Cricket: Cottey helps to stop the rot

Glamorgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336-5 dec

South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

JUST up the road at Cardiff Arms Park there was a seven-a- side rugby tournament in progress and the South Africans might have wondered what kit to bring with them when the tourists' bus headed up across the border from their last match with the Minor Counties in Torquay.

However, they made it safely past Sardis Road, the home of the Heineken League side, without any cries of 'Ponty, Ponty' to greet them and found that the cricket season is still in progress at the delightful Ynysangharad Park.

What could be better than basking in the sunshine at this natural amphitheatre and watching real summer sport? And for the South Africans, this was certainly a watching game once Glamorgan had won the toss and done the sensible thing. A few early successes apart, there was a fair bit of leather-chasing to be got through by the tourists before they could sample a good wicket for themselves.

There was one major disappointment from a home supporter's point of view. Matthew Maynard, leading the side in the absence of the injured captain Hugh Morris, has experienced a dreadful season in which his impatience has continually got the better of him and it was much the same yesterday for a batsman as exciting as any when his eye is in.

Steve James had gone quickly to a bat-pad catch off Richard Snell and Adrian Dale was not far behind when Craig Matthews foundthe edge. Glamorgan, two down for 39, needed to forget about the fancy shots and try to consolidate.

And for a while, Maynard behaved himself, collecting 11 runs. Then, almost an hour into his innings, came the familiar rush of blood as he hit across the line and skied the spinner Pat Symcox into the hands of Daryll Cullinan at midwicket.

At 72 for three, the South Africans, who will notname their team for Thursday's third Test until they have had another look at the batting form of Andrew Hudson, were on to a good thing. But they then ran into a pocket battleship in Tony Cottey, who at 5ft 4in has been standing up for himself, while poor Hudson was given out caught behind for four off the last ball of the day.

Cottey helped himself to 84 to pass 1,000 runs. Meanwhile, David Hemp, who once made five successive hundreds for Welsh Schools, added to an already impressive four-figure haul in his first full county season with a fourth century. Besides which the pair set a Glamorgan partnership record of 141 against yesterday's labouring Springboks.