Date-stamped : 19 Jul97 - 06:18 Tour Matches: Headingley place beckons Ponting By Edward Bevan at Cardiff First day of three: Glamorgan (30-0) trail Australia (369-4 dec) by 339 runs RICKY PONTING made the most of a flat Sophia Gardens pitch and a Glamorgan attack without Waqar Younis, Steve Watkin and Robert Croft to stake his claim for a middle-order place in the Aus- tralian team for the fourth Test at Headingley, which begins next Thursday. The Tasmanian batsman made 126 not out, his highest score of the tour in only his third first-class innings, and with Michael Bevan scoring just 43 runs from five Test innings, Ponting ap- pears assured of the No 6 slot next week. Most of the Australian batsmen took full advantage of Matthew Maynard`s decision to give them first use of the excellent batting conditions with Mark Taylor leading, the way with a pug- nacious innings of 71 from 88 balls which included a six and nine fours. The tourists rattled along at four and a half runs an over during the morning session before the opening partnership was broken when Matthew Elliott sliced a ball from Gary Butcher to slip. Taylor then became one of Dean Cosker`s two victims when he holed out at midwicket, but the young left-arm spinner kept plugging away, varying his length and getting occasional turn from an unre- sponsive pitch. Cosker, selected on Tuesday for the England under-19 squad, is an integral part of the Glamorgan team and the club are hoping an agreement can be reached where he could be released for one of their county championship games. Ponting scored his runs from 170 balls with 17 boundaries, and after sharing a record fifth-wicket partnership for Aus- tralia against Glamorgan of 123 with Justin Langer, who scored 50 not out, Taylor declared with eight overs remaining. Steve James, the country`s leading run scorer in first-class cricket, survived a confident leg-before appeal in Paul Reiffel`s first over, but there is no reason why Glamorgan`s batsmen - who are in productive form so far this season - should not prosper against Aus- tralia`s three seamers and Bevan`s left- arm spin. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Tour Match: Speedy James leads chase for hat-trick By Edward Bevan at Cardiff Second day of three: Australians (369-4 dec) & (100-5) lead Glamorgan (254) by 215 runs GLAMORGAN have twice beaten the Australians and if their bowlers can make further inroads this morning, the Welsh county could reg- ister a hat-trick of wins to endorse their standing as the leading team in the country. However, the best of the tourists` batting is still to come with the likely scenario a run chase for Glamorgan on the final day - a suitable climax to a thoroughly enjoyable contest which has been well attended on the first two days. The Glamorgan innings was built around Steve James, who was dismissed nine runs short of his fourth century of the season and need- ing another 15 runs to become the first batsman to reach 1,000 runs for the season. The Glamorgan opener, currently on top of the national batting averages, has yet to play representative cricket but following a productive summer last year he must now be in the selectors` thoughts for a winter tour. His attributes are many, not least his rapid running between the wickets which keeps the scoreboard ticking over and when Hugh Morris departed after an opening partnership of 88, James was already 51 not out. He struck 15 boundaries from 135 balls before mis-timing a pull to mid-on, an inglorious end to an innings worthy of a hun- dred. Apart from James, no one else mastered an accurate Australian attack, though 20-year-old Mike Powell, who scored 200 not out against Oxford University in his only previous first-class game, again showed considerable promise. Paul Reiffel had a useful work-out maintaining an accurate line around off stump and was rewarded with figures of 8.3-4-18-5 in his second spell. Australia mixed and matched their second-innings batting or- der, but the ploy misfired as Darren Thomas and Owen Parkin re- duced the tourists to 42 for five in the 18th over. After Michael Slater and Justin Langer were out, Michael Be- van`s objective was to play a long innings, but his hopes of re- tain- ing a Test place now appear non-existent after he nicked a beauty from Thomas to the wicketkeeper. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Tour Match: James rewarded in fruitless chase By Edward Bevan at Cardiff Glamorgan (254 & 211-3) drew with the Australians (369-4 dec & 217-7 dec) A CHALLENGING target of 333 from 59 overs was always beyond Glamorgan, but Welsh supporters at least had the satisfaction of seeing Steve James scoring the 15 runs he required to become the first batsman in the country to reach 1,000 runs this sea- son. James, who scored 79, reached his milestone from the 22nd de- livery of the second innings when he punched a short delivery from Paul Reiffel to the cover boundary. But significantly in this rainy summer, July 18 is believed to be the latest date for anyone to reach the landmark. James, who has scored his runs from 16 innings this season, made his intentions clear by striking two boundaries from the first three balls of the opening over. The most productive opening pair on the county circuit put on 96 in 26 overs, with Hugh Morris striking seven fours before edging an intended drive to the wicketkeeper. James reached his second fifty of the game from 77 balls and at tea Glamorgan required a further 244 runs from 29 overs. Dar- ren Thomas, promoted in the search of quick runs, was soon stumped by Dar- ren Berry, but James and Matthew Maynard main- tained the momentum until James, voted the Tetley Challenge man-of-the-match, pulled Michael Bevan to midwicket. At the start of the final 15 overs Glamorgan needed to score at 10 an over. Maynard continued to attack, striking Mike Kasprowicz for six over long-on, but with Reiffel reduced to bowling without slips, and with six men on the boundary, there was little hope of Glamor- gan registering their third victory against the tourists. Mark Taylor had delayed his declaration until lunch, mindful of a placid pitch, Glamorgan`s in-form batsmen and Derbyshire`s successful run chase in June when they scored 371 to win. However, from a spectator`s prospective they would have wished to have seen an earlier declaration and an exciting climax to a well- contested game, played in glorious weather before an appre- cia- tive audience. Geoff Marsh, the Australian, coach, said afterwards he was un- happy counties were not fielding full-strength teams against the tourists. However, Steve Watkin would not have played had the fixture been a county game due to an injured back, Waqar Younis was also un- fit while Robert Croft, by mutual agreement with the England selectors, was rested before next week`s Headingley Test match. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)