Cricket: Morris boosts Glamorgan's title drive

Hampshire 207-8; Glamorgan 209-4

Glamorgan win by six wickets

A DASHING partnership of 111 in 22 overs between the unheralded Tony Cottey, with 75 not out, and Hugh Morris, run out for 81, maintained Glamorgan's slender lead at the top of the Sunday League at Swansea yesterday.

Victory, with 15 balls to spare, was not as tight as the time factor suggested. Shaun Udal had retired for treatment to his right forearm after crashing into the boundary wall and Hampshire would have needed a sixth and seventh bowler to deliver the final two overs.

Both teams put themselves into winning positions but it was Glamorgan who ultimately salvaged an 11th consecutive win - one short of the competition record set last summer by Middlesex - from the improbability of needing 132 from 26 overs after three prime batsmen had departed cheaply.

Steve James was run out, attempting an impossible second, to Udal at third man, Adrian Dale departed leg-before and Vivian Richards failed to reach the pitch of a ball from Ian Turner and was admirably caught high and wide to his left by Mark Nicholas at cover.

Morris and Cottey matched the batsmanship of Robin Smith, whose 75 from 99 balls with five sixes and four fours, was a tribute to his technique on an uncooperative pitch, no matter what difficulties he has encountered against the Australian spinners.

Hampshire looked set for 250 until Smith was third man out, well caught by Cottey at mid- wicket, at 152 with 13 overs remaining. Malcolm Marshall had opened Hampshire's innings for the first time without success. More predictably, he also opened the bowling, a rare double in the competition.

Smith's second-wicket partnership with Paul Terry was worth 117 in 25 overs, which brought relief in the absence of the resting David Gower. Morris, Glamorgan's alchemist, mixed the now familiar, winning formula on a Sunday, even though his footwear seemed to have been dipped in the cauldron, such were his slippings and slidings while batting. When reaching 67, Morris passed Glamorgan's Sunday record of 650 runs in a season held by Matthew Maynard.

Morris was dropped on 69 by Cardigan Connor at mid-wicket and, unusually, Glamorgan sent down 11 wides, the awarding of which remain in the eye of the umpiring beholder, in this case John Holder and Peter Wight, whose decision against Marshall finished an enthralling match.