Dale defies Kent in Swansea

A defiant three and a half hour innings by Adrian Dale, supported by a pugnacious 31 from Alex Wharf thwarted Kent as Glamorgan ended a rain-affected second day on 177 for 8 in their Championship match in Swansea.

Kent`s hopes of making early inroads were dampened by a combination of drizzle and mist, which prevented a start from being made until 3pm. When play eventually began, Adrian Shaw clipped the first ball from Martin Saggers to the fine leg boundary for four, and the Glamorgan wicket-keeper continued to punish any loose deliveries, hitting two more boundaries in Saggers` fourth over.

This flurry of runs prompted Kent captain Matthew Fleming to introduce Ben Trott into the attack, and it proved a shrewd decision, as with his fifth delivery Trott dismissed Shaw when the Glamorgan wicket-keeper edged a rising delivery into the hands of David Fulton at second slip.

Then in his next over, Trott nearly claimed a second wicket as Robert Croft edged a ball through the hands of third slip for four. But after this early scare, the England off-spinner played himself in, and twice straight drove Trott to the Mumbles Road boundary.

Adrian Dale continued to play watchfully at the other end, having earlier also punished some loose bowling from Saggers. But the introduction of Patel`s left-arm spin slowed the scoring rate, and with Patel extracting some lavish spin at times from the dry Swansea wicket, the Glamorgan vice-captain adopted a cautious approach.

In the third over after tea Croft was bowled off his pads by a slower ball from Fleming. But Dale then found a useful ally in Alex Wharf, who was soon into his stride, twice on-driving the Kent bowlers to the boundary, in addition to an exquisite cover drive off Saggers.

The pair had added an invaluable 55 in 19 overs when Wharf was bowled by Patel, attempting another blow off the back foot. It was the left-arm spinner who eventually ended Dale`s stubborn resistance, as the Glamorgan vice-captain got a thick edge to a ball and was caught at slip by Fulton.

In the closing overs, Darren Thomas rode his luck and played a few lusty blows to leave Glamorgan 75 runs in arrears.