da fezbet： A defiant three and a half hour innings by Adrian Dale, supported by apugnacious 31 from Alex Wharf thwarted Kent as Glamorgan ended a rain-affected second day on 177 for 8 in their Championship match in Swansea
Andrew Hignell26-May-2001A defiant three and a half hour innings by Adrian Dale, supported by apugnacious 31 from Alex Wharf thwarted Kent as Glamorgan ended a rain-affected second day on 177 for 8 in their Championship match in Swansea.Kent`s hopes of making early inroads were dampened by a combination ofdrizzle and mist, which prevented a start from being made until 3pm. Whenplay eventually began, Adrian Shaw clipped the first ball from MartinSaggers to the fine leg boundary for four, and the Glamorgan wicket-keepercontinued to punish any loose deliveries, hitting two more boundaries inSaggers` fourth over.This flurry of runs prompted Kent captain Matthew Fleming to introduce BenTrott into the attack, and it proved a shrewd decision, as with his fifthdelivery Trott dismissed Shaw when the Glamorgan wicket-keeper edged arising delivery into the hands of David Fulton at second slip.Then in his next over, Trott nearly claimed a second wicket as Robert Croftedged a ball through the hands of third slip for four. But after this earlyscare, the England off-spinner played himself in, and twice straight droveTrott to the Mumbles Road boundary.Adrian Dale continued to play watchfully at the other end, having earlieralso punished some loose bowling from Saggers. But the introduction ofPatel`s left-arm spin slowed the scoring rate, and with Patel extractingsome lavish spin at times from the dry Swansea wicket, the Glamorganvice-captain adopted a cautious approach.In the third over after tea Croft was bowled off his pads by a slower ballfrom Fleming. But Dale then found a useful ally in Alex Wharf, who was sooninto his stride, twice on-driving the Kent bowlers to the boundary, inaddition to an exquisite cover drive off Saggers.The pair had added an invaluable 55 in 19 overs when Wharf was bowled byPatel, attempting another blow off the back foot. It was the left-arm spinner who eventually ended Dale`s stubborn resistance, as the Glamorgan vice-captain got a thick edge to a ball and was caught at slip by Fulton.In the closing overs, Darren Thomas rode his luck and played a few lustyblows to leave Glamorgan 75 runs in arrears.