Cricket: Clarke makes wait worthwhile

Derbyshire 513-6 Glamorgan 39-1

Five stoppages for rain sliced the day's play in half here yesterday which frustrated Derbyshire's efforts to capitalise on their healthy overnight position. When they eventually got beyond 500 and felt able to declare, it meant that Steve James and Hugh Morris were left to negotiate only 11 overs against the new ball. All went well until James was lbw offering no stroke to Phillip DeFreitas

A stop-start morning session, which had four hold-ups, was not much good to either side. And as they attempted to press on Derbyshire might well have regretted sending in a night-watchman the previous evening instead of trying to savage a weary and disenchanted attack.

This time, some but by no means all of the bowling was straighter, which was not difficult, and Derbyshire had not made much progress when Steve Watkin picked up the wickets of Matthew Vandrau, superbly caught at slip, and Andy Harris whose dismissal to a catch behind seemed not so clear cut.

Some four hours elapsed before the action resumed but the wait was worthwhile as Vince Clarke made 76 from as many balls, his fifth half-century of the season; he took on Waqar Younis with a series of powerful and inventive strokes.

Clarke is a vigorous, purposeful cricketer who is with his third county. He deserves to make a go of it this time and has the ability, at least as a batsman, to do so. If only he could harness his leg-spin more effectively, what a gem he would be.

Waqar ran in determinedly, as if to try to erase memories of the first day, but could extract nothing from the pitch; Carl Krikken joined in the fun, once fetching him from well outside off stump for four, and he and Clarke had put on 84 in 14 overs when the close came.