Cricket: Ganguly Cast in Swan Lake

Kolkata it wasn't, but Sourav Ganguly's Glamorgan career finally began alongside Swansea Bay yesterday once a brisk south-westerly had blown away the rain and combined with an occasional flashes of seaside sunshine to dry the St Helen's outfield.

Seventy-six overs later he left the ground in weak sunshine for a hot shower. Did he enjoy his return to county cricket?"I enjoyed it, yes. Nice weather. It was a good first day."

How long Ganguly stays with Glamorgan depends on the outcome of his appeal against a six-match one-day international suspension. On yesterday's evidence he is likely to be as handy with the ball as with the bat as Glamorgan attempt to escape the championship basement.

With Simon Jones away with England, Mike Kasprowicz prospering with Australia, and Alex Wharf nursing a groin strain and able only to manage 12th-man appearances, the Glamorgan attack has struggled and did so again.

By the 10th over Ganguly was warming up for a bowl, or perhaps just trying to stay warm. He did manage four tidy overs of medium-paced swing and particularly liked the ball he cut back to ruffle Richard Montgomerie. It was about the only delivery to unsettle the opener all day.

After an early lunch and 28 more overs lost, Robert Croft won the toss and asked Sussex to bat. Presumably the Glamorgan captain hoped to find a strip that had sweated after a day under a sheet rather than conventional covers. What he found was a slow wicket lacking in the expected devil. What movement there was for David Harrison and Andrew Davies came from swing rather than seam and by the eighth over the captain was warming his fingers for the first spell of off-spin.

At 38 Ian Ward and Montgomerie posted Sussex's best opening stand of the season and there were few alarms until Glamorgan's other debutant, Adam Harrison (younger and shorter brother of David), slid the ball across Ward's forward defensive and into Mark Wallace's gloves.

Montgomerie, who is recovering from a sticky start to the season, and Mike Yardy then took 30 overs adding another 68 before Yardy played across Croft, leaving Murray Goodwin to hurry things along - his fifty came off 69 balls - in partnership with Montgomerie, who on 86 is long past his best championship performance of the season and closing on his first century for two years.