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Glamorgan 256 for 7 (Carlson 101*, Morgan 51*, Napier 4-46) v Essex Scorecard Delayed at the start of the day by the absence of Glamorgans equipment from the ground, Essex were delayed at the end by the presence of a record-breaking teenager at the crease. Leighton Vander Esch Cowboys Jersey . Needing six points to confirm promotion and the Division Two title, Essex managed two in short order before Kiran Carlsons maiden first-class hundred staved off a seemingly inexorable collapse. At 18 years and 119 days, Carlson became the youngest player to score a first-class century for Glamorgan.These are heady days at the ECG but Essex are not yet champions and Carlsons unheralded intervention - his previous best score in four innings was 10 - meant the metaphorical bunting that was being brought out by the time Graham Napiers fourth wicket reduced Glamorgan to 83 for 6 had to be stowed away by the close. As if to compound the frustration Napier, playing in his last home match before retirement, limped off during the afternoon and will have to wait until the morning to find out how much more of a role he can play.A club that have become so used to near misses have embraced their status as frontrunners warily. The Essex members who had seen their team finish third in each of the last three seasons were convinced that, with only one promotion spot available as the ECB whittles away a couple of games from the Championship schedule, this would doubtless be the year they finished second. Three innings wins in a row at the climax of the season - not to mention Kents welcome capitulation against Northamptonshire last week - has grudgingly brought people around.They have become used to waiting, however, and the news that the start would be put back, ultimately by an hour and a half, because Glamorgans kit van was stuck on the A12 was met with ironic chuckles by those Essex fans who had got in early to see every moment of a game that is expected to be a coronation. Bonus points alone could be enough to see Essex go up - they lead Kent, who only have one game left, by 20 points and Sussex by 43 - and this game pitted the team with the most wins in Division Two against the team with the most losses.Napier began the first spell of his final appearance at Chelmsford with two wickets in two balls and it was all beginning to seem disconcertingly easy. It took the contributions of a couple of young Welshmen to give the Essex worry ball a squeeze, as Carlson and Owen Morgan put on an unbroken 129 during the second half of a shortened day. Truly a case of better late than never for Glamorgan.Carlson took a five-for with his offspin on debut at Northamptonshire a couple of weeks ago but this performance, eclipsing that of Mike Llewellyn in 1972, was less of a surprise. Batting at No. 6, he produced several stylish drives and cuts among plenty of watchful accumulation that was capped off by a scampered single to bring up three figures and an ovation from his team-mates on the balcony.I am more of a batsman, its lovely to get my first hundred under my belt pretty soon into my career, he said. Its amazing, I cant put into words how I feel. When you start playing cricket, aged seven or eight, you go and watch Glamorgan and think that could be me in a few years. Its great to have Welsh boys doing well.To emphasise the latter point, his team-mate Morgan then went on to conduct an interview in Welsh. Both players gave chances, with Carlson dropped on 67 in the gully by Daniel Lawrence - a sharp catch that would have given Napier his five-for - and coming close to running himself out on 81. Morgan was put down at second slip when he had 7, by Nick Browne off Ravi Bopara, and gave a tough caught-and-bowled opportunity to Jamie Porter when had reached his half-century.Glamorgans young batsmen are making their mark. Carlson was the fourth Glamorgan player aged 22 or under to score a first-class hundred this season and three of them are Welsh born: reasons for pride in a challenging season.After a sorry morning session (which technically began at noon), it appeared losing their bats on the motorway had been Glamorgans best chance of holding Essex up. A great cheer went up from the pavilion when the van was spotted driving in through the gate shortly before 11.30am - an hour after the scheduled start due to an accident on the motorway - and it was as if the Chelmsford regulars knew what was in store.Glamorgan were initially compliant extras. Jacques Rudolph requested a toss, doubtless concluding that the pitch was firm enough and the sun high enough to bankroll a day of batting if only the opening exchanges against the new ball could be won; he and Nick Selman then got through nearly a dozen overs of fretful playing and missing before Napier, the local hero and man for this season of all seasons, took centre stage.His fifth delivery was full and wide - it is probably not a calumny to call it a half-volley - but Rudolphs flailing bat could only deflect a thick edge to second slip. The next ball, to Will Bragg, offered no such margin for error and thudded into the front pad, Steve OShaugnessys front finger duly raised. Graham Gooch, watching on from the executives boxes, might well have repeated his enquiry to Ian Botham in 1986: Who writes your scripts?The slide became 3 for 0 in six balls when Selman was bowled by Porter - Essexs other 50-wicket bowler this year - and although Aneurin Donald stroked Napiers hat-trick delivery through the covers for four, he followed David Lloyd back to the pavilion a couple of overs later as the carefully piloted Glamorgan dirigible plummeted from the cautious optimism of 30 for 0 to the grim reality of 34 for 5. It was all too much for one wag to resist the question: their kit has turned up but have Glamorgan? Time for Carlson and Morgan to deliver a pithy riposte. Amari Cooper Cowboys Jersey . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Randall Cobb Youth Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. http:///...bach-Cowboys-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla.In a draft day surprise, the Vancouver Canucks relieved their goaltending logjam in a surprising manner. Numbers Game looks at the deal sending Cory Schneider to New Jersey. The Devils Get: G Cory Schneider. Schneider, 27, has a save percentage of .931 over the last three seasons, best among goaltenders with at least 75 games and was expected to be the Vancouver Canucks goaltender of the future, but their inability to move out Roberto Luongo and his sizeable contract, left a Schneider deal as the only viable solution to Vancouvers financial and goaltending concerns. However, for a variety of reasons, Schneider is a 27-year-old that has yet to play even 35 games in an NHL season and if hes going to be a top-tier starting goaltender, its about time to take on a starters workload and maintain the high level of play hes established in his limited NHL playing time. In New Jersey, the Devils have Martin Brodeur, who has been the backbone of the franchise for nearly two decades, but Brodeur has a .905 save percentage over the last three seasons, which ranks 29th out of 31 goaltenders to have played at least 100 games, and hes 41-years-old, so its entirely understandable that the Devils are looking to upgrade. The question is how will the Devils allocate playing time next season? Its the final year of Brodeurs contract and, based on recent play, Schneider has to be the starter. If Schneider gets 55-60 games next year, that would leave Brodeur with his fewest games played since 1991-1992 (though 29 games in a lockout-shortened 2013 season is his lowest since too). Additionally, veteran Johan Hedberg has another year left on his contract, at a $1.4-million cap hit, and he struggled in 2012-2013 (posting an .883 save percentage), but Hedberg could be moved to a team seeking a veteran backup goaltender though, at that price, the Devils may need to eat some of the salary in order to make Hedberg a more palatable option. Goaltending was such a problem last season for New Jersey, a team that had some of the best possession numbers but also the 28th-ranked save percentage in the league, so its possible that Schneider could solve tthat issue. Dak Prescott Jersey. New Jersey currently has tons of cap room, but is a team with financial concerns and some high-profile pending free agents, including Patrik Elias and David Clarkson. If they depart, that could affect those strong possession stats going forward. Schneider is under contract for a couple more seasons, at a cap hit of $4.0-million, leaving New Jersey with $9.9-million tied in to three goalies. That may just be a short-term issue, since the Devils dont appear to be a cap team for next season and both Brodeur and Hedberg are heading into the final year of their respective contracts. So long as Schneider makes it as a bona fide starting goaltender, the Devils have to be very happy with this deal. The uncertainty of a ninth overall pick (from 1994-2008, six of 15 ninth picks would be considered fringe NHLers or worse) makes the cost quite reasonable for an established NHLer who still has a chance to be a star. The Canucks Get: The ninth overall pick (used to take C Bo Horvat). Horvat is a highly-regarded two-way player, who scored 33 goals and 61 points in 67 regular season games for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, adding 16 goals and 23 points in 21 playoff games. Hes a two-way centre who had some offensive upside and gives the Canucks some much-needed forward talent in the organization. At the same time, Horvat isnt necessarily providing immediate help. He could use time to improve his skating and a year of strong production in the OHL may give him a better chance to make an impact when he does arrive in the NHL. Provided he reconciles himself to the idea of returning to Vancouver, Roberto Luongo should be back in line for 60-plus starts next season. In 20 games last season, Luongo had a .907 save percentage, his lowest since .904 in 1999-2000, his rookie season. With a .919 save percentage in 747 career games, however, Luongo should be expected to play well as a starter for at least a few more seasons. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '