County Championship round-up: Michael Hogan's a hero for Glamorgan to become latest wizard of Oz

Bowler of the day Everywhere in the County Championship, there seems to be an Australian fast bowler taking wickets, reinforcing the view that the ones picked for the Ashes had better be good. Yesterday it was the turn of Michael Hogan, the 31-year-old from Newcastle, New South Wales finishing with seven for 92 for Glamorgan against Gloucestershire at Bristol, which gave him 34 for the season, just three fewer than his compatriot, Steve Magoffin, who is the leading wicket-taker in the country. Hogan, who did not enter first-class cricket until he was 28 and is playing for Glamorgan on a British passport, having given up his ambition of playing for Australia when it became clear the selectors wanted youth. Coach Justin Langer made strenuous efforts to keep him in Perth, where he was contracted until last winter, to no avail.

Another storming display from Gale

Batsman of the day Having made his first Championship hundred in almost two years on Friday, Andrew Gale stuck around at Scarborough to make another yesterday as Yorkshire's match with Nottinghamshire drifted towards a draw. Resuming on 159, the Yorkshire captain added 113 before an attempt to hit left-arm spinner Samit Patel went up in the air and was caught by wicketkeeper Chris Read. Gale's 272, his career-best, was the third highest score by a Yorkshire batsman since 1945 and the biggest at Scarborough. His 297-run stand with Gary Ballance included a career-best 141 for the Zimbabwe-born England Lion.

Dumbstruck over Duminy

Extras Unmoved by Michael Atherton's criticism of their recruitment policy, Surrey have announced the signing of Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for their Twenty20 campaign and are set to replace Ricky Ponting with the South African, J P Duminy, when the former jets off to the Caribbean at the end of this month. Atherton, who accused Surrey of neglecting locally-developed talent, may excuse the acquisition of Maxwell given the obligation to entertain in T20 but may be less forgiving of Duminy's arrival as Surrey's third overseas player.