Date-stamped : 22 Sep97 - 06:20 Maynard makes wait worthwhile for Glamorgan By Peter Deeley at Taunton First day of four: Glamorgan (159-2) trail Somerset (252) by 93 runs THEY were queuing at the gates here well before nine o`clock yesterday morning and the wait was certainly worthwhile on a day of con- siderable tension and competitiveness as befits this cli- max to the cham- pionship. Most early arrivals were Welshmen, having voted first in the Principality`s referendum. They outnumbered locals in the 3,000 crowd but it was not until the last two hours that they saw Glamor- gan at the zenith of their authority in the shape of a quite breathtaking innings from Matthew Maynard, who finished un- beaten on 76 off 71 balls with 14 boundaries and a six. Before Maynard joined Hugh Morris in a stand so far worth 117 runs in only 24 overs, the prospects of a meaningful addition to the four bowling points already gathered looked slim. Morris was 19 when the Glamorgan captain joined him and May- nard quickly overtook him, reaching his 10th half-century of the season off 43 balls. He made scoring look so simple that it must have been as big a shock to Graham Rose at mid-off as anyone watching just before the close when Maynard offered him the easiest of catches. Rose let it slip through his hands and Andrew Caddick, the suffering bowler, slumped to his knees. Waqar Younis - said to be on a -L20,000 bonus if Glamorgan win the title - did the hard work early on with four wickets despite overnight stomach trouble but Caddick matched his performance in all but figures with an abrasive 10-over burst at the start of the visitors` innings. He got two then and would have had another but Piran Holloway put down a difficult chance at second slip when Morris was 11. That could prove costly, for Morris was happy to be the foil to Maynard`s corr- uscating driving and pulling. Somerset left out Mushtaq Ahmed with a recurrence of a knee problem and brought in the medium-paced Ben Trott for his champi- onship debut. His two overs cost 21 runs, all but one coming from Maynard`s fierce, almost disdainful attacking, including a pulled six that near- ly decapitated a spectator. Glamorgan might not have put Somerset in if Mushtaq had been playing but Waqar quickly got his swing going to uproot Hol- loway`s off-stump and then forced Simon Ecclestone to jab down on a full-length delivery which Morris took in front of his Adam`s apple at first slip -all in the space of seven balls. Waqar`s illness took him off the field briefly but in his ab- sence Rob Turner, who became the first Somerset batsman to reach 1,000 this season, was clearly disgusted with himself after hooking Steve Watkin down fine leg`s throat. Before lunch Maynard picked up Marcus Trescothick low at extra cover but as the pitch eased Mark Lathwell, looking his old com- fort- able self at No 4, went to a polished half-century off 67 balls. Immediately after lunch Lathwell was dropped at second slip by Tony Cottey off Waqar, but the Pakistani had his revenge when Lath- well played across an in-swinger. Three balls later Waqar knocked back Michael Burns` leg stump but as he tired and left the attack Peter Bowler, who made the top score of 63, assumed some control. The dismissal of Bowler, ninth out, gave Glamorgan the fourth bowling point which took them back to the top of the table by the 69th over, but when the visitors came to the crease Caddick was not to be overawed. He has gained in authority and self-confidence this summer and after Steve James hit him for successive fours won the leg be- fore appeal when James tried to swing the next ball to leg. Caddick then almost had Adrian Dale caught at slip and the same batsman survived a fast straight edge off Graham Rose into and out of Michael Burns`s hands at gully. Morris weathered a torrid testing from Caddick but Dale soon fell when he edged Caddick and Bowler to slip. With someone at the other end to support Caddick, Glamorgan might have been struggling. But there was no Mushtaq. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Late assault gives Glamorgan edge By Peter Deeley at Taunton Second day of four: Glamorgan (353-4) lead Somerset (252) by 101 runs A WITHERING batting assault by Glamorgan`s present and past captains, Matthew Maynard and Hugh Morris, took the county four points ahead yesterday at the head of the table in this cliff- hanging end to the title chase. Now Kent must win to deny the Welshmen their third championship honours. It was an extraordinary last 2.5 hours after a day of intense frustration for the visitors who had to wait until 3.50pm for the rain to stop so that they could get back into action. For many watching, Manyard`s innings of 142 brought back memo- ries of Viv Richards at his most imperious on this ground. There was scarcely a defensive shot in his three hours at the crease and he took his first single - a mistimed inside edge past leg stump - when he had reached his third century of the season. If Maynard was devestating on the first evening, now with the need to make up for lost time he attacked with the ferocity of a battering-ram. The timing was everything though, as evidenced by one cover-drive played very early on the up off Andrew Cad- dick which went streaking over the sodden outfield to the fence. The Somerset attack, particularly Caddick, was certainly hand- icapped by the conditions underfoot and the square was a patchwork quilt of sawdust, bare patches and a little grass. At one stage the England fast bowler dug ferociously at the foothold around his deliv- ery stride to obtain better purchase, like a dog after a buried bone. The batsmen were equally handicapped however by the gloom. For a long time all five lights were standing out on the board but the umpires, sensing Glamorgan`s near-desperation to get on with the game, hardly considered asking them if they wanted to come off. It would be invidious to Morris to downplay his part in the 235-run partnership for the third wicket which came at virtual- ly a run-a-ball. His 52nd century for Glamorgan (he has al- so scored one for England A) equalled the club record held by Alan Jones, now the county`s director of coaching, who was watching from the balcony. This might even have been Jones` last innings since he is on the shortlist for the ECB director of coaching post soon to be va- cated by Micky Stewart. This would be a fitting farewell to a man re- spected by all. Eventually when Maynard was out - attacking of course - edging Kevin Shine to first slip, Morris assumed the burden of taking Glam- organ on to their fourth batting point in appalling light, with one ball from Caddick whistling unseen past his nose and another low full- toss which almost bent the batsman double. However, it is the Maynard innings, particularly the latter portion, which dominated. As he left the field, the crowd rose as one man and even the Somerset players applauded him all the way to the pavilion gate - though there might have been an element of heartfelt thanks at seeing the back of the man. Statistics cannot reveal the full story but these tell some- thing of the battering. Maynard and Morris added 100 in 58 min- utes with 72 runs coming off the first seven overs. There were eight boundaries in one run of nine deliveries from Caddick and Graham Rose. Maynard hit a further 14 boundaries off the 45 balls he re- ceived yesterday and Glamorgan added 194 runs in 33 overs. They reached their full complement of batting points when Mor- ris, fittingly, chopped Michael Burns past point for his 22nd boundary, then wisely decided then that enough was enough in this light. Glamorgan`s principal fear now must be the forecast of contin- uing rain. If the fates conspired to rob them of the title now, many would consider it the cruellest cut. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Thomas eases Glamorgan tension By Scyld Berry at Taunton Somerset v Glamorgan TO THEIR plans for a new assembly Wales will have to add more room to accommodate their third championship trophy. Glamorgan make a habit of winning it once in a generation, as the first time was in 1948, the second in 1969. And the atmosphere at the County Ground yes- terday, in front of 3,000 mostly Welsh supporters, was that of relief af- ter years of hopeful, and dis- appointed, waiting. Somerset were dutiful opponents, but without Mushtaq Ahmed no more than that. When Glamorgan sent them back in a second time af- ter lunch, they took four wickets before tea, and Darren Thomas, their 22-year-old seamer, added three more soon after- wards to bring a cool grey day to its head. Coming from way out west, Glamorgan as usual have suffered from the rain. But as was the case in their earlier champi- onships, Eng- land`s selectors have troubled them little, al- lowing them a settled side of 14 players, one of whom has played only once. Crisp and bal- anced cricket under one of the few county captains with claims to flair has brought well-earnt re- ward. The rain accounts for their small number of victories: not in this century has a championship been won with so few. Three of Glamorgan`s victories have come at their out-grounds of Swansea (two) and Abergavenny, and nearly a fourth at Colwyn Bay. Essex have ceased to contest the title since their num- ber of out-matches was cut from six to three. Glamorgan set themselves up by adding 174 in the first two hours against Andy Caddick and, at the other end, some excep- tional drivel, even by the standards of many county attacks in September. Hugh Morris kept on attacking from the resumption, Robert Croft and Adrian Shaw weighed in with season`s bests. Croft, back and in behind the short ball, was a vast improve- ment on his batting against the Australian fast bowlers, and when Michael Burns experimented with offbreaks, Croft offdrove him for three sixes in one over into the pavilion area. Glam- organ`s batsmen were sometimes surprised by a ball of line and length from Caddick, in pur- suit of first prize in the Whyte and Mackay rankings, but seldom oth- erwise, and cracked 111 runs in the first hour. As in 1969, Glamorgan have secured the most batting points this season, their highly productive top four reinforced by a tail who have made runs when necessary, notably in their first win of the season against Kent. This time it was Shaw who iced the Welsh buns, taking 18 off one over from medium-pacer Ben Trott. When the news came through that Kent needed `only` 276 to win, Glamorgan`s balcony was not downcast. They had a lead of 275; in their own hands was their fate. But the opening skirmish was not resolved in Glamorgan`s favour at all. Waqar conceded 38 runs in his first three overs, edged a couple of times but mostly clipped in front of square by Rob Turner. Waqar has struck every six-and-a-half overs this championship sea- son, and has the second most wickets after Mike Smith, but his full new-ball length can be costly. To the rescue came a resource which Glamorgan have seldom had, even in their championship years, a fully-fledged third seamer in Thomas. After years of little support, Steve Watkin has been granted a back-up; and all three pace bowlers and Croft have taken 50 wickets. Sharp and to the point, his mechanics streamlined by new coach Duncan Fletcher, Thomas burst through Turner`s drive and had Piran Holloway caught behind in the same over that he had edged past slip. Thereafter Somerset were struggling against ever- increasing turn from Croft and Cosker. If spin has not been as prominent as it was on the un- covered pitches of 1948 and 1969, Glamorgan can still claim the most balanced attack. Ecclestone was dropped twice, and finally caught off old-pro Watkin. Mark Lathwell dug in but still reeled off breath- taking strokes. Bread of Heaven was tried. Tea approached. And on the stroke of it Trescothick was caught at short-leg to the ap- proval of the choir. Thomas did it again after tea, squaring up Lathwell and knock- ing out his offstump. Kent were getting close with wickets in hand, but five Somerset wickets were down and Glamorgan`s lead still hand- some. His dander up, Thomas had Peter Bowler leg- before and Michael Burns caught behind. The light might not have been good but all around red dragons were being unfurled. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)