Yorkshire were unable to capitalise on two positions of strength with ball in hand as Glamorgan enjoyed the better of the LV= Insurance County Championship’s opening day at Emerald Headingley.
After the hosts won the toss and elected to bowl, Glamorgan fell to 29-3 and later 132-7, only to end the day on 310-8 from 96 overs.
Kiran Carlson, Dan Douthwaite (57) and unbeaten Netherlands seamer Timm van der Gugten all posted fifties.
Van der Gugten’s 80 off 134 balls represents a career best.
Wickets were shared around the White Rose attack, with Ben Coad finishing with 3-79 from 23 overs.
A cold and blustery day also saw former age-group batsman Billy Root score a determined 43 for the visitors and tail-ender Michael Hogan finish 40 not out.
Root and Carlson shared 82 for the fourth wicket either side of lunch and all-rounder Douthwaite and seamer van der Gugten shared 122 for the eighth wicket either side of tea.
Van der Gugten and Hogan ended the day by sharing a ninth-wicket unbroken 56.
Yorkshire, who omitted David Willey following his place in the initial 12-man squad, started the day in superb fashion, claiming three wickets in the first 12 overs.
But Glamorgan’s recovery was started by Root, who batted for more than three hours, and Carlson, who hit 10 fours in a more aggressive 55.
After the two recent University friendlies were dominated by the bat, this proved a more competitive surface.
And Coad, Fisher and Patterson took advantage early before things went south, with three catches of varying difficultly dropped.
Coad bowled Nick Selman through the gate for the first wicket of the season.
Fisher then bowled the other opener David Lloyd as he shouldered arms and Patterson trapped Ireland overseas Andrew Balbirnie lbw.
That was when Root and Carlson united. The latter was particularly strong on the square drive.
The Welshmen reached lunch on 79-3 from 30 overs, with Yorkshire claiming a quartet of wickets during the afternoon.
Duanne Olivier ended the Root and Carlson stand when he had the latter well caught high to his right at second slip by Adam Lyth – Glamorgan 111-4 in the 38th.
Wickets falling in clusters was a theme of the first session and a half, and Patterson had opposing captain Chris Cooke caught low down at first slip by Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the following over.
Fisher then rocked Callum Taylor’s off stump as he left alone – 128-6 in the 51st – in an identical dismissal to Lloyd’s at the start of the day.
Left-handed Root, nearly run out by older brother Joe from short mid-off shortly before his departure, was impressively steadfast against the county whom he represented up to second-team level.
And it took something special to remove him.
That came from a Coad delivery which nipped away off the pitch, caught the outside edge and was brilliantly caught one-handed by Jonny Tattersall diving to his left behind the stumps, leaving Glamorgan at 132-7 after 52 overs.
From then, the visitors dominated.
Douthwaite led the way having offered a very sharp slip catch on eight to Harry Brook.
He was strong off his pads and hit two sixes before being bowled shouldering arms to Coad with the new ball, leaving Glamorgan at 254-8 in the 85th.
Van der Gugten wasn’t quite as assured as the all-rounder, though he still should take huge credit from an innings including a six over long-on off Joe Root’s off-spin.
Hogan was then in belligerent mood late on to further dampen White Rose spirits.
