Cricket: Sorcerer's apprentice weaves his spell over Glamorgan

Nottinghamshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .476-6 dec

Glamorgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221 and 218

Notts win by innings and 37 runs

THE sorcerer was upstaged by his highly capable apprentice as Nottinghamshire gained valuable ground in the hotly-contested race for the runners-up place in the championship.

Jimmy Hindson, the former England Under-19 left-arm spinner, paved Nottinghamshire's route to an emphatic victory over Glamorgan with his first five- wicket haul in the Championship.

While Andy Afford, 10 years his senior in first-class experience, toiled without any success, Hindson claimed the first five wickets of the Welsh county's second innings to turn an intriguing final day decisively Nottinghamshire's way.

The writing had been on the wall for Glamorgan from the moment their captain, Hugh Morris, had called incorrectly on the first morning at a venue where 'win the toss and win the match' is so often the case, but it was by no means a tame surrender.

For 75 minutes, the wearing pitch seemed to have lost the devilish streak which had resulted in Glamorgan being forced to follow on as Matthew Maynard and Morris defied Nottinghamshire's search for a breakthrough.

Maynard, working on the theory that an unplayable ball would get him sooner or later, raced to 58, while Morris also scored quickly in an opening stand of 114.

Eventually, Maynard's worst fears became reality as he swept at Hindson and the ball turned sharply in the bowler's footmarks and clipped his leg-stump.

Suddenly, there was a buzz of anticipation among the Nottinghamshire fielders as the pitch emerged from its dormant state, and Hindson claimed a further four victims for just one run in 21 deliveries.

For someone still 10 days short of his 21st birthday, Hindson has already developed a nice loop in his delivery. With pitches of this nature commonplace in the four- day game, Hindson and Afford could well work in tandem more often in the future.

However, Nottinghamshire had to turn to Chris Lewis to wrap up the game after being frustrated by a sixth-wicket stand of 71 between Tony Cottey and Robert Croft.

Cottey and Croft adopted a bold approach before Lewis had the satisfaction of sealing victory with three victims on a day when he was overlooked by the England selectors for the winter tours.