IF YOU thought Hampshire's win against Glamorgan at the Rose Bowl last season was extraordinary, you should have been at the Rose Bowl yesterday.

A year ago Hampshire beat Glamorgan after following on for the first time in 81 years and yesterday Darren Thomas produced a performance with bat and ball that was just as quirky.

Anyone doubting the second division title credentials of Shane Warne's side was given further cause for concern when Thomas took the last three Hampshire wickets to fall in the morning session, before hitting the second hundred of his career as Glamorgan finished the day on 257 for 4, a deficit of 112.

But remarkably, Thomas is effectively a 12th man and was replaced by Simon Jones when he retired overnight on 105.

Jones is available to bowl in Hampshire's second innings after being released by England, so Thomas was free to attend his grandfather's 3pm funeral at Llanelli crematorium this afternoon.

He was departing for Wales following one of the best all-round performances of his career.

After polishing off Hampshire for 369 all out with season's best figures of 4 for 103, Thomas hit 105 from just 122 balls including 17 fours, SEVEN of which he reverse swept against the bowling of Warne.

It was not the first time a county player has scored a hundred before being replaced by a player left out of an England Test side.

A change in the rules allowed an omitted England player to rejoin his county side midway through a championship match last year, when Kevin Innes of Sussex took a ton off Nottinghamshire at Horsham before being replaced by James Kirtley.

Yesterday Glamorgan took cynical advantage of the rules by promoting Thomas from number nine to six in the Glamorgan order, so they could benefit from his batting as well as Jones's bowling.

In an added twist, Jones was being driven down to Southampton with, of all people, Rod Bransgrove in the Hampshire chairman's limousine after James Anderson had been preferred for the third Test against the West Indies.

If he had arrived at the Rose Bowl before Thomas took his place at the crease just before tea, Jones would have had to replace his Glamorgan teammate with immediate effect.

Instead the England bowler was taken to the Glamorgan players' hotel in Botley and the rest is history.

Glamorgan were always confident that Jones would be available to play at the Rose Bowl. If Anderson had been left out instead, Glamorgan knew they would be down to ten men for most of Friday as Thomas was always planning to attend his grandfather's funeral.

But with a career best 138 in his sights, he will not want to leave in a hurry this morning.

The start of Thomas's incredible day was delayed by 90 minutes because of rain, but it began when Shane Warne, who was unbeaten on 32 overnight, pulled a long hop straight to square leg.

Warne's 46-ball 42 was his highest score for Hampshire but his side added only 52 to their overnight 317 for 7 before they were bowled out.

Alan Mullally was caught down the leg side two balls later and when Thomas yorked Shaun Udal, he had figures of 3 for 19 to show from the 4.3 overs he bowled yesterday.

Hampshire were all out for 369, but Thomas's biggest contribution was to come.

He watched from the balcony as Billy Taylor took the key wicket of Matthew Ellliott in his first over during a brilliant opening spell from the Hampshire seamer.

Then Mark Wallace, David Hemp and Matthew Maynard were dismissed during five Dimitri Mascarenhas overs.

Left handers Wallace and Hemp were the first to go. Wallace was out after hitting a leading edge to mid off in Mascarenhas's fourth over and Hemp dragged on an attempted cover drive before Matthew Maynard was caught at silly mid off.

At that stage Glamorgan were 72 for 4 and struggling to make the 220 needed to avoid the follow on.

But then left hander Thomas arrived at the crease. After steering Glamorgan to the steadier waters of 81 for 4 at tea, he and Mark Powell (62*) put on 185 in an unbroken, fifth-wicket stand during a surreal evening session. His penchant for the reverse sweep forced Warne to take himself out of the attack.

Thomas, who had a career average of 19 before the start of this season, reached fifty from 60 balls with the ninth of his 17 boundaries and needed just 49 more deliveries to reach his ton.

He also hit Mullally for a six and you knew it had been his day when he was caught at mid off for 104 - off a Mascarenhas no ball.