Glamorgan beat Somerset by 110 runs

Glamorgan recorded their third Championship win of the season as they defeated Somerset by 110 runs at Sophia Gardens - a win that elevates the Welsh county into fourth place in Division Two and maintains their bid for promotion.

Resuming on 129/3 in their bid to score 424, Somerset were dealt an early blow when, after only 15 runs had been added in the morning, Jamie Cox was caught at cover point by Matthew Maynard off Alex Wharf. Twenty runs later Wharf struck again as he clean bowled Ian Blackwell, and it looked as if the match might be all over before lunch.

However, Michael Burns, the visiting cptain, had other ideas, and together with Aaron Laraman, the pair took the score to 217-5 at the end of the morning session. Burns played freely all around the wicket and after the interval he duly reached his first Championship hundred of the season, after having batted for a shade over 3 hours, and having hit 17 fours.

But by the time Burns had reached this landmark, inroads had been made at the other end, after Robert Croft opted to take the new ball. Laraman was caught behind by Mark Wallace to give Alex Wharf his third wicket, and then the young wicket-keeper took a superb catch diving low one-handed, to catch an edge by Rob Turner off the bowling of Michael Kasprowicz.

Burns was then run-out by Adrian Dale after a mix-up with Keith Dutch, and despite a few defiant blows by Keith Dutch, the end finally came a quarter of an hour before tea as Dutch chipped a ball from Croft into the hands of Dale at mid-wicket, as Somerset were bowled out for 313.

Alex Wharf ended with figures of 4/90, whilst Michael Kasprowicz took 2/91 from 35 overs, and the seamers wholehearted efforts were singled out for praise afterwards by captain Robert Croft. "This was a hard fought victory, and a lot of credit must go to the seam bowlers for always being prepared to run in hard and to hit the wicket all day, which was no mean feat in this heat."