Glamorgan lose 3 cheap wickets chasing 198 to win at The Rose Bowl

Glamorgan will need a further 165 runs with 7 wickets in hand to record their fourth Championship win of the season after a dramatic Hampshire fightback at The Rose Bowl. The home team, after having been invited to follow-on, made 449 in their second innings, and then took three wickets in the final hour as Glamorgan slipped to 33-3 with the game dramatically changing complexion.

After taking 14 wickets on Wednesday, Glamorgan began the day with high hopes of quickly finishing off the Hampshire innings. However, they were frustrated initially by Nic Pothas, the Hampshire wicket-keeper, who scored a century and shared in a stand of 149 for the sixth wicket with Dimitri Mascarenhas, who made 75, and then later by a cavalier 68 from Richard Hindley.

The day began with 40 minutes play being lost after heavy overnight rain, and when the umpires took to the field, Hampshire still needed 138 runs to avoid an innings defeat. However, their middle and lower order offer more stout resistance than others had shown the previous day, with John Francis and Nic Pothas adding 80 in 25 overs before Francis was caught behind off Alex Wharf.

Pothas continued to counter-attack, and shortly before the lunch break, he reached his half century after facing 84 balls. But in the first over after the interval, he tweaked a hamstring whilst running a quick single with Dimitri Mascarenhas, and had to call for a runner.

Despite restricted movement, Pothas continued his assault striking Harrison over mid off for a six and two fours, and three times driving Kasprowicz through the offside for boundaries. He reached his century with another boundary off the Australian, this time to square leg - his 15th four after 156 minutes at the crease during which time he also struck two sixes.

Pothas had clubbed a further 21 runs when he tried to hit over the top once too often and holed out to Croft at mid-on. Richard Hindley then lent useful support to Mascarenhas before Glamorgan took the new ball. It paid immediate dividends as Kasprowicz trapped Mascarenhas leg before, and then had Chris Tremlett caught at second slip by Jimmy Maher.

But Hindley continued to belie his inexperience and after striking Kasprowicz for two fours in an over, the Havant club cricketer reached his maiden half-century. But wickets continued to fall at the other end with Mark Wallace catching edges from Bruce and Tomlinson as Hampshire were dismissed for 449.

This left Glamorgan with a target of 198 to win, but they lost Jimmy Maher in the fifth over as he edged a lifting ball from Chris Tremlett to John Crawley in the gulley. The same thing happened in Tremlett`s next over as Jonathan Hughes departed for 7. Mark Wallace, promoted in the order following a rib injury to Adrian Dale and night-watchman Dean Cosker safely negotiated 5 more overs, until Mark Wallace was bowled by James Bruce in the final over of the day, as Glamorgan finished the day on 33-3 to leave the prospect of an exciting climax tomorrow.