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Nevin makes mark

Glamorgan (245-8) bt Hampshire Board XI Board (177) by 68 runs

Hampshire Board XI Board, who had toppled two Minor Counties, Suffolk and Shropshire, to earn a joust with the big boys, made a fairer fist of this contest than the margin of their defeat suggests.

Having weathered an opening stand of 101 between Steve James, who made a staunch 87, and Alun Evans, who was more free-scoring in reaching 52, the board reduced Glamorgan to 161 for five before they picked up momentum, thanks to a boisterous 40 by Darren Thomas and 22 by Ismail Dawood.

In replying to a daunting score, the underdogs passed the hundred mark in the 28th over with only two wickets lost but their challenge then began to fade, although New Zealander Chris Nevin, the Wellington wicketkeeper playing as a specialist batsman, was eighth out for 56, off 72 balls.

Glamorgan's mid-innings collapse was brought about by an 18-year-old left-arm spinner, Charlie van der Gucht, a Radlian bound for Durham University. He ousted Adrian Dale, Matthew Maynard and Mike Powell in 15 balls for nine runs and claimed the man of the match award.

He has a strong cricketing pedigree. His wicketkeeping grandfather, Paul, had two seasons with Gloucestershire - 1932 and 1933 - before joining a business house in India and extending his cricketing career with Bengal in the Ranji Trophy.

Three batsmen in the board XI to impress were their openers, Luke Sears 18, and Matt Compton, and Lawrie Pittipaul, a cousin of West Indian Test batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul.