Glamorgan cruise to victory over Hampshire

Glamorgan comfortably ended Hampshire's sequence of six successive National League victories with a six-wicket win of their own with more than 17 overs to spare.

Hampshire supporters will be wondering why Robin Smith chose to bat first on a wicket which was lively, bouncy and difficult to bat on from the start.

No batsman got on top of some tight and controlled Glamorgan pace bowling in which Andrew Davies was outstanding. His four for 18 from nine overs was a competition-best and he was well supported by Adrian Dale and Owen Parkin, who each took three cheap wickets, and Steve Watkin whose nine overs cost him only 16 even if he was not rewarded for his accuracy with a wicket.

Derek Kenway and Smith himself, normally free-scoring batsmen, hung around without getting on top. Kenway made 22 and Smith's 26 was equalled as his team's top scorer by the same number of extras, made up of six leg byes and 20 wides.

Conditions were a little easier when Glamorgan batted though Alan Mullally, recalled by England for the next Test, had Keith Newell caught at the wicket in his first over and then got rid of Robert Croft in his fifth.

The crucial stand of the day was for the Glamorgan fourth wicket between Jimmy Maher and Matthew Maynard, which yielded a match-winning 61.

They came together at 54 for three when Hampshire were still in the hunt and ended when Maher (36) was caught in the slips at 115 with only six runs needed for victory.

Maynard, who pulled a six off Chris Tremlett, duly hit the winning runs in the 28th over to end a low-scoring affair which failed to grip the imaginations of the 1,000 crowd.

At least Mullally had something to be pleased about. "I reckon I'm bowling as well as at any time in my career," he said of his call to the England cause at Headingley. "I have taken 52 wickets this season including five in an innings against the Australians and even they wondered why England kept ignoring me."