LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Cardiff:
Glamorgan 583-9 dec beat Gloucestershire 417 & 162 by an innings and four runs
Glamorgan 23 pts, Gloucestershire 7 pts
Match scorecard

Cosker and fellow spinner Croft took five second-innings wickets

Glamorgan soared to the top of the Division Two table with their second innings victory in eight days.

After beating Northants by an innings and four runs last Thursday, Glamorgan repeated the same result in beating Gloucestershire on the final afternoon.

The visitors resumed on 12-0 at Cardiff, still needing another 154 to make their hosts bat again.

But Gloucestershire were bowled out for 162, fast bowler Jon Lewis offering the main resistance on 37 not out.

Glamorgan spinners Dean Cosker (3-32) and Robert Croft (2-51) led the way with half the Gloucestershire wickets.

Glamorgan have gone top ahead of Sussex, who suffered a three-wicket defeat at Wantage Road to Northants.

The win created some history, as it was the first time Glamorgan have won two consecutive first-class games by an innings since they lifted the first of their three County Championship titles in 1948. It was Glamorgan's fourth win in six outings.

Gloucestershire resumed the final morning on 12-1 in their first innings, still 154 runs behind after Glamorgan had amassed an impressive 583 for nine declared.

Huw Waters set Glamorgan on their way when he struck in the fourth over to have Jon Batty caught low down at first slip by Jim Allenby.

Visiting captain Alex Gidman and Hamish Marshall added 40 for the third wicket, but Allenby, who tops both Glamorgan's batting and bowling averages, had Marshall eg before to a ball that nip backed into the New Zealander.

That left Gloucestershire 65-3, still 101 runs adrift, but they found themselves in deeper trouble when Gidman went lbw attempting to sweep Dean Cosker.

Shortly after the interval Cosker struck to remove Chris Taylor, who was caught at short leg by Gareth Rees. After that the wickets fell at regular intervals and Gloucestershire were not helped when Stephen Snell was run out with a direct hit by Ben Wright, Glamorgan's second innings hero.

Robert Croft trapped James Franklin leg before, the off-spinner's 992nd first-class wicket for Glamorgan, a total which moves him into fourth place in the club's all-time list of wicket-takers, ahead of Malcolm Nash.

There was some rearguard resistance from the Gloucestershire tail as Jon Lewis hit a flurry of fours and Gemaal Hussain struck Jamie Dalrymple for six.

Dalrymple had his revenge with the next ball as Hussain went to a bat-pad catch by Wright. Just as Gloucestershire looked as if they might avoid defeat by an innings, Anthony Ireland was run out by David Harrison.

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