Cricket Round-up: Inspired Richards

GLAMORGAN players may be left on the shelf like an elderly spinster by the England selectors but their Sunday form is proving irresistible, writes Richard Wetherell.

The inspiration for an eighth consecutive win that keeps them top of the league came from Viv Richards who, not content with making 63 off 54 balls in Glamorgan's 258 for 7, ran out Graeme Hick who was promoted to open, took two wickets in 15 deliveries and held a brilliant catch.

It was not all the West Indian though. Hugh Morris and Adrian Dale put on 150 for the opening wicket. Tim Curtis got 66 but Worcestershire were in a jam for most of the innings and eventually lost by 27 runs.

Champions Middlesex were indebted to Mike Gatting's unbeaten 104 for their 81-run win. He hit one six and 11 overs while putting on 185 for the fourth wicket with Mark Ramprakash who finished 69 not out. Chasing 247 Hampshire were never in the hunt as Angus Fraser took four wickets and Phil Tufnell took four of the last five wickets to fall.

Devon Malcolm is enjoying a purple patch against Sussex. Following up his 6 for 57 in the Championship on Saturday he took three wickets in seven balls to deny Sussex. David Smith and Bill Athey fell lbw to successive deliveries and Martin Speight went, caught at fine leg. As at Lord's the margin was 81 runs.

Four interruptions for rain that reduced the match to 38 overs per side meant Derbyshire's innings never flowed but Peter Bowler and Tim O'Gorman hit half-centuries.

Three fours from Neil Smith off Winston Benjamin took Warwickshire to victory by a faster scoring rate. Chasing 171 in 34 overs they were in trouble at 112 for six in the 21st over when rain took the players off. The calculators were kind to them, leaving them the simple task of scoring nine to win off 13 balls. They only needed six leaving James Whittaker's 83 a gallant effort in a losing cause.

Thrashing about was the order of the day at Old Trafford. A 15-over match saw Lancashire score 122 for 7 despite being 12 for 4. John Crawley then smashed 44 off just 28 balls. Nottinghamshire's innings was never in danger of knitting together and they fell 26 runs short of Lancashire's 122.