da heads bet： A record-breaking stand of 125 in 24 overs for the 6th wicket between TrevorWard and Paul Nixon completely transformed Leicestershire`s floodlit match with Glamorganat Sophia Gardens
Andrew Hignell02-Sep-2003A record-breaking stand of 125 in 24 overs for the 6th wicket between TrevorWard and Paul Nixon completely transformed Leicestershire`s floodlit match with Glamorganat Sophia Gardens. Although Ward was dismissed for 104, his partnersaw his side home with an unbeaten 67, with the doughty wicket-keeper hitting the winning runs offthe last ball as Leicestershire won by 3 wickets.The pair had come together with their side on 52-5, chasing 227 to win, after aremarkable early spell from David Harrison who took 4 wickets for 3 runs in thespace of 14 balls. His victims included the prolific Brad Hodge and captain PhilipDe Freitas, and with 175 runs still required from 34 overs, Glamorgan looked tobe in the box seat.But Ward and Nixon carefully milked the Glamorgan bowlers and rotated the strike to keep thescoreboard ticking over, and maintain the asking rate of 5 an over. Ward was also not afraid toopen his shoulders, and theirstand, a record in all one-day cricket against Glamorgan, turned the game around asWard reached his first League century of the season.Shortly after reaching three figures, Ward chipped Robert Croft into David Hemp`shands at mid-wicket, and the equation was 50 runs from the final 49 balls. JeremySnape then came in to give Nixon valiant support, and they added a further 44 runsbefore Snape was fortunate to survive an attempted run out in the penultimate overbowled by Adrian Dale.Andrew Davies returned to bowl the final over with 6 runs still required, and aftera scampered leg bye and a dot ball, Snape lofted the ball into the air and Hemptook another good running catch. However, the batsmen had crossed and Nixon was ableto loft the penultimate ball to the boundary fence to bring the scores level, beforehitting the winning runs off the final ball.Earlier , Michael Powell had made a career best 91* as the Welsh countytook first use of a slow Sophia Gardens wicket, and he anchored their innings of 226-7 afterhis side had slipped to 114-5 in the 30th over. He then shared a record 6th wicket partnershipfor Glamorgan against Leicestershire with Mark Wallace, adding 78 in 11 overs as the pair upped thetempo against a Leicestershire side whose fielding at times was rather laboured.Powell survived a sharp chance when on 48 and then recorded his third consecutivehalf-century before picking off some wayward bowling as Glamorgan scored 85 in thefinal 10 overs. During the course of his innings Powell also passed 500 runs for the season in thecompetition – the first time he has passed this landmark – and his 91* came from 92 balls with 8fours and a six.