It took him just three balls to claim the record.

Adrian Rollins fell to the veteran paceman for a duck as the visitors quickly began to regret their decision to bat.

Watkin, 35, stands eighth in the all-time list of Glamorgan wicket-takers, but his many fans need not fear that they have seen the last of his considerable talents. He said:

"It's a great honour... 900 would be nice if I could get there."

His next target is the 885 wickets taken by Emrys Davies, which he feels is realistic should he stay fit.

He will have a long way to go to catch the man at the head of Glamorgan's wicket-taking list, though - Don Shepherd claimed 2,174 in his long career.

Watkin has been one of Glamorgan's leading performers since his debut in 1986.

Named as one of the Wisden players of the year in 1994, he has played three test matches for England and four one-day internationals.

Those who watch him week-in, week-out are adamant that he should have received more recognition - a typical British seamer, he has lost out to flashier performers whose end products tend to be inferior.

Watkin was typically modest in describing his landmark achievement:

"It's been a long time coming, really - 15 years in the waiting."

"Eight hundred is a nice milestone but obviously the big one is 1,000 wickets and time isn't on my side to get there."