TWO spells of four overs costing 52 runs with no wickets may not be most fast bowler's idea of a happy return, but it was pure joy for Glamorgan's Simon Jones yesterday.

The 24-year-old was playing his first match since a serious knee injury suffered in England's first Ashes Test at Brisbane last November and all he was interested in was getting through a few overs safely.

The England selectors may be desperate to get him back into first team action as soon as possible, given the hammerings their fast bowlers have taken from South Africa this summer.

That explains why the TV cameras and more than the usual numbers of the national press were present at the tiny Panteg ground yesterday.

But for Jones it is one game at a time and a measured build-up to the top level. For now, he's quite happy playing for Glamorgan Seconds against Lancashire Seconds.

His long lay-off meant he sprayed the ball about rather generously yesterday, striking more than one player on the body and sending Lancashire's Paul Horton back to the pavilion for treatment with a yorker which caught him full on the toe.

"I bowled him and had him lbw too," laughed Jones, "but they were no-balls. But I didn't care. It felt good and it was nice to be back."

He added: "I was a bit nervous. You don't know how you are going to do early on or how you are going to feel, but I didn't think about the knee.

"I was concentrating on what I had to do with my action, concentrating on my trigger points.

"And though I sprayed a few around I was happy. The ball came out alright. It was nice to be bowling with a keeper and some slips after all the bowling I've done in the nets, and I was at about 85 per cent.

"I went for a few early on (33 in the first four overs) but it didn't matter. It was just nice to be back with the boys and have a few familiar faces around.

"Touch wood, I felt no twinges at all during the bowling and no reaction afterwards. Everything felt really good.

"It was OK fielding as well. I dived for one. Diving forward is no problem. And I was fine running around the boundary. But I wasn't going to slide (an action which caused his injury)."

The plan was for Jones to have three spells, but a third after tea wasn't needed as Glamorgan bowled Lancashire out for 300.

As for suggestions in some quarters that the England camp were unhappy at his speedy return, Jones said: "The England camp have been brilliant. The chief medical officer, Peter Gregory, has been phoning me every week."

At the close last night, Glamorgan were 175-9 in reply to Lancashire, Newport opener Ian Thomas top scoring with 71.