By Mike Beddow at Edgbaston
First day of four: Glamorgan 159-4 v Warwickshire
THE buck has stopped in two places at Edgbaston this week. Some supporters abused Brian Lara, and the local evening newspaper put Warwickshire's power-brokers through the mincer. Perhaps Lara could have been forgiven if he had handed in a sick note.
A stomach upset - rather than the bile which accompanied the NatWest Trophy defeat by Leicestershire - did keep him off the field for a while. Other than that, it was a much better day.
Lara had the nerve to risk further criticism by fielding first, but, given an essential component in two championship-winning sides with the return of Tim Munton, his attack was equipped for the challenge.
Graeme Welch delivered a 13-over spell, inviting batsmen to drive or pull but consigning another Matthew Maynard innings to the cameo class when a long hop was thrashed to square leg. Adrian Dale was bowled, probably off an inside edge.
If Nick Knight had held a difficult chance at second slip, Steve James would not have reached a half-century. Likewise, Michael Powell escaped when cutting Munton to Tony Frost at backward point.
Munton, on his 33rd birthday, regained some zip on reverting to a longer run, and with the help of an extended lunch interval on a day of squally showers, he sustained his performance for figures of 12-5-22-2.
The wickets were his first in the championship since September 1996, a period covering the loss of a season because of back surgery. Powell was in no position to avoid a leg-before decision, but James would have been stunned by a reflex catch at square leg by the other Michael Powell in this match.
The pitch is on the edge of the first-class square and James' driving towards the shorter boundary prompted Warwickshire to employ a sweeper as early as the 13th over. Otherwise he would have registered more than eight fours in his first innings since cracking a finger.
Glamorgan were in the process of rebuilding through a partnership by Tony Cottey and Robert Croft when the heaviest downpour of the day ended play at 5pm.
Day 2: Knight ignores the politics
By Mike Beddow at Edgbaston
Second day of four: Warwicks (76-1) trail Glamorgan (315) by 239 runs
GLAMORGAN'S sturdy lower-order batting, initially supervised by Tony Cottey and carried on by Darren Thomas, was an irritant Warwickshire could stomach and it did not interrupt their chivvying to maximum bowling points.
What they could have done without was a broadside in the Birmingham Evening Mail from a former member of their inner sanctum. Bob Evans, chairman from 1987 to 1990, targeted the cricket sub-committee with responsibility for ``this depressing and unacceptable season.''
Expressing ``gravest misgivings'' with the general running of the club, he exempted Brian Lara and the team but argued that Lara's appointment as captain ignored the likelihood that he would be ``physically and mentally exhausted'' after leading the West Indies against England.
The players have to isolate themselves from such politics and they largely achieved this by taking Glamorgan's last six wickets for 156. In a rain-curtailed reply, Michael Powell fell to a good slip catch by Matthew Maynard before Nick Knight and Mark Wagh put on an unbroken 56. Though Robert Croft found extra cover in the third over, Cottey's first championship fifty in two months delayed things until an inside edge completed Graeme Welch's best return of the season.
Tim Munton's return embraced a third wicket when Ismail Darwood edged a slip but Thomas, with 10 fours, had room to swing and made 64 from 87 balls. A loose shot to deep mid-on closed a partnership of 67 with Andrew Davies.
Wagh held a smart catch at third slip to remove Davies but missed another from Steve Watkin during a troublesome last-wicket stand with Dean Cosker.
Day 3: Lara misses out again
By John Beaumont
THE rain that fell at Edgbaston yesterday gave Warwickshire little chance to regroup after a traumatic week.
The players were still recovering from the abuse that was hurled at them after Tuesday's NatWest Trophy humiliation at Leicester and there was no respite for Brian Lara, whose dismal season continued.
Lara was applauded to the crease by the small crowd, which was in sharp contrast to the reception he received at Leicester, but he returned in stony silence 23 minutes later when he turned Darren Thomas straight to leg gully for 15.
Lara has only 398 runs from 18 Championship innings, 103 fewer than he managed in one visit to the crease in 1994, and inevitably he has become the focus for Warwickshire's discontent.
Lara seems certain to be the first Warwickshire captain in a decade not to win a trophy, but to blame him for all the county's problems this season is as ridiculous as it was to attribute all their success in 1994.
Lara was an important ingredient in Warwickshire's treble four years ago but their decline this season suggests that they have lost the recipe.
What is often overlooked is that two other batsmen, Roger Twose and Dominic Ostler, made 1,000 runs in 1994 and most of the other senior batsmen contributed significantly.
This season Lara's captaincy has been burdened by the repeated failures of his specialist batsmen with only Nick Knight threatening to top 1,000 runs.
Lara and director of coaching Phil Neale have not enjoyed the same working relationship that Dermot Reeve and Bob Woolmer did and Neale's position has been undermined by rumours that Warwickshire want Woolmer back at Edgbaston when he steps down as South Africa's coach next year.
Dressing-room morale has also been affected by a series of off-field gaffes which have put chief executive Dennis Amiss in the firing line.
Among their public relation blunders was a U-turn over a prepared groundshare scheme with Moseley rugby club, which Warwickshire's former chairman, Bob Evans, described as ``a shocking and embarrassing shambles that diminished Warwickshire CCC in the eyes of many of us who value and care for sport in this city''.
What Warwickshire needed to defuse the criticism was a victory, but they had reached only 135 for four in reply to Glamorgan's 315 when rain interrupted play for the sixth time in the match.
In the brief passage of play that was possible between the showers, Knight passed 50 for the fifth time in the championship this season before he pulled Andrew Davies to Tony Cottey at square leg to give the seamer his first championship wicket. Former Oxford University captain Mark Wagh also played pleasantly before he was lbw pushing forward to Thomas.
Day 4: Thomas has Warwickshire wobbling
By Mike Beddow at Edgbaston
Fourth day of four: Glamorgan (315 & 109-1 dec) drew with Warwicks (135-4 dec & 253-8)
Glamorgan's defence of the County Championship has been littered with so many injuries that another one, even to their leading seamer, Steve Watkin, was not presented as an excuse to let this game die.
Matthew Maynard, though admitting he would have preferred ``a few more runs'' boldly gave Warwickshire a tempting target of 290 in 75 overs. Neil Smith thrust towards this objective but ultimately had to save the match with an unbeaten 72.
If Maynard had a theory, as opposed to taking an outright gamble, it could only have been that the loss of Watkin with an intercostal muscle injury might be balanced by Darren Thomas's growing maturity as well as Warwickshire's tendency to capitulate.
To see Nick Knight's off stump cartwheeling in the first over was an uncomfortable jolt. For the second time, his wicket had gone to Andrew Davies, not with his natural slant indicated by his action but with one which swung back.
The younger players, Michael Powell and Mark Wagh, played positively for a while only to fall leg before within three overs from Thomas. His pace is deceptively sharp and with five for 84 in this innings, he has 46 wickets for the season.
The expectation of something better from Brian Lara sustained Warwickshire for 11 overs but he again searched in vain for the big innings. The end for him was not a happy sight - stepping back to cut and missing the first ball bowled by Dean Cosker.
Glamorgan continued to rotate two seamers. Thomas secured another lbw success after an entertaining effort by Keith Piper and Davies was rewarded when Ismail Dawood held a good catch from Graeme Welch.
At 190 for seven, the game may have tilted in Glamorgan's favour, but an over-stretched attack - with Robert Croft unable to exert any influence would not choose to meet as robust a batsman as Smith, nor for that matter Ashley Giles.
Smith was elevated to No 6, either because of the situation or through his weight of runs lower in the order, and again he employed muscular force with 50 off 65 balls, but when Thomas took out Giles's middle stump, Tim Munton had to survive with Smith for eight overs.
The process of setting up the final day began with a refreshingly honest approach for these situations. Warwickshire used their three main seamers and there were five presentable overs from Powell, who bowls at medium pace in the second team.
The only concession to frivolity may have been in the field placings, and costly, too, when Ed Giddins conceded 42 in four overs.
Steve James completed his second half-century of the match in 40 balls and Maynard was not greatly slower in his undefeated 47.