Got away from us - Glamorgan Day 1

Early wickets
By Grockle
July 10 2003

A glorious day with a glorious start. Glamorgan decide to bat and we have them at 114 for 6. Enter Robert Croft. With 300+ Welsh runs on the board and Simon Francis on the treatment table, it will be interesting to see where this one goes!

v GLAMORGAN CC2 @ Sophia Gardens 9 July 2003

Got away from us!!

A weakened side goes across the water to try and keep our Championship bid on track and hits the 'Welsh' hard but spirited late order defence allows them off the hook.  It's gonna be a long hot slog if we're gonna win from here!

The side we offered up for this game probably has all the fit bowlers we can muster in it!  The opening partnership of Wood and Bowler remains as does the middle order, with Bryant preferred for the longer game where he seems out of favour in the one day stuff.  But after Rob T at number 7 it is a case of whoever can walk!  Laraman, Dutch, McLean and Francis it seems are the fit men today.  No Jones again, which will rankle him with this being on 'home' territory.  Mr Croft is in charge of the home side and on winning the toss, decides to have a bat.

It starts so well.  Hughes on his way back to Nixon with only 9 on the board and the dangerous Jimmy Maher out for 21 c&b to Blackwell (early to see him in an attack) at 34.  Even better when Blackie also gets Dale, caught behind for a mere 1 less than 10 minutes later and he keeps this up with Powell going the same way just after Glamorgan pass the 50 mark.  At 4 for 52 on the morning of the first day it looks very healthy.   Then again it did against Gloucestershire last week as well.  The questions are; a) can we keep the momentum going and b) can we do it twice in the spacce of four days?

Well it looks promising when Wallace becomes victim number 5 to McLean before the 100 is up and when the same bowler has Matthew Maynard LBW at 114 you would put your money on the visitors getting in before the Dragons reach the 200 mark.   Unfortunately that was not to be because Croft decided to play a captain's innings and his bowlers decided to support him.  He put on 49 with Thomas before Laraman got his name on the wickets list at 163 for 7.  He then put 40 on with Kasprowicz to go past 200 - Dutch got him.  But then, the biggest blow - he put on ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR with Alex Wharf (number 10 batsman) before McLean had him caught by the sub (on for Simon Francis who has picked up an injury just after being long-listed for the Academy - bloody typical!).  Crofty ended the day on 'Nelson not out' with the last man Harrison on 18 and Glamorgan on 337 for 9.

We let em get away and we lost Frankie to boot.  When we get them out today we need a big score and then we have to hope it turns big time. Either that or Aarron L and Nixon have a very good third/fourth day.  We are running out of substitutes for the substitutes!  Disappointing at the end of Day One but at least they were trying.  Now we need backbone and big hits from the men with the wood - if they can post a score then who knows what might happen!