Rees and Powell rescue Glamorgan

Glamorgan 337 for 9 (Wallace 55, Meaker 4-74) and 198 for 4 dec (Rees 89, Powell 65) drew with Surrey 575 for 7 (de Bruyn 172, Maynard 123)
Scorecard

Gareth Rees and Michael Powell both struck half-centuries as Glamorgan batted out for a draw on the final day of their County Championship clash against Surrey at Cardiff.

At the start of play Surrey still had hopes of registering a win and were able to enforce the follow-on, but Rees and Powell frustrated them for nearly two and a half hours in a third-wicket stand of 129 in 42 overs. Surrey had to make do with nine points to Glamorgan's eight.

Glamorgan went into the final day looking to knock off the 49 runs required to save the follow-on, but survived just 6.1 overs. After resuming on 377 for 9, the home side scored 18 runs until Dean Cosker was bowled by Stuart Meaker, who claimed figures of 5 for 86.

James Harris was left stranded on 43 to end a last-wicket stand of 38, leaving Glamorgan 31 runs short of the follow-on target of 426. Forced to bat again, they needed 181 to avoid an innings defeat and had to bat 87 overs to survive and secure a draw.

They did not make the best of starts when captain Alviro Petersen fell to spinner Gareth Batty in the 15th over, edging to Zander de Bruyn at leg slip to leave Glamorgan 40 for 1. And that became 44 for 2 when Will Bragg fell for two from Chris Schofield's first ball.

Rees and Powell survived until lunch with the home side still 136 runs adrift, and continued their resilient stand for the whole of the afternoon session. Rees brought up his fifty in 109 balls with six fours, while Powell, who was in desperate need of runs after a barren start to the season, showed positive intent typified by a superb straight six over long-on from Gareth Batty before reaching his 50 in 79 balls.

Surrey effectively gave up the pursuit for victory with captain Rory Hamilton-Brown bringing himself and then Tom Maynard into the attack before tea.

After the interval Powell suffered cramp in his forearm and shortly afterwards chipped Batty to Rory Burns, the substitute fielder, at mid-wicket. It ended a stand of 129 in 42 overs with Rees, who in the final over skied a catch to Hamilton-Brown at slip off Batty. Shortly afterwards the players shook hands on a draw.