Date-stamped : 20 Apr97 - 02:18 19 April 1997 GLAMORGAN CRUISE TO AN EASY VICTORY OVER WALES by Andrew Hignell Glamorgan comfortably defeated Wales Minor Counties in their opening match of the new season at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff this afternoon. Glamorgan made a respectable 242-8 in their 50 over allocation, with captain Matthew Maynard top scoring with 62, and Tony Cottey making 48. Glamorgan then restricted Wales to 158-6 to leave the first-class county the victors by 84 runs. The Welsh batsmen never looked like reaching their target against the accurate Glamorgan bowlers, but during the morning session, when the friendly contest began under a thick cloud cover, it was the turn of the Glamorgan openers to find life difficult on a lively Cardiff wicket. Ben Morgan and Andrew Rowlands both extracted lavish movement off the seam, forcing Hugh Morris and Steve James, who were amongst the most productive of openers during 1996, to play watchfully. The pair had added 49 in 12 overs, when Steve James was bowled by Rowlands for 20. Change bowler David Towse also bowled an impressive spell from the River Taff End, extracting both lift and pace from the normally benign wicket. Indeed, Hugh Morris was forced to take several blows to the body, and when he had made 19, he edged a sharp rising delivery from Towse to wicket-keeper Roger Clitheroe. With his next delivery, the former Lincolnshire seamer caused Matthew Maynard to edge the ball to first slip where former Glamorgan and Gloucestershire spinner Mark Davies failed to cling on to a difficult chance. It proved to be a costly miss as Maynard raced to a half century off just 56 balls, striking 7 crisp boundaries. He gained useful support from his vice-captain Tony Cottey, who skillfully used the sweep shot against the spinners North and Davies. The pair added 66 in 13 overs before the Glamorgan captain was run out for 62. Cottey then holed out at deep mid-wicket, and after the loss of three further quick wickets, it was left to Robert Croft to take the Glamorgan total past the 200 mark. The England off-spinner hit a quickfire 31 off 20 balls, including 24 off an over from Phil North, with three sixes and a four. The task of scoring at almost 5 an over on the lively wicket was always going to be a stiff one for the Welsh amateurs. Their openers Tim Hemp and Mike Haswell found few loose deliveries from Steve Watkin and Owen Parkin, whilst Darren Thomas bowled a controlled spell from the River End. Indeed, it was Thomas who took Glamorgan`s first wicket of the season when Haswell drove over a full length delivery with the total on 37. Then in the next over Gary Butcher trapped Abergavenny`s Mike Powell leg before for a duck. Tim Hemp played the sheet anchor role for the Minor County side, and together with Alistair Dalton, another former Glamorgan player, they had doubled the score, when in the 27th over, Dalton was caught at square leg by Tony Cottey as he tried to on drive Robert Croft. The next over saw the end of Hemp`s solid vigil as the younger brother of former Glamorgan batsman David Hemp was bowled by Adrian Dale. Kristian Bell and Roger Clitheroe, the former Cambridge Blue, also failed to break the stranglehold which the Glamorgan bowlers exerted, and the pair quietly took the score to 115 before Bell was bowled by Croft. Captain Phil North added a few lusty blows in the closing overs, before being stumped by Adrian Shaw in the final over to give Croft his third victim, and the England bowler finished with the excellent figures of 10-2-35-3. This was the first time that Glamorgan had ever played Wales Minor Counties, and the game marks the fostering of close relations between the two main constituents in the new Cricket Board of Wales. The two sides meet again tomorrow (Sunday) at Sophia Gardens and the second 50 over friendly will give further useful practice to the Glamorgan players as they prepare for their opening Championship match against Warwickshire. Contributed by Dr.A.K.Hignell (higgers@rmplc.co.uk)