Despite the loss of 47 overs, Glamorgan's batsmen made up for lost time on the second day of their LV County Championship match against Derbyshire at the SWALEC Stadium, with both David Hemp and Gareth Rees making forthright hundreds as the Welsh county gained a first innings lead, ending the day on 301/3, 12 runs ahead of the visitors.
After the morning rain, play eventually began at 2.30 p.m. with 59 overs remaining. Resuming on 87/1, the overnight pair of Rees and Hemp made serene progress against the visiting attack. Rees began the day by reaching his fifty off the second delivery of the day – his 64th – as he fiercely cut Charl Langeveldt to the boundary ropes for his 7th four. Hemp was also soon into his stride, striking Graham Wagg twice through the offside for consecutive fours, before greeting the introduction of Jake Needham's off-spin by elegantly driving his first ball through mid-off for another four.
Rees, who scored a century when the two sides met last year at Cardiff, continued to plunder runs against the Peakites as he pulled Langeveldt to the mid-wicket boundary, before striking him through the covers to bring up the century stand inside 22 overs. After twice reverse-sweeping the left-arm spin of Nayan Doshi to the boundary boards, the left-handed opener reached his century – the first by a Glamorgan batsman at the SWALEC Stadium - having faced 164 balls and struck 14 fours.
Hemp also posted his fifty – from 94 balls – as he drove Doshi to the boundary for his 8th four, before dispatching the spinner over deep mid-wicket for six, as Glamorgan approached their first batting point. But with the total on 193, Needham returned at the Cathedral Road End and with his second ball trapped Rees leg before for 104.
Hemp was then joined by Michael Powell who dispatched the first ball after tea to the Grandstand boundary to reach 10,000 runs in all first-class cricket. The doughty batsman repeated the stroke two overs later, as Hemp continued to gorge on any wayward deliveries, twice effortlessly driving Langeveldt through the covers for four.
However, Needham struck again with Powell on 48 as the spinner got one to lift and take the edge of the bat, as Steve Stubbings gratefully pouched the catch at slip.
In the following over, Hemp duly reached three figures as he tickled Doshi off his legs having faced 164 balls and striking 14 boundaries. It was his first Championship hundred since September 2006 when he scored a century in the final game staged at the old Sophia Gardens ground before the magnificent redevelopment work began.
Shortly afterwards, the umpires took the players off for bad light, with Glamorgan on 301/3 with Hemp unbeaten on 103.
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