Somerset chase 424 at Cardiff

After Glamorgan had set Somerset a victory target of 424 in their Championship match at Cardiff, the visitors ended the third day on 129/3, with Glamorgan`s bowlers needing to take a further seven wickets on the final day to record their third Championship win of the season.

As in their first innings, the Somerset batsmen struggled against Glamorgan`s seam attack, although it was off-spinner Robert Croft who made the early breakthrough, trapping Matthew Wood leg before with the Somerset score on 44/1. James Bryant then made a painstaking 7 from 50 balls before he was bowled by Michael Kasprowicz, and then in the final hour Darren Thomas removed the obdurate Peter Bowler one short of his half-century.

In the morning session, Matthew Maynard compiled his 49th first-class century for Glamorgan, and the 55th of his career, reaching 100 from 106 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. The 37 year old shared a productive 96 run partnership for the fourth wicket with Jimmy Maher who made 62 before becoming Keith Dutch`s third victim of the innings.

Maynard then added a breezy 59 for the fifth wicket with Mark Wallace, before Maynard was l.b.w. to Michael Burns for 101. West Indian Nixon McLean then took four wickets in succession, before Alex Wharf smashed 39 runs from 38 balls. The burly Yorkshireman had struck 4 fours and a six until he was the last wicket to fall, leg before to Aaron Laraman as Glamorgan were dismissed for 307.

Somerset need a further 294 runs to win on the final day with 7 wickets in hand, and much will depend on their overnight pair of Australian Jamie Cox and captain Michael Burns. Glamorgan know that if they can remove these two experienced players in the first hour on Saturday, they will stand a good chance of maintaining their quest for promotion from Division Two.