cosker who finished with figures of 5-39 from 29.2 overs.
Mitchell's first five innings of the season have yielded 381 runs at an average of 95.25.
Loan signing Hales from Nottinghamshire, made 15 on his Worcestershire debut before being caught at point off Graham Wagg.
Mitchell was given good support by the tail as Worcestershire recovered from 143-7 with the last three wickets adding 97 runs.
Jack Shantry again showed that he can be difficult to dislodge as he followed his unbeaten 23 against Hampshire and 13 not out against Kent with 28 in an eighth wicket stand of 57 with Mitchell.
