Croft bowls Glamorgan to victory

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, St Helen's, Swansea:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Glamorgan 224 and 135 beat Middlesex 169 and 167 by 23 runs (Glamorgan 18pts, Middlesex 3pts)
20-23 August 2009

Match scorecard

Former England spinner Robert Croft finished with a match analysis of 9-111

Glamorgan recorded only a second County Championship victory of the season as they wrapped up a narrow 23-run win over Middlesex inside three days.

In a low-scoring match at Swansea, Middlesex were set 190 to win but were bowled out for 167 as Robert Croft took 5-65 to secure victory.

On a dramatic day, 22 wickets fell as Middlesex finished their first innings on 169 and Glamorgan collapsed to 135.

Croft and fellow spinner Dean Cosker took 15 wickets between them.

And that helped Glamorgan rise to sixth, while Middlesex go bottom.

Resuming overnight on 166-8, Middlesex only added three runs as Croft quickly took the last two wickets.

Glamorgan went into their second innings with a 54-run lead. But they collapsed from 70-2 to 82-8 as the middle order struggled against spinners Shaun Udal and Murali Kartik.

Croft and Adam Shantry offered some resistance, with the a stand of 34 for the ninth wicket, the highest of the innings.

But both fell to Udal, who finished the innings with a season's best 6-36.

Middlesex chasing 190 to win, employed their one day opening partnership of Neil Compton and Dawid Malan to get them off to a solid start. But Croft made the breakthrough, having Compton caught behind for 13.

Sam Robson then fell to Dean Cosker three overs later before skipper Jamie Dalrymple struck with the prize wicket of his old Middlesex team-mate Owais Shah for 18.

Croft then took three of the next four wickets, trapping Eoin Morgan lbw (17), having Dawid Malan caught by Herschelle Gibbs (47) and bowling Gareth Berg (18).

Cosker also trapped Ben Scott for 18 as Middlesex slumped from 77-3 to 129-7. And the momentum swung further Glamorgan's way when Michael Powell ran out Kartik and Croft took his fifth wicket of the innings, having Tim Murtagh caught behind.

But it was Cosker (3-35), who sealed Glamorgan's second win of the season trapping Steven Finn leg before.