Spin dominated proceedings on the second day of the Vitality County Championship match between Glamorgan and Derbyshire in Cardiff.
On his Glamorgan debut, Mason Crane took four wickets as Derbyshire were bowled out for 198, 39 runs behind on the first innings. Wayne Madsen top-scored for Derbyshire with 63, but his departure triggered a collapse of five wickets for 33 runs.
Alex Thomson was once again the standout performer for Derbyshire, securing his first 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket. At the close, Glamorgan had reached 74 for 4, holding a lead of 113 with six second innings wickets in hand.
Given the pitch's significant assistance to both seam and spin bowlers, the outcome of this game will depend on Glamorgan's performance in the first session of day three.
Derbyshire resumed on 46 for 1 and was well-placed to surpass Glamorgan's total. Captain David Lloyd reached fifty from 65 balls against his former county but was the first wicket to fall on day two, trapped lbw by Crane for 60. Captain David Lloyd reached fifty from 65 balls against his former county but was the first wicket to fall on day two, trapped lbw by Crane for 60.
Harry Came made a patient 25 from 113 balls, but runs were hard to come by on the slow pitch, forcing batters to take risks to score quickly. James Harris dismissed him for the second of his three wickets in Derbyshire's innings. Harris conceded runs at less than 1.5 an over, giving away just three boundaries, one of which was an edge past the slips. He finished with figures of 3 for 28.
As in Glamorgan's first innings, the spinner was the most consistent threat, with Crane shining on his Glamorgan debut. His figures of 4 for 60 were his best return in first-class cricket since his five-wicket haul against Lancashire for Hampshire in 2021.
Although Crane was a consistent threat, the seamers took the heart out of the Derbyshire batting line-up, with Dan Douthwaite and Mir Hamza picking up wickets.
While Madsen was batting, it seemed like Derbyshire could take the lead in the first innings. However, when he was caught in the covers by substitute fielder Asa Tribe off Douthwaite, it triggered a collapse that prevented Derbyshire from surpassing Glamorgan's first innings total.
After a short break, Crane was brought back into the attack and took the last three Derbyshire wickets as scoring became increasingly difficult with the ageing Kookaburra ball. At the stroke of tea break, when the last Derbyshire wicket fell, Glamorgan had secured a 39-run lead.
In their second innings, the Glamorgan openers found Thomson difficult to face once again. Thomson had claimed career-best figures of 7 for 65 in the first innings and continued his form by taking two wickets in two balls. Both Zain-ul-Hassan and Sam Northeast were dismissed lbw, the latter for a golden duck.
Thomson took his 10th wicket of the match by bowling Kiran Carlson for 11. Sam Conners then bowled Billy Root for 32, leaving the game balanced heading into the third day.