Welsh Rally Star Osian Pryce Returns For More Glory In Latvia
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Osian Pryce was just 16-year’s old when he began what has become a long and successful rallying career in Latvia – and now, 14 years later, he will return to the Baltic country to tackle the Tet Rally Liepāja (17-18 June) as part of his 2023 FIA European Rally Championship campaign.
The reigning British rally champion made his rallying debut on the 2009 Rally Kalnamuiza in a Renault Clio, taking advantage of the opportunity to drive in a stage rally in Latvia a year younger than he could do at the time in the UK.
It wasn’t long before his natural talent began to shine through as Pryce scored his first podium result when he finished second in class on Rally Gulbis.
Having passed his driving test at 17, Pryce contested the Rally Sarma in a Ford Fiesta ST in early 2010, and this weekend’s Rally Liepāja will be his first event in Latvia since then.
Now 30, the Machynlleth-born driver can’t remember too much about the events he did in Latvia almost half his lifetime ago – and it wouldn’t be of much help this time anyway, as the forthcoming Rally Liepāja takes place in a different region and Pryce returns in a much more powerful car.
Having used the recent Rally Poland to get acquainted to both his new MAPO Motorsport-prepared Škoda Fabia Rally2 and Belgian co-driver Stéphane Prévot, the Michelin Talent Factory driver is looking forward to starting his second gravel rally in three weeks – having previously not rallied for seven months.
“I’ve had time to step back after Rally Poland and assess what worked and what didn’t and reset ready to start afresh in Rally Liepāja,” says Pryce. “The car, the road and I just didn’t click in Poland – and having not driven a rally car for seven months was certainly a big factor in that.
“You can get away with that in British national rallying, but not in the ERC where the level of pre-event preparation is so much higher and you’re basically up against professional rally drivers who compete or test every week.
“But I’m not going to make excuses. It is what it is, and above all else I’m grateful to have the opportunity to compete in the ERC.
“Latvia will be different. I was a lot happier with the Fabia at the end of Rally Poland than I was at the start – it really is a lot different to drive than the Volkswagen Polo that I won the British Championship in – and with a rally under my belt I’m a lot more comfortable driving the Škoda.
“Hopefully I won’t start in Latvia running first on the road, because getting to know a new car on a loose road really didn’t help in Poland either.
“The level in the ERC is high, but it’s not unachievable. It will come, I’m sure of that. “I’m also excited to be going back to Latvia. I was a teenager when I was there last, so I can’t remember too much about it.
“Pretty much all the rallies I did back then were located east of Riga and Rally Liepāja is to the west, so the region will be new to me.
“What I do remember is that the Latvian people are extremely friendly and love rallying. When you start rallying, you never know how long it’s going to last because it’s a big commitment, you don’t know how good you really are and there is a big cost factor.
“I remember thinking as a sixteen-year-old to just enjoy it, because this could be my first and last year in the sport – so I’m very proud to be returning to Latvia all these years later as British rally champion.”
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Jordan James Is A Member Of The Fresh Page Generation
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Jordan James is one of the new breed of Wales youngsters manager Rob Page is hoping can fire Wales towards Euro 2024 qualification on Friday night against Armenia.
James was born in Hereford and twice represented England Under-20s before choosing to play for the land of his father, the former Newport defender Tony. However, any idea that he would represent England was curtailed the moment he stepped#onto the pitch to play for the English youth set up.
“The opportunity was there with England and I wanted to try something new,” said James, who travelled and trained with the Wales squad at the World Cup in Qatar. “It was nothing against Wales, I love the country to bits. The opportunity came, but I knew straight away when I stepped foot on the pitch for England it didn’t feel the same. “My dad is Welsh through and through, he’s put it into me. When I put that Wales shirt on,
something special happens.”
It certainly did in March as James had only been on the pitch a few seconds in making his Wales debut when Nathan Broadhead scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser to deliver a 1-1 draw in Croatia. Wales followed up that Euro 2024 qualifying bonus point by beating Latvia, and now aim to build on that promising start against Armenia and Turkey.
“The gaffer (Rob Page) has put a lot of trust in me, otherwise I wouldn’t be on the pitch in such a big game,” said James, who made his Birmingham debut at the age of 17 and has already made more than 50 senior appearances for the club. “He’s really good with the young players. There’s a few of us like Luke Harris, Joe Low, Ollie Cooper, so that’s the next batch that will hopefully come through and be a part of it all.
“It’s more demanding in the seniors, there’s more eyes on you, but that’s what I’m here for.“It’s where I wanted to get to and I’m trying to live up to it as much as possible.”
David Brooks would provide one of the most heart-warming stories of the season by returning to the international arena at the Cardiff City Stadium. Brooks was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty in October 2021 and has rejoined the Wales squad for the first time since announcing he was cancer-free in May last year.
The 25-year-old attacker returned to action for Bournemouth in March and made his first start last month. Brooks has won 21 caps for Wales and played at Euro 2020 before his illness was diagnosed.
Duplicating March’s return of four points will do Wales just fine. Taking a point from World Cup semi-finalists Croatia courtesy of Broadhead’s stoppage-time strike was a bonus that few – if anyone – predicted. Beating Armenia and getting some reward against Turkey in Samsun on Monday would represent a huge step for Welsh ambitions of clinching a top-two spot and reaching the finals in Germany next summer.
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Q&A With Marathon Winner Lizzie Dimond
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
I’m sat, having a coffee at The Celtic Manor with old-school chum Lizzie Dimond – who hasn’t changed a bit, other than that she is now mother to FOUR children and is a MARATHON WINNER!!! A self-confessed non-athlete, she is now one VERY impressive lady.
So, how many Marathons have you run to date? Let’s start with that…
I’ve done 6. My first was The Great Welsh in Llanelli, which I ran in 3:12:04. I then ran London in 2:57, then Manchester in 2:49 (my PB), then London again, then won the Newport Marathon this year, which was an incredible feeling to do on my home turf. I then ran my 3rd London marathon a week later – so that was my sixth in total.
I’m competitive with myself so I constantly move the goalposts. I always want to beat my previous time. But obviously it gets harder as I get older, but I am determined to work just as hard to be the best version of me that I can.
It’s also very much down to the luck on the day. I had an incredible training and nutrition plan running up to my last but one London marathon, I was very confident going in, and I just ran really awful for me. I went off too fast, and the wheels came off.
What does your training look like?
I have 2 coaches; I run 6 times per week and strength train once, with one rest day.
Sunday is usually my long run day, so I’ll get out first thing, and be home by the time the kids are finishing up breakfast. Everything else is either when they’re in school or at 6am before my husband Ben goes to work. Combining the kids billion after school activities, means evenings are not for running. The only time I can squeeze it in is in the mornings.
A long run, if marathon training, is around 2-2.5 hours, but regular training I’ll just do around 80 minutes – so roughly a half marathon.
This is the max amount I can do with the children all being so young.
Why do you run?
The freedom it gives me. It’s helped in the past, to allow myself to process things, like the loss of my Dad, and gives me time to spend in my mind, away from the chaos. It makes me feel better in myself, and therefore makes me a better mother to my gorgeous four.
I started running at 30, I had 3 kids, and I wanted to look and feel the best I could for my wedding day, so I would just go out for a 30-minute run around our local lake. Then I started increasing my time, and I began to love it.
We then got married and someone very close to me was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer and passed away six weeks later aged just 36. I wanted to raise money for Velindre who treated him and so entered the Cardiff Half Marathon on behalf of that cause. I was very pleased with my time, running solely on emotion, and I then realised I perhaps had something as I did it in 1:35. I then joined Lliswerry Running Club and signed up for the London Marathon nine months after my fourth child was born.
Do you think you’d be a long-distance runner if you hadn’t had kids?
No. it’s a stress management tool. There’s no appointment time to it, no class times to rush to. I can do it in my own time, on my terms. My children drive me to go out and achieve something for myself. They are my reason.
How do you power yourself through a marathon, nutrition wise?
Pre-race for me, I have porridge and honey to slow-release energy. I then do gels; every five miles or every 40 minutes, whichever comes first, and a sip Lucozade here and there on the latter miles which REALLY helps give me a boost. There’s no gas in my tank without these additions. They’re essential for me.
What’s next?
The Berlin Marathon in September which I’m very much looking forward to running. I’ve somehow got to get through the summer holidays with the kids though, when that should be my core bulk training time – so is likely to prove difficult. There will definitely be lots of early morning and late evening runs for me to fit it all in.
I’ll do Cross Country with the club as part of the winter series for fun and to keep fit. I find it SO challenging though – as you think you’re fit, but you’ll never know how unfit you are until you run cross country. It’s very technical, and a difficult terrain. It gets very uncomfortable. It’s also very hilly and across trails rather than road running like I’m used to. It’s great for training.
I would also really like to improve on my PB’s, so even shaving a few seconds off would make me really happy.
Family life does come first, so I’m just doing what fits, right now. The hardest thing is recovery – I literally don’t get time to recover – that’s my main challenge. I’m straight back into being a mum the second I walk off the finish line. Kids up all night, running around after them, cooking, cleaning, working. I love it and wouldn’t change it for the world though.
Will you do the remaining six majors? Bostin, Chicago, Tokyo, New York (you’ve done London and are doing Berlin this year)
If I get a sponsor yes! It’s hugely expensive – to enter, and to travel to. And I couldn’t put my running events ahead of taking my children on holiday – so we’ll see.
A message to Mum’s out there
After four children, trust me, I know how it feels to not be body confident. Getting up and running each day not only gives me mental clarity and focus but allows me to be 100% confident in my body, and lets me eat what I want (in moderation). I feel amazing and am in the best shape of my life, including before the children. If you’re thinking about it – just go out and run, you won’t regret it!
Follow Lizzie’s incredible journey on Instagram @Runnerof4
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The Tipster Dragon Bet!
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Well, the pressure is on now!!
Last month’s tip Chaldean won the 2000 Guineas under Frankie Dettori at 11/2 and the previous month’s tip Corach Rambler won the Grand National at 8/1. So let’s go for three in a row..
June sees the biggest race of all in terms of flat racing classics. That race is the Derby. If you’ve ever been to Epsom on Derby day, you’re sure to have seen some sights!
I love being a bookie and even more so when I’m betting on track. The racecourse, whichever one it is, is a special place. There’s no-where else where cooks and crooks will be rubbing shoulders with lords and ladies.
Nowhere is this better seen than at Epsom. The ‘members’ enclosure requires a top hat and tails for entry on Derby Day, the tatterstalls area of the track is always buzzing and highly recommended whilst the centre of the course (known as the hill) is free to access. The Hill’s famous for the open top double decker buses that line the track and there’s a fun fair that would put Barry Island to shame.
It’s also an annual gathering for many families of the travelling community – A colleague of mine once found a heavily inebriated one asleep in the boot of his car after the last race (one person that is, thankfully not a whole family!)
The other thing the Epsom Hill is famous for is the mysterious bookie John Batten. John turned up taking bets on the Hill in 1997. What led to the infamy was the fact that he legged it with all his takings before the Derby had been run. He’d put up huge odds for a few of the runners in the race hence fielding a large amount of bets. Figures of up to £70,000 were reported in the racing press as the amount he got away with. I guess we’ll never know how much it really was and to this day his true identity remains a mystery.
Rest assured I won’t be doing that (certainly not this year.) For one, I’m too slow to get away and secondly, I actually want to watch the race. Win or lose there’s a horse I fancy… So here it is..
Arrest is my pick. He’s trained by John Gosden, is the son of Frankel and he’s had an unusual path to the race. Most horses of his calibre will start their careers at places like Ascot or York but this particular one has taken in Ffos Las of all places in its early career.
It’s my hope and belief he’ll be winning the big one in June and in doing so will be the second horse to win a classic, having raced in Wales beforehand. The other was Golan who won a maiden at Chepstow before winning the 2000 Guineas in the year 2001.
Fingers crossed he makes it the third winner in a row for us. Pob lwc if you have a fancy yourself and if you’re a customer of ours at www.dragonbet.co.uk thanks for betting with us.
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Ethan Ampadu Will Hope Wales Now Soothe The Bitter Taste Of Another Relegation
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Ethan Ampadu will be keener than most to pull on the red shirt of Wales this week, having suffered more disappointment at club level over the weekend.
Most players go through the deflating experience of relegation at some point in their career, but at the age of just 22 the Chelsea defender has already felt that sinking feeling three times.
What’s more, those falls have occurred in successive seasons, once in the Premier League with Sheffield United, where Ampadu was on loan, and now twice during his loan spells in Italy.
The former Exeter City youngster could not prevent his current team, Spezia, from dropping out of Serie A, even though he scored in a 3-1 defeat to Hellas Verona.
Last season, while on loan at Venezia, he experienced relegation from Serie A, and in the 2020-21 season, he was with Sheffield United when they finished bottom of the Premier League.
With one year remaining on his contract, Ampadu is set to return to Chelsea this summer, where he will hope to finally make the long-anticipated breakthrough into the first team.
Before then, he will this week join the Wales squad in preparation for their Euro 2020 qualifying matches at home to Armenia on Friday and then away in Turkey on Monday, June 19.
After finishing level on points with Hellas Verona at the end of the season, Spezia were compelled to participate in a relegation play-off.
The rule was reintroduced by Serie A at the start of the campaign, dictating that a play-off would determine the final relegated side if teams in 17th and 18th place were tied on points, rather than relying on goal difference.
Under the previous system, Spezia, who finished 17th, would have retained their top-flight status.
In the play-off against Verona, Ampadu managed to equalize for Spezia with a superb long-range effort in the 15th minute, marking his first goal for the club.
However, Cyril Ngonge emerged as the hero for Verona, scoring twice to give his team a 3-1 lead.
Despite Verona goalscorer David Faraoni being sent off for a deliberate handball in the second half, Spezia couldn’t mount a successful comeback, with M’Bala Nzola missing the ensuing penalty.
The 3-1 defeat resulted in Spezia’s relegation, ending their three-year stint in Serie A.
You have to dig deep to find Welsh connections to Manchester City’s treble triumph, which was secured with their 1-0 victory over Inter Milan at weekend in the Champions League final in Istanbul.
Tommy Doyle was not on the field for Pep Guardiola’s team, or among the substitutes, but he is considered one of the club’s brightest young prospects.
That’s not as fact that will interest Wales manager Rob Page, as Doyle is most certainly English, but it might jog the memory of Cardiff City fans.
They saw Doyle turn out 19 times for the Bluebirds in the 2021-22 season, where he spent an impressive season on loan, before returning to City and then a more recent loan spell at Sheffield United.
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Abbie Fleming Guides Chiefs Into English Final That Will Have Plenty Of Welsh Interest
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Abbie Fleming will carry Welsh hopes of a winning finish to the women’s rugby season after her team, Exeter Chiefs, claimed a memorable victory at the weekend.
Wales second row Fleming was in the Chiefs back row unit – playing at blindside flanker – as they overcame Saracens, 24-21, in the semi-final of the Allianz Premier 15s.
Experienced Wales back Robyn Wilkins was also included among the Chief’s replacements.
It was revenge for Exeter – against a Sarries team that included Fleming’s Wales teammate Georgia Evans – making up for their defeat to the London club in last year’s final.
The Chiefs left it late to pip champions Saracens thanks to a 79th minute try from Olivia Mcgoverne.
That came soon after Saracens had lost their Welsh international back row forward Evans to a technical yellow card that left them one short for the closing stages.
There will be more Welsh interest in the final, too, which will be against Gloucester-Hartpury on June 24.
The Cherries have flanker Beth Lewis and Six Nations player of the championship nominee Sisilia Tuipulotu, as well as Kelsey Jones, Lleucu George and Lisa Neumann in their ranks.
Jones was among the try scorers as Gloucester-Hartpury won the west country derby against Bristol Bears to reach their first Allianz Premier 15s final with a 21-12 triumph at Kingsholm.
Gloucester-Hartpury had finished on top of the table after the regular league season and underlined their status as the top seeds in the play-offs with a strong performance.
Jones was one of three Welsh starters in their line-up, with George starting at outside-half and Lewis in the back row.
They were joined off the bench during the game by Tuipulotu and Neumann, while the Bears had half-backs Keira Bevan and Elinor Snowsill in their back line and Alisha Butchers in their back row.
Gwenllian Pyrs and Bryonie King were used off the bench by the Bears.
Tuipulotu, who enjoyed a breakthrough TikTok Six Nations for Wales, said: “I am proud of my team and the performance they put out.
“I’ve got to give it to the girls, we have had some new people in the team this year, but I feel we have got closer as a team and I guess that shows on the field as well as off.
“I’m just glad I get to inspire little ones. I had a little girl the other day come up to me and say ‘I started playing rugby because of you’ and that really touched my heart.”
The final will be a battle between the top two ranked teams in the regular league season, although the Chiefs will have few fears about heading to Kingsholm, having won there, 58-14, in the final round of league fixtures on June 3.
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Kiran Carlson Proves That Red Or White Ball, He's In Great Nick For Glamorgan
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Glamorgan batsman Kiran Carlson proved at the weekend he is a man for all formats of cricket.
The Welsh county’s captain hit a superb 162 against Durham on the opening day of the County Championship Division Two match at Chester-le-Street.
His red ball form followed on from his white ball exploits in the Vitality Blast T20 tournament, where Carlson has been a consistent scorer.
Last Friday, he hit 40 against Essex in the T20 format. On Saturday, he made the 300-mile road trip to the North-East ground at the Riverside Stadium and made his fourth century of the season which made him the leading run-scorer in Division Two this season.
Carlson said: “I’m definitely happy with the way I’m batting. I’m in some good rhythm in the four-day stuff so happy to get that score on the board.
“I’m not sure if the aggressive approach was a conscious thing or a bit of T20 coming in, but I had my game-plan, defend straight and score square (of the wicket).
“Durham bowled well and hit their straps with the second new ball, there were a few unplayable balls there but me, Sam (Northeast) and Bill (Root) took the bulk of the batting on after Zain (Ul Hassan) and Salts (Andrew Salter) started us off well.
“It was a weird wicket out there, there were periods where it went flat and periods where we were under pressure.
“There’s definitely enough in there if you bowl in the right areas for long enough, there are enough balls to take 20 wickets.”
Glamorgan were 340 for four at one stage in their first innings, but slumped to to 390 all out, spurning a decent opportunity to bat the hosts out of the game.
While Carlson was laying a platform for Glamorgan, his Glamorgan clubmate, Marnus Labuschagne, warmed up for the Ashes series by helping Australia win the World Test Championship with a victory over India in the final at Lord’s.
Labuschagne – who spent the early weeks of the season playing for Glamorgan – hit 25 in Australia’s first innings and then 41 in the second as the Aussies won by 209 runs, thanks mainly to a 163 first innings knock by Travis Head.
Elsewhere, Wales’ double Olympic champion Jade Jones was back in form when she won gold at the Rome leg of the World Taekwondo Grand Prix at the weekend.
Jones beat Iranian world chanmpion Nahid Kiyanichandeh in the women’s -57kg final.
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Steve Morison Is Back In Football . . . But A Long Way From Cardiff
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Former Cardiff City manager Steve Morison will spend this weekend planning for next season – as the new boss of non-League Hornchurch.
Morison – who was sacked by the Bluebirds back in September – has surprised many by agreeing to drop down to the seventh tier of English football.
Horchurch FC play in the Isthmian League Premier Division, but Morison insists it’s a decent career move for a young manager who still needs to add to his experience of management.
The 39-year-old made the leap from Cardiff U23s manager to first team boss and seemed to be making a reasonable success of it until he was surprisingly sacked by Cardiff owner Vincent Tan just a few weeks into last season.
“I’ve had a tough eight months out of the game,” said Morison, who spent some of his playing career in non-league football.
“I have been away on holiday, come back and everything just feels right. It’s where I need to be in my current head space.
“It’s right where I started my journey as a football player. I feel like I want to be part of this football club making its journey up the leagues.
“I went to Cardiff Under-23s and then through the good work I did with the Under-23s I got an opportunity to help the first team stay in the Championship, which I managed to do in my first season.
“Obviously, I got the gig full-time and unfortunately only lasted 10 games after a big summer rebuild, so it was a frustrating one. But it is what it is, I can’t worry about it now.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’m really pleased to be here.”
Hornchurch chairman Alex Sharp has claimed the appointment of Morison came after Cardiff had initially held talks with their former manager about the possibility of returning to his old job.
Cardiff eventually appointed Turkish manager Erol Bulut to take over from Mark Hudson and Sabri Lamouchi, who did not last long in following Morison.
“I had a number of conversations with Steve,” Hornchurch chairman Alex Sharp told the east London club’s YouTube channel.
“He and I were then out of the country at different times and obviously, as a board, we reviewed all the applicants we had.
“To add complication to it, Steve was still involved in the Cardiff manager situation and was in active conversations to go back.
“Then, we had the final conversation when he said, ‘Yeah, I’m really up for it, I really like this’.
“If we felt, as a board, he was doing this as a six-month gig to try and get back into the Football League, we wouldn’t have made the decision.
“But you’ll see that’s not his intention at all. He is prepared to sign a decent contract with us and I think we will benefit significantly from having him at the club.”
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Simon Says . . . We're Getting Fiji In Shape And We'll Be Ready For Wales
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
There is one former Newport RFC rugby player who will spend this weekend plotting to try and ensure Wales fall flat on their faces at the Rugby World Cup in September.
He is Simon Raiwalui, once a hugely respected and loved second row at Rodney Parade and now head coach with Fiji, the country he played for with distinction.
Fiji are Wales’ first opponents in Pool C and the last time the two teams meet on French soil, back in 2007, things didn’t go so well in Nantes.
When the sides clashed in Tokyo four years ago it was Wales who came out on top, winning 29-17 thanks to a hat-trick of tries from Josh Adams.
On Saturday morning the Fijians – who compete as a team called Fijian Drua in Super Rugby – will face Canterbury Crusaders in the quarter-finals of the Super Rugby Pacific tournament.
They have already beaten them once and took down Queensland Reds last week to reach the knock-out stages for the first time.
They then take on Pacific Island rivals Tonga and Samoa, throughout July before lining-up up against Japan. Their preparations for the World Cup conclude with two games against France in August.
For Wales fans, their date with Fiji comes with an opening Pool C clash for Warren Gatland and his squad in Bordeaux on Sunday, September 10.
“The ultimate goal is the Rugby World Cup,” said Raiwalui, who played for Newport just before the introduction of regional rugby and then joined Saracens in 2003.
“We have got Tonga first here at home and they are a well-experienced team as they got some new players this year. Then we move on to Samoa and Japan. Those matches are in our region.
“We have a week off and then we will fly to Europe to play France and England which are great matches to play leading into the World Cup.”
While Raiwalui guides the Fijians towards that crucial Bordeaux tie, Gatland is busy planning for the same game this weekend as the Wales coach continues with fitness training at their Vale of Glamorgan Resort headquarters.
Later this month, Wales will travel to Switzerland and Turkey for specialist training camps and the squad size will be whittled down before each trip.
Gatland says: “We will reduce the squad to about 45 before we go to Switzerland so there’s a bit of jeopardy in the first part of the campaign.
“It’s a great opportunity for some players that were involved in the Six Nations and some youngsters for the future to show us what they are capable of doing in the first part of the preparation.
“In the past we’ve prided ourselves on how hard we’ve worked and how fit the squad has been. So that’s the message to the players to come in and make a statement, work really hard, make the coaches sit up and take notice and get yourself in great shape physically.”
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Glamorgan Look For Statement Win As They Head To Durham
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Glamorgan will switch from white ball back to red ball cricket on Sunday when they resume their County Championship Division Two campaign away at Durham.
It will be a tough task for the Welsh county as Durham are the current runaway leaders at the top of the table with four victories from their six matches so far.
Glamorgan have also started the four-day season well and are in fourth place, whilst they can also take confidence from their impressive recent form in the Vitality T20 Blast.
When the sides met in this fixture last season, Matthew Potts showed his talent and enhanced his England credentials when he took career-best figures with the ball to inspire Durham to a dramatic 58-run victory.
Potts took 7-40 when Glamorgan batted for the second time, to tilt the contest in favour of the North East county and he finished with match figures of 11 for 101.
Glamorgan were eventually all out for 137, but that kind of last day collapse looks unlikely this time if Glamorgan’s most recent County Championship form is any guide.
They scored a massive 737 in their second innings against Sussex at Hove, to record their record second innings score in any match.
Skipper Kiran Carlson top scored with 192 and there were also centuries for Marnus Labuschagne (138) and his fellow Australian Michael Neser (123).
That was Labuschagne’s and Neser’s last innings of the season for Glamorgan before they linked up with the Aussies for the Ashes Test series, which starts against England at Edgbaston next week.
Their departure leaves big holes in Glamorgan’s resources, since although it was inevitable that Labuschagne would be joining up for Test cricket this summer, Glamorgan coach Matthew Maynard had not planned on also losing Neser.
The Welsh county did recruit Aussie spinner Peter Hatzoglou for their T20 Blast campaign, but Hatzoglou would be a gamble against Durham as he has no experience in first class cricket.
Director of Cricket Mark Wallace said: “Neser has got some Australia commitments so we’re not going to have him.
“We’ve moved on a short-term contract to bring in Hatzoglou to give us some more bowling depth.
“Peter’s got a good record around the world, mostly in the Big Bash, but in a few other franchise competitions as well.”
Glamorgan took their quest for promotion to Division One to the final day of the County Championship season in 2022 and a win at Durham would be a statement victory for this campaign.