Essex progress hampered by Carlson’s maiden ton

Instead Essex had to settle for just two bowling bonus points from the first day as a pre-lunch glut of wickets turned into unmitigated toil in the wilting heat of the afternoon and evening.

Eighteen-year-old Carlson, who came to the crease with four wickets down, became the youngest Glamorgan player to score a century. He passed three-figures in 192 balls and contained 15 fours.

When bad light ended the day six overs short, he had reached 101, which represented his highest score of a career just three Championship games old. In fact, his four previous innings read 1, 10, 0 and 0.

To underline his all-round potential, Carlson had marked his debut against Northamptonshire earlier in the month with five for 28 with his off-breaks.

Carlson put on an unbeaten 128 for the eighth wicket with another comparatively young and inexperienced bowler-batsman, Owen Morgan, 22, who was playing only his eighth game and finished 51 not out. Both players, though, had let-offs that proved costly.

It had looked a different picture when Glamorgan collapsed from 30 without loss to 34 for five in the space of 20 balls in the morning session.

Graham Napier led the way with a four-wicket haul – including three for eight off nine deliveries – to take his season’s total in the Championship to 63.

The day had started an hour and a half late because the visitors’ kit van was held up by a serious accident on the A12 near Brentwood.

It finally arrived at 11.20 to cheers from a large crowd who had waited patiently in the ground. Eight overs were docked from the day’s play with a 6.30pm finish scheduled. When Glamorgan had changed into their missing whites, Jacques Rudolph won the toss and decided to bat.

The Glamorgan openers Nick Sleman and Rudolph had not looked comfortable in the first three-quarters of an hour against Porter and Masters, who had them playing and missing several times each over.

But it was the introduction of Napier at the River End for the 12th over that put the skids under Glamorgan. Rudolph chased a wide one from the fifth ball to give Tom Westley a catch at second slip. Next ball Will Bragg departed lbw.

A third wicket fell in six balls when Sleman was bowled through the gate by Porter.

Aneurin Donald was not perturbed by Napier’s hat-trick ball, which he cracked through the covers to move the scoreboard off 30. However, it was the only scoring stroke while half the side returned to the pavilion.

David Lloyd edged Porter to Varun Chopra at first slip before Donald played all around one from Napier. Thirty for nought had become 34 for five in the space of 20 balls. At lunch that had advanced to 57 for five, chiefly because Carlson cracked two successive fours off Napier in the last over.

Carlson put on 49 in 14 overs with Craig Meschede for the sixth wicket before Meschede clipped the ball off his legs to Porter at deep backward square. It gave Napier his fourth wicket and Essex their second bonus point.

Carlson then put on 44 with Wallace before the senior man went to hammer a ball from Ravi Bopara that wasn’t there and was bowled.

Carlson reached his half-century off 77 balls when he drove Ryan ten Doeschate through the covers for a 10th boundary.

His major partnership was with Morgan, though it nearly didn’t get off the ground. It was worth 18 when Morgan edged Bopara to second slip where Nick Browne put down the chance with the batsman on seven.

Carlson also had a let-off, though he was 67 at the time, when he steered Napier to gully where Dan Lawrence got both hands to the ball but couldn’t hold on.

The pair reached their century partnership in 34 overs when Carlson turned Bopara to deep midwicket for a single.

A quickly scampered single to mid-off brought up Carlson’s ton. Two balls later Morgan reached his 50. He celebrated with another escape when Porter failed to cling on to a sharp caught-and-bowled.