Dragons Put to the Sword as Hants Secure Victory

Match report from day four of Hampshire's LV= County Championship match against Glamorgan at The Ageas Bowl

Hampshire v Glamorgan
LV= County Championship
Day Four: Saturday 26 May 2012
The AGeas Bowl

Summary: Hampshire beat Glamorgan by 31 runs
Hampshire: 316 & 273
Glamorgan: 327 & 231
Scorecard
Concurrent Table

Hampshire Team
Adams, Dawson, Carberry, Katich, Vince, Ervine, Bates, Wood, Ali, Balcombe, Tomlinson
Glamorgan Team
James, Rees, Bragg, North, Wright, Allenby, Wallace, Cosker, Glover, Owen, Reed 

Hampshire pipped Glamorgan to a close 31 run victory just after 3:30 on day four of this LV= County Championship match at The Ageas Bowl and, doubling their wins total in this season's competition, moved up to third in the Division Two table.

Glamorgan had been set a second innings 263 to win on day three – 210 of which were required on day four – but, despite a defiant score of 69 from Marcus North, lost their last six wickets for just 63 runs thanks to a late bowling surge.

Two pacemen who have not long returned from injury, Kabir Ali (3-42) and James Tomlinson (3-45) led the way, ably supported by David Balcombe (2-46), Liam Dawson (2-49) and the economical Chris Wood (0-34).

Jimmy Adams’ side take 22 points in total from the match (16 for the win, three for batting, three for bowling) and move on to face Kent at Tunbridge Wells in their next Championship fixture. Before then, however, there’s a congested period of four Clydesdale Bank 40 matches in nine days, starting with Somerset at Taunton on Sunday.

When the day began with Glamorgan sat on 53-2 Hampshire will have surely been boosted by the knowledge that the Welsh side hadn't beaten them on home soil in the Championship since 1991; cricketing history was certainly in their favour.

And seemingly so was the present day as they began in earnest with Tomlinson's removal of Gareth Rees, (21) trapped lbw playing across the line, in the third over of the day.

The result of the match was always going to hinge greatly on the performance of North on the final day and he would be key if Glamorgan were to break their 21-year hoodoo on the South Coast.

Ominously for Hants, he reached his third 50 (two in this game) since the beginning of May and, despite a few lucky edges and lbw appeals for the hosts, was playing predominantly into the leg-side as Glamorgan moved to 119-3.

But Balcombe struck in the 36th over to clean bowl North for 69 (off 102 balls, 11 fours) to give his side the upper hand.

It was precisely the right time for a Hampshire wicket and, with the score 149-4 at lunch, it was, as had been the case for the entire four days, still a match of incredibly fine margins.

Glamorgan hit the accelerator after the break and hauled their run-rate up to a plus-five position before the familar combination of Balcombe bowling and Dawson at second slip saw Ben Wright out for 32. That wicket sparked the batting collapse.

Three balls later it was Jim Allenby who exited for 23 as he edged behind to Michael Bates off the bowling of Tomlinson to leave his side 168-6.

Before John Glover (10) departed, Glamorgan were 212-6 and, just five overs later, they were all out for 231 after the wickets of Mark Wallace (29), Dean Cosker (0) and Michael Reed (4) fell in quick succession.

During this time Dawson became the first spinner to take a wicket in the entirety of the match (perhaps an indication of the green condition of the wicket on day one) and his late surge was aided by Ali as the two mopped up the Glamorgan tail.

The victory lifts Hampshire above Yorkshire and Essex in the Division Two table whilst Glamorgan remain bottom, still winless from their seven games.

Catch Up

Preview:	Dimi Returns for Glamorgan Clash
Day One:	Ervine Century Gives Hants the Upper Hand
Day Two:	Balcombe Takes Four but Glamorgan Draw Level
Day Three:	Adams' 70 Sets Up Final Day Sizzler

Words: Dan Smith
Images: NJM Photography

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