Glamorgan signal promotion potential with emphatic win

It is regrettable that the final and often decisive day of County Championship matches tends to be played out in front of the smallest crowd of the match. But on this occasion it did not feel such a shame: after three days that had confounded and enthralled spectators, the final day was comparatively flat. Just not for Glamorgan who, from the pits of 106 for 6 in their first innings, a clean 300 runs behind Surrey, wrapped up an emphatic seven-wicket victory before tea.

"It was an incredible turnaround," Glamorgan coach Toby Radford reflected. "We just stuck in there. This season we've been on the ropes a few times and we've managed to turn those situations into wins - it was the same against Essex and Northants."

From the off, this final day performance was utterly clinical. Graham Wagg - as if he had not already done enough with his breathtaking 200 - was immediately handed the new ball. He needed just four balls to swing a delivery past Vikram Solanki's defences; and one more to clean up the innings. Surrey's last five wickets fell for just four, and the upshot was that Glamorgan required just 247 to win.

"Psychologically I don't like to chase over 300 on the last day," Radford said. "You keep them under 250 and you think - if we just knuckle down against the new ball here, we really should go on and win the game."

As if to emphasise as much, Jacques Rudolph hit the first ball of Glamorgan's chase, from Chris Tremlett, for four; he did the same to the third too. And, as if to prove that this final day wicket was doing nothing particularly significant to help spin either, Rudolph later hit Zafar Ansari's opening three deliveries for boundaries, the last an exquisite reverse-sweep. Rudolph chipped Gareth Batty to mid-on in the following over, yet never was there any great sense that Surrey would even force Wagg, Glamorgan's No. 8, to bat again. William Bragg and Ben Wright gave little indication of being perturbed, or being in any great hurry, as they passed half-centuries. As the energy sapped from the game despite Batty's exhortations, only the sound of some building work across the road disturbing the peace.

The winning runs came via two leg byes, which almost seemed appropriately low-key. Not that Glamorgan will be bothered, as they secured consecutive away victories against Surrey for the first time in their history. Promotion suddenly feels very realistic. "We've been eyeing that up since the start of the season. We know over the last three years we've been very disappointing in four-day cricket," Radford said. Glamorgan have now won their last three Championship games and are the only unbeaten side in Division Two.

There are some pleasing parallels with the Northamptonshire team that earned promotion two years ago. Both sides bat deep and have bowling attacks led by tall Australian quicks with unwavering spirit. Michael Hogan did not need to bowl a ball on the final day but he set Glamorgan's victory up with a magnificent display of perseverance, parsimony and skill on the third afternoon, jagging the old ball late.

"It was hot, he was tired, he'd bowled a lot of overs in the game, he'd been off once or twice with a bit of cramp. But he's such a fighter and keeps running through a brick wall, and bowled some outstanding deliveries," Radford purred.

Perhaps Surrey's main solace was that their Championship sojourn to Guildford is over for another year. They have not won here since 2002 - even Graham Ford, during his time as Kent coach, has won at Woodbridge Road since. "It just doesn't work for us here," he rued.

But it definitely did work for Arun Harinath, who took lifted his haul of first-class centuries from three to five in the space of 72 hours. "It was an absolutely brilliant performance from Arun. It's fantastic to have a guy like that waiting in the wings," Ford said. "He's a very valuable guy to have in the squad, his work ethic is absolutely fantastic and he's always got a smile on his face.

"It's lovely to know that you've got back up like that. I'm sure he's very determined to make sure that he's no longer back-up and with that sort of performance he's not back-up, he's suddenly a regular pick."

Still, the sight of Harinath bowling as Surrey sought wickets epitomised their desperation. Restricted to five overs in the first innings, Tremlett only bowled five overs here because of a hamstring complaint. "It's a bit freakish the list of injuries - it just keeps happening," Ford said. "The worry is each time you lose a bowler in a match other bowlers have to do a double shift, and that puts them at injury risk. It's just a never-ending cycle. The schedule is crazy and this month is particularly bad." At least Jade Dernbach is close to a return with the second team.

After the injury to Kumar Sangakkara's replacement Moises Henriques, Surrey are trying to find a stop-gap overseas player. "Stewie's been hard at work. It's very short notice and there's not that many options jumping out at you. If you're going to do it you want to make sure that it's someone of international class."

It is a snapshot of the financial advantage Surrey enjoy over Glamorgan. But, with Glamorgan trailing Surrey by just 12 points with a game in hand - and Leicestershire their next opponents - it could yet be the Welsh county who join Lancashire in winning promotion to Division One.