Foster fights lost cause

Survival will be the name of the game for Durham's beleaguered batsmen on the final day of the County Championship match against Glamorgan in Cardiff tomorrow. It will be an onerous task.

At last night's close, Durham stood at 142 for 4 in their second innings, after being dismissed for 345 first time round and following on 252 runs behind Glamorgan's county-record single innings total of 597 for 8 declared.

It leaves the visitors still needing a further 110 simply to make Glamorgan bat again and they have a great deal to do. Yet they will not be without hope, for this is a bland Sophia Gardens strip, on which batsmen get themselves out rather than find themselves dismissed by the bowlers.

Durham's cause looked considerably without hope yesterday afternoon. Openers Jonathan Lewis and Paul Collingwood were both back in the pavilion, less than nine over had been bowled and there were only 13 runs on the board.

John Morris and Nick Speak redressed matters to a degree with a third- wicket partnership of 84 in 32 overs, with Morris reaching his second half-century of the season off 117 balls. The stand ended when Speak, on 25, chopped a ball from Darren Thomas onto his stumps.

But it is Waqar who may have struck the crucial blow to Durham's slim hopes by having David Boon leg-before on the back foot for 15, just four overs before the close. Morris is still there, unbeaten on 84, but he will require a tremendous amount of help if Durham are to save the game.

That Durham were able to recover from their first innings debacle of 81 for 5 on Friday afternoon was due in no small measure to Michael Foster's maiden first-class century. He eventually fell yesterday, leg-before to Robert Croft, for 129 with the total on 328 for 8.

Durham again had little to offer when they followed on. Alan Walker contributed a lusty 16 before he became Watkin's fourth victim of the innings. It left James Boiling, who had secured one end against all-comers, including Waqar, for 32 overs on 10 not out.