Date-stamped : 15 Jun97 - 10:17 Croft steadies Glamorgan stagger By Peter Roebuck at Cardiff First day of four: Glamorgan 272-9 v Middlesex A STIRRING innings from Robert Croft and some forthright strokes from Waqar Younis revived Glamorgan`s hopes of another singsong af- ter a shaky start on a slightly damp and holding pitch had left them staggering around at 26 for three. Croft played some crisp strokes, especially off the back foot, and did not lose his wicket until chancing his arm with only the tail to keep him company. Not that the tailenders went meekly to their fate, instead swinging lustily until their end came. Otherwise the day belonged to Middlesex, whose pacemen pecked away at opponents playing with an odd mixture of belligerence and ner- vousness. Angus Fraser was the pick of the bowlers and probably the fastest as he pounded the ball into a length and occasionally surprised with a bumper. No one played him con- fidently and Steve James and Adrian Dale hardly played him at all, James departing as he nibbled indis- creetly outside off stump and Dale edging to third slip with a mild- ness discernible in his manner but seldom in his performance. Between times Hugh Morris had fallen to a stunning catch by Jacques Kallis at leg gully, the fieldsman flinging himself to his right to accept a firm clip. Ian Hewitt had taken a wicket he scarcely deserved. Hitherto his deliveries had declined to land on the prepared strip, preferring to pursue a course far outside off stump. Undeterred, Hewitt remained cheerful and lat- er confirmed his reputation as a lively performer. Glamorgan`s recovery was started by a captain whose decision to bat first had been brave. Matthew Maynard was in his most pol- ished, captivating form as he drove through cover and collected off his pads, reaching fifty in 88 balls without appearing to hurry. At 64 he lost Tony Cottey, held at second slip as he de- fended with open face against Richard Johnson`s seamers. Maynard and Croft now came together and Glamorgan`s rally gathered momentum. Badly dropped behind the wicket on 18, Croft was soon driving impressively off the back foot and his timing was su- perb. Too many balls were hit in the air, though, for longevity to appear likely. Maynard fell at 148, caught behind as he drove opti- mistically, whereupon Gary Butcher batted punchily until he was confounded by a delivery from Hewitt that rose steeply. Adri- an Shaw followed so that Croft felt obliged to open his shoul- ders. Croft`s edged hook gave Fraser a fourth wicket, whereupon Waqar could not resist try- ing to clear long-off to leave both camps feeling things might have been better or a great deal worse. It had been a day of flawed performances. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Stroke-maker Kallis leaves calling card By Peter Roebuck at Cardiff Second day of four: Middlesex (251-5) trail Glamorgan (281) by 30 runs A GLORIOUS exposition of strokeplay from Jacques Kallis gave Middlesex the edge in a match played on a pitch slow but ca- pable of springing an occasional surprise. Kallis hooked and drove impressively yet it was his back-foot forces through midwicket that stood out, shots of the highest class. Sensibly, Mark Ramprakash moved along in his shadows and it took a typically probing spell from Steve Watkin to re- store Welsh equanimity. A combination of drizzle and cricket`s curious commitment to giving lunch its due prevented play starting properly until af- ternoon was well under way, whereupon Paul Weeks obligingly pushed to mid- on. Kallis and Ramprakash immediately took com- mand as Waqar You- nis`s uncompromising pursuit of perfection caused him to overpitch. Even his bumpers were majestically dispatched. By tea, Middlesex had reached 151 for one. Then a change came over the game as Watkin bowled with the wind at his back and Robert Croft put it to proper use. Glamorgan`s steadier ap- proach was rewarded as Kallis, suddenly fallible, edged to slip and Ramprakash tick- led to leg, reasonably awaiting conforma- tion that the ball had car- ried. Watkin had brought his team back into the match. Before stumps, Middlesex were further weakened by the losses of Mike Gatting and Jason Pooley, whose eventful innings ended as he played no stroke at Robert Croft. Glamorgan had survived their own bad patches and a memorable innings from a fine young bats- man. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Glamorgan in depths of despair Peter Roebuck at Cardiff Third day of four: Middlesex (319) beat Glamorgan (281 & 31) by an innings and 7 runs SELDOM can cricket have seen the like of it. Until Glamorgan`s second innings began, this match had proceeded along orthodox lines, a tight struggle between bat and ball, sometimes lively and sometimes dull. Grafting resiliently upon a pitch which was slow but capable of occasional surprises, the visitors had secured a lead of 38. Nothing for the hosts to worry about. Not enough, it might have been thought, to secure an innings vic- tory. An hour later the Welsh were 11 for six and it might have been worse had Mike Gatting not dropped a sitter at slip. By the time he made amends, Glamorgan had recovered to 21 for seven. One ball lat- er Waqar Younis flicked nonchalantly through midwicket to take his team sailing passed its lowest ever score, 22 against Lancashire in Liver- pool in 1924. Unfortunately this purple patch did not last long. Upon reach- ing 24, Glamorgan lost Tony Cottey and Waqar. The last wicket pair put on seven runs to take Glamorgan to the dizzy heights of 31 where- upon Steve Watkin fell to a searing outswinger and it was over. Players trooped from the field, apparently stunned by this turn of events. It was the lowest score ever recorded in Sophia Gar- dens, Glamorgan`s lowest against Middlesex and the fourth lowest in their history. A sudden burst of grubbers from Angus Fraser set the ball rolling, an appropriate phrase. Fraser had bowled splendidly in the first innings. Now he simply bowled straight. Pounding in from the Cathedral Road end, he thudded deliveries into the pads of Steve Jones and then confounded Hugh Morris and Matthew Maynard as successive balls scuttled along the ground like cock- roaches. Appropriately Bob "Knocker" White was a busy umpire, a man whose admirably itchy finger had hitherto been curiously quiet. Not that White had much choice. Here was proof, at any rate, that shooters had not been banned in Wales. Perhaps it had been unwise to apply the heavy roller between innings. Had the batsmen played forward they might have es- caped, but changing the habits of a lifetime is the hardest of tasks. Now it was James Hewitt`s turn to torment the batsmen. He bowled a stream of testing deliveries and took his wickets with- out much assistance from God, opponent or pitch. Admittedly Hewitt`s first strike was fortuitous, as Adrian Dale lamely drove a return catch. Cottey was the next to fall, playing back to a ball that did keep low, Gary Butcher was beaten with a swinger and Adrian Shaw with a beauty that lifted and left him. Butcher had been re- called after Kei- th Brown had sportingly disclaimed a catch be- hind the wicket. It fell to Hewitt to finish the innings with a delivery that Watkin was surprised to touch. And then everyone trudged from the field, reminded once again of cricket`s unceasing mastery over its players and unparalleled ca- pacity to surprise. Earlier in the day Middlesex`s last wicket pair had added 10 more runs than the entire Glamorgan team had managed. GLAMORGAN`S LOWS 1924 22 v Lancashire (Liverpool) 1971 24 v Leicestershire (Grace Road, Leicester) 1958 26 v Lancashire (Cardiff Arms Park) 1957 31 v Surrey (The Oval) 1997 31 v Middlesex (Sophia Gardens, Cardiff) Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)