Date-stamped : 27 Jul97 - 10:36 Tail-enders upstage Mushtaq By Peter Deeley at Edgbaston Second day of four: Somerset (8-1) trail Warwicks (336) by 328 runs MUSHTAQ Ahmed took five wickets in 39 balls yesterday in a spell of superlative spin-bowling. Yet by the close, his feat had been overshadowed by a doughty Warwickshire ninth-wicket fightback with Ashley Giles and Tony Frost adding 141 runs, a club record against Somerset. Giles was eventually yorked middle stump by Andrew Caddick with the second new ball, three runs short of a second career century. Frost, who made his first-class debut this season, went on to a per- sonal best 56. Before this game he had amassed a total of only 34 runs. The late-order batsmen may have been helped by the 2.5 hours` duration of the first two sessions: there were some weary Somer- set bod- ies out in the field after tea. The game was due to finish at 7pm and actually ran on until 7.20 - when the lights would have been useful - to make up for the shorter first day following the near midnight finish of the day-night game on Wednesday. All very confusing and not an ideal format for first-class cricket: if night cricket is to find a niche in the calen- dar the two styles must not overlap in this way. Warwickshire were on top at the start when, by virtue of a necessarily cautious innings of 41 from acting captain Andy Moles, they reached 103 for one at lunch. Then Mushtaq came into his own, conceding only three runs in his devestating spell. He was much more of a threat once he had controlled his noisy ap- pealing as seven wickets went tumbling for 45 runs. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Giles left ruing lack of work By Peter Deeley at Edgbaston Warwickshire 336 & 0-0 v Somerset 304-6 dec FRUSTRATION has been the byword for English county spinners this year, none more so than Ashley Giles, for whom the future seemed so bright after his successful winter tour of Australia with England A. A wet summer has limited him to about 200 overs when he could have expected to be up around 450-500. That shortfall has been com- pounded by knee cartilage troubles. Giles, 24, has put off having an operation until the season ends in the hope that August will produce the dry and dusty pitches more suited to his skills. "So I`m carrying a bit more weight than I should and I can`t get it down by long-distance running because of the knee," the tall spinner said in a rain-break yesterday, the third day of Warwick- shire`s game with Somerset. "It has not been the year that I hoped for, but with all the poor weather you could say that of slow bowlers in general." Last year Giles finished top of the Warwickshire bowling with 55 championship wickets at an average of under 28. This time he had taken 18 wickets coming into the present game at 36. It was symptomatic of his own frustrations that, after taking his 19th wicket with his second ball yesterday - when Simon Ec- clestone was bowled trying to force him - the umpires immediately took the players off for rain. When they returned, Giles had to bowl with a damp ball and saw Mark Lathwell survive a difficult edge to slip. But Giles had his revenge when Dominic Ostler later held on to an easier chance. Giles returned to the scene of his youth, the Oval, for his debut in the international game against Australia earlier this year but failed to get a wicket. "It was an exciting start but realistically I knew that I would have to bide my time for a Test place." He may draw some consolation from his batting form. Last year he made a maiden century and on Friday was dismissed three runs short of another hundred. "I don`t think I have ever been batting bet- ter," he said. Warwickshire`s collective feeling of frustration was enhanced on the field when Piran Holloway scored the fifth century of his ca- reer. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)