Cricket round-up: Richards shares in grand stand

THERE were runs, records but no rewards other than the couple of points on offer for an abandoned match thanks to rain yesterday at Pontypridd, where Hugh Morris and Vivian Richards blessed Glamorgan's Sunday League outing against Derbyshire with centuries, writes Barrie Fairall.

Glamorgan scored 246 for 2, Morris (104) and Richards (109) putting together an undefeated partnership of 194. The county had never had it so good, the stand beating their League record for any wicket, which Javed Miandad and Rodney Ontong had raised against Kent at Canterbury in 1982.

There was more besides. It was the first time in the competition that two Glamorgan batsmen had scored centuries in the same innings. In addition, Morris made his best score to reach 500 runs for the season and become the third from the county to pass 3,000 in the League. This was all very impressive, but the arrival of the wet stuff meant that Derbyshire's reply was limited to only 7.4 overs.

While Essex, who had the day off, remain in second place eight points behind Middlesex, defeat for Surrey now sees Somerset and Warwickshire sharing third spot a further eight points off the pace.

Richard Harden's brisk half century helped Somerset to a 60- run win at Taunton, where Northamptonshire were all out for 176 in 39 overs after Graham Rose, Peter Snell and Ken MacLeay had picked up two wickets apiece.

Warwickshire's batsmen, meanwhile, registered 262 for 4 at Edgbaston as Nottinghamshire crashed to their ninth consecutive League defeat. It was Warwickshire's highest Sunday total for two years and they then restricted last year's champions to 183 for 4 from 35.4 overs before rain arrived to decide the match on scoring rate.

As for Surrey, their hopes of a top-four finish took a knock against Lancashire, who won a rain-hit match at Old Trafford by nine wickets. Surrey managed only 168 for 9 and Lancashire's target was made easier after a heavy shower reduced the target to 97 from 23 overs, Graeme Fowler leading them to their first victory since the middle of May with an unbeaten 49.

Martin McCague, the Kent fast bowler, helped inflict an 11th successive home defeat on Leicestershire with a Sunday-best 4 for 35 at Grace Road. Leicestershire, who have not won in the League since May of last year, managed only 183 for 8 in chasing 246.