Cricket: Fiery Lewis hits a rich vein

Glamorgan 364 & 218-3 Surrey 471-9 dec

As the evening shadows lengthened at Sophia Gardens yesterday, so did Surrey's odds on securing the victory that is vital to their hopes of winning the Championship for the first time since 1971.

A match of which earlier in the day they had wrested control, thanks to some exhilarating batting and the initial incisiveness of their bowlers drifted away from them as Steve James and Tony Cottey shared an unbroken partnership of 124 for Glamorgan's fourth wicket.

With a lead of 111 and seven second-innings wickets standing, Glamorgan will look to declare some time tomorrow, but there is no reason to think that there will be any generosity in what they ask of Surrey. Batting last on a wicket that is beginning to show signs of wear and tear will not be made any easier in the face of Robert Croft's spin offerings.

If Surrey had a slow bowler to compare, they could perhaps have had the County Championship wrapped up by now. After the quicker men had begun to fade, Richard Pearson bowled his off-spin tidily but without penetration, and when the occasional leg spin of Nadeem Shahid finally produced a chance - off the last ball of the day - Brendon Julian, Surrey's Australian import, dropped Cottey at first slip.

The downcast faces of the Surrey players as they wandered back to the dressing room told their own story. The match is by no means over for them, but Surrey will need to summon the same powers of recovery which enabled them to turn an unpromising situation around in yesterday's morning session. Their assault on the Glamorgan bowlers produced 197 runs in 37 overs, and was easily the most attractive cricket of the day.

Scoring too slowly had been Surrey's problem on Friday, but in seeking to up the rate from an overnight score of 273 for four - still 91 runs behind on the first innings - they had lost both their not-out batsmen, Adam Hollioake and Shahid, within seven overs. At 296 for six, their innings badly needed reinvigorating, and Chris Lewis led the way with an expansive 57.

A flat tyre may have punctured Lewis's international career - for the foreseeable future, at any rate - but he has been nothing if not pumped up since falling foul of the England management at The Oval three weeks ago.

Lewis got into his stride with two successive fours off Croft, and hit cleanly and safely along the ground. After Julian's 41, Martin Bicknell took the aerial route, hitting four sixes in a half-century that came off just 44 balls.

Dean Cosker, the Glamorgan left-armer, came in for some harsh treatment but still managed to end with four for 142 off 34 overs, capitalising on attempts by Lewis, Julian and Joey Benjamin to go after balls that deserved more respect. Surrey were still able to declare on 459 for nine, a lead of 107, which represented a considerable effort under trying circumstances.

Lewis produced some hostile stuff when Glamorgan went in to bat again, hitting James on the helmet, but it was when Julian replaced him that Surrey made their first breakthrough, Hugh Morris going to a catch at the wicket as he top-edged a hook. David Hemp hit two successive fours off Benjamin but was then bowled next ball, and with the dismissal of the Glamorgan captain, Matthew Maynard, bowled by Pearson, Surrey were on top, with Glamorgan on 92 for three and still 15 runs behind.

James, however, was unruffled, and with the pugnacious Cottey, all 5ft 4in of him, determined not to be dictated to, Glamorgan extricated themselves without too much difficulty.