Kasprowicz takes 9/36 to put Glamorgan on the verge of victory

Michael Kasprowicz produced the best bowling figures of the season, and the second best in Glamorgan`s history as he took 9-36 in a remarkable spell after tea on the third day of Glamorgan`s Championship match against Durham at Cardiff.

At the interval, Durham were 30 runs ahead with nine wickets in hand, and with Jon Lewis and Martin Love well set, it looked as if the Durham batsmen were likely to build a substantial second innings total. But their resistance was blown away by the mighty Queenslander, whose post-tea spell saw Kasprowicz take nine wickets in succession to finish with his career best figures and an analysis only surpassed for Glamorgan by Jack Mercer`s 10-51 against Worcestershire at New Road in 1936.

He began by trapping both Jon Lewis and Martin Love leg before, before earning a third leg before decision against Nicky Peng, the first innings centurion who this time faced just six balls. With his next delivery he won a fourth l.b.w. as Vince Wells departed for a golden duck, and then in his next over Phil Mustard was caught by Jonathan Hughes to make it 144-6.

Graeme Bridge and Gary Pratt then offered some brief resistance, before Bridge was bowled by Kasprowicz, who shortly afterwards had Pratt caught in the slips by Matthew Maynard to make it 165-8. Four more had been added when Kasprowicz bowled Killeen, and then with the total on 174 the Australian finished things off by uprooting Nicky Phillips stumps, and he deservedly left the field to a standing ovation from the sun-drenched crowd, many of whom could hardly believe what they had seen in the previous 80 minutes from the wholehearted seamer.

This left Glamorgan needing 86 to win, and with Jimmy Maher in assertive form, Glamorgan took the extra half-hour in a bid to wrap up the game inside three days. They had raced to fifty in only the seventh over when Maher was caught behind off Nicky Phillips, but the loss of the Australian ended the victory charge, and Glamorgan ended the day needing just a further 12 runs to win.

Earlier in a dramatic day, the Glamorgan first innings had continued for a further two hours during the morning session, before the Welsh side were dismissed for 444. This gave them a useful lead of 89, thanks to the efforts of Mark Wallace, whose 117 was not only a career best, but also the highest Championship score by a Glamorgan wicket-keeper since 1968.

Wallace also received useful support from the lower order, with the last four wickets adding an invalubale 110 runs. Alex Wharf raced to a 75 ball fifty - the fastest half-century of the innings - with his aggressive innings containing seven firmly struck fours plus two huge sixes struck straight against both of the Durham spinners.

Kasprowicz also opened his broad shoulders with a quick-fire 24, but it was four hours later that the Australian left his mark on the Durham side, with an astonishing performance that will surely see his side tomorrow rise into the top three in Division Two and the promotion race into Division One.