Cricket: Dalrymple open in fine style

Apr 26 2008 by Gareth Griffiths, South Wales Echo

GLAMORGAN batsman Jamie Dalrymple has revealed his frustration of not scoring a hundred for his new county on his return to Lord’s.

Dalrymple, who left Middlesex for the Welsh county in the winter after falling out of favour in north London, prospered on the third day of the Welsh county’s opening LV County Championship Division Two clash against his former employers.

After the hosts had made 308 in their first innings, Dalrymple helped Glamorgan recover from 26 for three to an eventual total of 300, with an impressive individual score of 80 off 144 balls, which included 10 boundaries.

The England one-day all-rounder was denied a deserved and poignant century when he holed out to Tim Murtagh on the square-leg boundary off the bowling of Steve Finn.

It was still Dalrymple’s highest score in the championship since he, ironically, made a century against Glamorgan at Cardiff in July 2005.

The 27-year-old has admitted it was a strange feeling to walk out from the away dressing room, but admitted he was glad to have laid the Middlesex bogey to rest.

“I was very pleased with the 80 that I scored although 20 more runs would have been even nicer,” said Dalrymple.

“I can’t remember exactly what I was feeling as I walked into bat from the different away Lord’s dressing room, which might have meant I was vaguely switched on.

“But I had known for a long time that I was coming back to play here in my first game for Glamorgan, so I just took it as one of those inevitable curve balls that life likes to throw at you every once in a while.

“And I feel it is also very good to get it out of the way and get on with the rest of the season. As far as I am concerned, the Glamorgan chapter in my life really goes on from here.”

Dalrymple shared crucial partnerships with Mike Powell (50) and Mark Wallace (34) as Glamorgan rallied from a disastrous start, while the tail also wagged with the last four wickets yielding 106 runs.

“Mike Powell played really well and he made things much easier for me because he was hitting the ball so crisply and putting the bowlers under pressure,” added Dalrymple.

“And Mark Wallace, Alex Wharf and David Harrison all chipped in at the end with some good knocks.

“We battled really hard because the Middlesex bowlers know where to bowl on these wickets and Tim Murtagh took a hatful of wickets.”

For Middlesex, Murtagh achieved career-best figures of seven for 95, while England opener Andrew Strauss finished with an unbeaten 33 as Middlesex moved to 56 without loss in the final session, 64 runs aheadat the close of the third day.

gareth.griffiths@mediawales.co.uk