Cricket: Cosgrove adds to Glam's woes

May 4 2006 Darren Witcoop, South Wales Echo

Injuries, unwanted international call-ups and a morale-sapping innings defeat to start to the season.

And we are only in the early days of May.

Yes, you could say Glamorgan's new campaign has hardly gone according to plan.

While England seamer Simon Jones heads off for a scan of his troublesome knee today, the already threadbare attack took another hammering yesterday when Alex Wharf joined David Harrison (toe) in becoming the latest victim of the crocked fast bowlers' union.

After turning his ankle on a stray divot which put him out just before their Liverpool Victoria Division Two championship clash with Derbyshire, news came through that Mark Cosgrove is set to miss the whole of July.

The Welsh county's plans could be thrown into turmoil with Cosgrove set to represent Australia A in a month-long one-day series against India, New Zealand and Pakistan Down Under.

Being absent in July would effectively rule Cosgrove out of the entire Twenty20 competition as well as three county championship matches and two 40-over league games.

The latest bad news to hit the beleaguered county did come on a rare bright day for Glamorgan as they made a stirring fightback against Derbyshire.

On the back of Essex's 638 last week, skipper Robert Croft must have been fearing the worst as Derbyshire piled on the runs at the start of the first day on another placid Sophia Gardens pitch.

But then the wheels came off for Derbyshire big time as they lost seven wickets for just 21 runs - limping to 275 for seven by the close.

Huw Waters, called up to replace Wharf, trapped Michael Di Venuto in front in the morning session in their only success.

Chris Taylor (121) and opener Steve Stubbings (97) then went on to rack up a record-breaking second wicket partnership which left Croft scratching his head with little options to turn to.

But Croft returned to the fray to bowl Stubbings, with the left-hander missing an attempted sweep and sparking a collapse of epic proportions in the process.

Next ball Travis Birt was adjudged leg before pushing half forward off the veteran off-spinner.

The third wicket of the collapse came about through a run out with Taylor calling Hassan Adnan through for a quick single. Adnan stayed in his crease and, on being given out, an angry Taylor incredibly threatened to hit his fourth-wicket partner with his bat.

And in all the confusion Ant Botha was out the following ball, caught top-edging a sweep off Dean Cosker.

Derbyshire's problems continued when Waters returned to bowl Adnan and five overs later James Pipe went leg before to Cosker.