WORCESTERSHIRE FINALLY broke Glamorgan’s resistance at New Road yesterday to register their first County Championship win of the season

WORCESTERSHIRE FINALLY broke Glamorgan’s resistance at New Road yesterday to register their first County Championship win of the season. Phil Newport, the former England pace bowler in his final season before retirement, took 2 for 5 in 10 balls before Glamorgan were dismissed for 149. Worcestershire, second from bottom of the table, ran out winners by 48 runs in the 17th over.
Saqlain Mushtaq has signed a new two-year contract to stay with Surrey until the end of next season. The Pakistan off-spinner, who made his debut for Surrey in 1997, will join up with the club again after the World Cup.His fellow spinner, Ian Salisbury inspired Surrey yesterday with a century that left Marcus Trescothick and Jamie Cox having to conjure a Somerset fightback at The Oval. They made a good start to their second innings, but Trescothick fell for 76 and Pirin Holloway quickly followed to leave Somerset on 136 for 2 at tea with Cox an unbeaten 46.Salisbury put on 122 with Martin Bicknell (69) for the ninth wicket and he had scored exactly 100, hitting 14 fours when he ran out of partners with Surrey on 558.Middlesex were following on at Lord’s after tumbling from 155 for 3 to 233 all out against Sussex. Mark Robinson struck three times this morning to add to his one success of yesterday and then bowled Justin Langer for 21 as Middlesex batted again.The former Yorkshire and Northamptonshire seamer had Mark Ramprakash caught by Chris Adams for 81, but the Middlesex captain was defiant second time around with an unbeaten 41 to steer his side to 113 for two, still 84 behind.Hampshire’s Robin Smith, with 68, stood alone in defiance of Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Hampshire, 41 for 1 overnight, were bowled out for 203, a deficit of 121, with Paul Franks and Vasbert Drakes taking three wickets apiece.Andrew Symonds cruised to 177 to guide Kent past Leicestershire’s total of 369, at Canterbury. Resuming on 81, Symonds reached his 100 off 150 balls, hitting 16 fours. He then continued to sparkle with support from Matthew Fleming (24) and Steve Marsh (22no) as Kent reached 420. Symonds eventually fell lbw to David Millns and Leicestershire were 69 without loss in reply.Yorkshire extended their lead over Durham to 196 at Headingley, mainly thanks to some thumping strokes by Chris Silverwood, who made 39.

In the same space of time Richard Blakey added only two runs to his overnight total of 21.Yorkshire were 310 all out in reply to Durham’s 117. In their second innings, Durham reached 125 for 4 with Jon Lewis unbeaten on 64.Jeremy Snape was left two runs short of his century as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 408 by Essex at Gloucester. Essex, 135 behind at the start of their second innings, reached 142 for 2 at tea with Tim Walton unbeaten on 71.. ALAN MULLALLY is a lazy lummox, who cannot and never has been able to bowl a hoop down a hill These are controversial words; inflammatory even But wounding? Never. You see, Mullally is a rare breed of professional sportsman whose skin is thicker than his wallet.

Actually the opening remarks are totally disingenuous, but it would not worry Mullally if they had been made with conviction. In fact, he happens to be a very fine fast bowler whose ego just happens to have gone Awol. You may think this level-headedness and lack of emotion would be the very antithesis of what makes fast bowlers tick. Tradition would certainly have it so, but unless the aggression and ire come naturally there is no point in forcing them. Mind you, there is a school of thought that believes fast bowlers tend to lose the plot and spray it about when wound up, so Mullally, with his unerring control of mind and body, may actually have it right. Anyway, those who criticise him are probably only doing so for his lack of theatre.
The laid-back Mullally attributes his good nature to his father Michael, an Irish scaffolder who emigrated to Western Australia when Alan was four years old.”I’d just had a bad season and my knee was hurting. Dad’s philosophy was that I should just be glad to wake up in the morning six feet above ground, rather than six feet under.

I reckon he’s right and there’s no point in getting too worked up over things.” Despite an Australian upbringing and all that entails, Mullally Jnr is clearly not of the Bill Shankly school of thought.Perhaps it is just as well. Today’s match against India, which pits their in-form batsmen against England’s bowlers, is bound to test nerve and sinew. “Tendulkar is just another batsman,” Mullally says, speaking of a man who has 22 one-day centuries. “He’s obviously a good one, but I don’t go around thinking he’s going to make 150.”Edgbaston is a favourite ground and not just because Mullally made his Test debut against India here in 1996.