Cricket: Powell and Harrison return boosts Glam

Apr 15 2008 by Phil Blanche, Western Mail

GLAMORGAN head for Oxford University tomorrow boosted by the return of long-term absentees Mike Powell and David Harrison.

While most of the winter headlines have focused on the Jason Gillespie will-he-or-won’t-he join saga, the return to fitness of Powell and Harrison has gone relatively unnoticed.

But Glamorgan cricket manager Matthew Maynard believes it is a huge filip for the county as they seek to put a disastrous few summers behind them.

“They can’t wait to start playing,” confirmed Maynard ahead of the three-day friendly at The Parks.

“David bowled well in Uganda (on the MCC tour) in the winter and has been our best bowler in the pre-season games we’ve had.

“It’s also great to have Mike back too after his health problems.

“They were both big players in our dressing room at the end of my career a few years ago, so I expect them to take on even greater responsibility now.

“They’re big players for us, our Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting if you like.

“It was a big blow not to have them last summer and it’s like having a couple of new signings around the place.”

Two of Maynard’s genuine winter signings, opening batsman Matthew Wood and all-rounder Jamie Dalrymple, are in the Glamorgan 12 to take on the students as the county championship action begins elsewhere.

But Adam Shantry, the other close-season signing from Warwickshire, does not figure with Harrison joined by Alex Wharf and Huw Waters in the seam department.

Gillespie will jet in for Glamorgan’s first championship game, against Middlesex at Lord’s, which starts tomorrow week.

“I’m not too worried that we’re not playing in the first round of championship matches because we’ll be ready for Middlesex,” said Maynard.

“But it does mean that we’ve got a pretty horrendous September, four championship matches in the last month.

“The players have done their work well this winter but they’re not netted out. They just want to play now.”

Glamorgan (from): M Wood, G Rees, D Hemp (capt), M Powell, J Dalrymple, M Wallace, A Wharf, R Croft, R Watkins, D Harrison, H Waters, D Cosker.

SEE a video tour of Glamorgan’s stunning new Swalec Stadium on icwales.co.uk