Sam Northeast produced a once-in-a-lifetime innings of 410 not out to smash the record of the highest individual score by a Glamorgan batsman in their stunning County Championship win over Leicestershire.
The Welsh county amassed an incredible 795-5 declared, in response to Leicestershire's first-innings score of 584, during which Northeast produced one of the all-time great Glamorgan innings.
The previous highest score for Glamorgan was held by ex-England opener Steve James, who hit 309 not out against Sussex at Colwyn Bay back in 2000. In racking up the monumental total, former Hampshire batsman Northeast scored 258 runs in a single day, the most by any single batsman in one day for Glamorgan.
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In reaching their total of 795, Northeast and wicket-keeper batsman Chris Cooke, who himself posted a career-best score of 191 not out, put on an unbeaten score of 461 runs, the highest partnership by two batsmen in the club's 101-year First Class history.
Northeast also struck 45 fours, the most of any batsman in a single innings in the county's record books. His total is the highest by an English-qualified player in the County Championship since Archie MacLaren scored 424 for Lancashire against Somerset in 1895, 126 years ago. Only MacLaren and the great Brian Lara, who scored a record 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994, have scored more than Northeast in the history of the County Championship.
Glamorgan captain David Lloyd declared at lunch on Saturday, which was the final day of the contest, with a lead of 211, leaving Northeast 91 short of Lara's record and his bowlers just two sessions to bowl out a Foxes side who were in form after a run-fest first innings. What an inspired decision it proved to be.
Despite a solid start from the hosts, Glamorgan spinner Andrew Salter took two top-order scalps before the seamers began their work. Veteran Michael Hogan ripped through the Leicestershire middle-order, claiming four wickets, before Australian fast bowler Michael Neser knocked over the tail in dramatic fashion, taking the final wicket with just a handful of overs left in the match.
"To get that team win in the end was unbelievable," Northeast said after the match. "The boys worked incredibly hard there and they put in some tough yards over the four days. It hasn't quite sunk in yet, but it's unbelievable.
"We knew we would have to post something quite big to set us up and give our bowlers a chance, so we got ourselves in and managed to capitalised. Cookey hit the ball so well and on another day he would have got a double-hundred.
"The bowlers... it was an unbelievable bowling performances, spearheaded by Hoges and Nes."
Northeast's score is the ninth-highest in First Class cricket anywhere in the world. Speaking on that specifically, he said: "It's truly special. To be part of that list of names, you just never would have thought it would have happened this week. People keep telling me what a special achievement it is, it hasn''t really sunk in yet. It's been a crazy day. I'm just grateful for everything that has happened today.
"Getting that win puts us right in the mix. We know we have to go away to some tricky spots. We can come back in September and give it absolutely everything."
The incredible win, largely thanks to Northeast's superhuman effort, sees Glamorgan now sitting in second place in Division Two, behind only Nottinghamshire.
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