Sam Northeast (410no) is only the fourth man in the history of the county game to pass 400 in an innings; Glamorgan declared on a county-record 795-5 before then bowling Leicestershire out for 183 to clinch an innings-and-29-run win late on a thrilling final day
Saturday 23 July 2022 18:30, UK
Sam Northeast became the first batsman to score 400 in the County Championship since Brian Lara's record 501 in 1994 as Glamorgan racked up a county-record 795-5 declared before then winning their Division Two match against Leicestershire in dramatic style on the last day.
Northeast hit a staggering 410 not out, off just 450 balls, bringing up his 400 in style with back-to-back sixes on the stroke of lunch. The former Kent and Hampshire batter finished with three maximums to go with a stonking 45 boundaries for his innings.
The 32-year-old, who is only the fourth man in the history of the county game to pass that landmark, also shared the largest Glamorgan partnership of all time with Chris Cooke - the pair adding 461 for the sixth wicket.
Cooke's 191 not out was somewhat overshadowed, however, by his partner's achievements. Colin Ingram (139) had also scored a century of his own on day three, when Northeast finished unbeaten on 308 overnight.
He continued to flay the Foxes' bowling attack on the fourth morning, making the highest individual score in Glamorgan history and becoming the Welsh county's first player to reach 400.
Northeast's innings also made him the County Championship's leading scorer this season, seeing him overtake Kent batter Ben Compton who has accumulated 1,117 runs.
Only Lara and Archie MacLaren, who scored 424 for Lancashire against Somerset in 1895, have made higher County Championship scores than Northeast.
Graeme Hick is the only other player who has made a quadruple century in the Championship, when he scored 405 not out for Worcestershire against Somerset in 1988.
Glamorgan's total of 795 is only third time they have ever gone above 700. It secured them a 211-run lead with two sessions to play in the game as they looked to bowl Leicestershire out cheaply to force an innings victory.
It looked like Leicestershire were set to avoid that particular embarrassment as they reached tea on 106-3, with Colin Ackermann (27) and Wiaan Mulder (59) going well at the crease.
But an inspired Michael Hogan (4-43) took the wickets of Ackermann and Joey Evison (0) in the space of three balls, while Australia's Michael Neser (3-60) later did the same, seeing off Harry Swindells (11) and Ben Mike (0) in the same over to trigger an almighty collapse.
James Harris (1-27) added Roman Walker (1), with Hogan then returning to claim the key scalp of Mulder late in the day and Neser wrapping up the match by bowling Chris Wright (0) - Leicestershire bowled out for 183 to lose by an innings and 28 runs.
