Maynard holds back to go forward
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JON CULLEY
reports from Old Trafford
Lancashire 417 Glamorgan 338-2
After an unrewarding first day dominated by John Crawley's splendid 182, Glamorgan's position in this match could easily have become precarious. Lancashire's last two wickets added 39 to their overnight score, taking it beyond 400, a total which always has a psychological significance.
A couple of wickets lost early in Glamorgan's reply, and mental demons might have been awakened, especially in the knowledge that their last match had ended in heavy defeat within three days.
So, even though the pitch showed no more mercy to toiling bowlers than it had on Thursday, Glamorgan deserved credit for playing themselves back into contention. Although they have lost Adrian Dale with a cracked thumb, courtesy of Wasim Akram, they begin the third day 79 runs behind with two wickets down, well-placed to achieve first-innings parity at least. If Robert Croft bowls his off-spin as well as he can they might yet win the match.
Concentration and discipline were the qualities required of Glamorgan yesterday, and Matthew Maynard and Tony Cottey showed themselves capable of sustaining both in an unbroken partnership which brought each a century, a first of the season for the former.
By the close its value stood at 198, a third-wicket record for Glamorgan against Lancashire. Self-restraint has not always been a Maynard hallmark, which makes his 119 all the more noteworthy.
When his 11th boundary took him to 102 he had been at the crease for three and a quarter hours, 40 minutes longer than Cottey needed for his hundred, although he actually received only two more deliveries, 153 to 151.
Neither has yet been tempted to throw the bat, even against the slow bowlers, of whom Garry Keedy's slow left-arm earned respect. Maynard's only injudicious moment was a dubious third run to mid-wicket which took him to 98.
Dale suffered his injury before he had a run, yet scored a brisk 31, including three successive fours off Wasim before leaving the field. David Hemp, who fell to the best ball of the day, could not complain that he missed the chance for runs, but Hugh Morris, who had looked solid, cursed himself after miscueing a full toss from Keedy straight to mid-on.
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