10:33pm Tuesday 7th July 2009
HERSCHELLE Gibbs marked his Glamorgan County Championship debut with a half-century as only 48 overs were possible at Chelmsford because of three interruptions for rain.
Glamorgan, having won the toss, reached 155 for three at the close of a truncated opening day's play against Essex.
Gibbs hit a 103-ball half-century, reaching the milestone with his eighth boundary and helping to post an opening partnership worth 115 with Gareth Rees before the pair were parted.
The South Africa Test opener, who had played a number of one-day matches for the Welsh county in 2008, announced his return with a classy performance illustrated by a number of textbook cover drives whilst using foot movement to display fine strokeplay on either side of the wicket with an uncomplicated approach.
However, having reached his fifty, he played around a delivery from Ryan ten Doeschate that knocked out the off stump.
Fellow opener Rees also produced a well-crafted innings although David Masters did find the edge when the left-hander drove a ball wide of gully to take him into double figures.
Apart from that, there was little encouragement for the home side attack on an easy-paced wicket until the final session of a truncated day when they claimed three wickets in 14 overs.
Ten Doeschate found the breakthrough to remove Gibbs and lift Essex spirits and nine balls and three runs later, Graham Napier pinned Ben Wright in the crease for one as the batsman shuffled across in front of his stumps.
Rees continued to play effectively with a restrained and responsible approach but with his score on 59 and having faced 139 deliveries, the return of Masters proved his undoing.
Playing forward to the fifth ball of the bowler's new spell, he edged the ball behind the wicket where James Foster completed a brilliant catch diving low to his right to leave Glamorgan on 138 for three.
Night-watchman Adam Shantry then joined Michael Powell to successfully negotiate the remaining five overs despite a close set field that allowed the batsmen to collect three boundaries late in the day.
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