Tom Bevan made a scintillating 134 from 103 balls with 13 fours and 9 sixes to see Glamorgan to a stunning seven-wicket victory against previously unbeaten Hampshire at Neath in their final home game in the group stages of the Royal London Cup.
The Welsh county made two changes to their line-up from the team which lost on Wednesday to Lancashire at The Gnoll as Billy Root and Dan Douthwaite replaced the unwell Sam Northeast and the injured Ruaidhri Smith. Douthwaite duly took the new ball with James Weighell, with Nick Gubbins cover-driving the former for four in the day’s opening over before punching Weighell through extra-cover. With the total on 17, Douthwaite bowled Ben Brown with Tom Prest making his way to the middle to join Gubbins who smashed a free hit from Weighell to square-leg before doing the same to a legitimate delivery next ball.
After a maiden from Joe Cooke, Prest then cover drove Douthwaite but the bowler made amends later in the over as he trapped the batter l.b.w. 35-2 saw Aneurin Donald join Gubbins with the Welshman playing some assertive strokes for one’s and two’s but with Hampshire on 48, Donald attempted a risky single to mid-on with Kiran Carlson picking up the ball and making a direct hit at the bowler’s end with Donald short of his ground.
Fletcha Middleton opened his account by skewing a drive against Andy Gorvin through point before, with the total on 54, departing l.b.w. to the former member of the Hampshire Academy. Toby Albert was the new batter and began by inside-edging Gorvin for four, with Gubbins adding another four to his tally by outside-edging the all-rounder to the ropes at third man.
Prem Sisodiya then entered the fray at the Oakwood Road End as Gubbins completed his fifty from 72 balls. Albert greeted the return of Weighell to the attack by slashing him through backward point for four, but later in the over, the all-rounder made the perfect riposte as the batter repeated the stroke but ended up edging the ball into Chris Cooke’s gloves.
99-5 saw Ian Holland join his captain after 27 overs, with Carlson also having a spell at the Oakwood Road End and being swept for four by Gubbins who then square-cut Douthwaite for another boundary when he returned at the Dyfed Road End. Gubbins also struck a free hit from Douthwaite to the ropes at mid-wicket before Holland upper-cut Douthwaite to third man and backward point from successive balls.
Holland also flicked Joe Cooke to fine-leg for four before Gubbins swept Sisodiya to the ropes. Holland then late cut Cooke as the tempo was upped before the final set of powerplays, but shortly afterwards, Gubbins perished as he hit Carlson into Billy Root’s hands at deep mid-wicket. 171-6 became 176-7 as Keith Barker departed l.b.w. to Sisodiya. Scott Currie pushed the ball around for singles as Holland scythed Gorvin for four but with the total on 197, Currie edged Gorvin into Cooke’s gloves.
Holland completed a 52-ball fifty in the penultimate over before John Turner hoisted Weighell for six over deep square-leg. Holland then pulled Douthwaite for six in the final over before Turner was run out off the final delivery as the visitors ended on 228-9. Chris Cooke and Tom Bevan began Glamorgan’s chase with the latter cover-driving Barker for four, but Cooke edged Holland’s fifth delivery into Ben Brown’s gloves.
7-1 saw the arrival, for the final time this summer, of Colin Ingram prior to his departure to the Caribbean Premier League. He began with a coruscating cover drive for four against Barker whilst Bevan did the same to Holland. Ingram then unfurled a flamboyant drive over cover point for another boundary before Bevan nonchalantly flicked Barker for six into the Pavilion seats. Ingram then drilled Holland for four through extra-cover before clipping Barker to fine-leg for another four.
Bevan then clipped Barker to fine-leg for another expansive boundary before smoothly driving Currie for four through mid-off, followed by a clip to the ropes at backward square-leg. He then unleashed a pick-up off his legs over mid-wicket for six, before Ingram pulled Currie for another maximum.
Bevan then reached his maiden 1st team fifty from 49 balls by pulling Jack Campbell for a six into the Pavilion before on-driving, pulling and square-driving Turner for a trio of further fours to bring up the century stand. Ingram then swatted Turner for a pair of fours before reaching his fifty from 55 balls by flicking Gubbins for a single followed by a reverse-sweep for four.
Bevan continued to fins the ropes as he clipped Campbell to mid-wicket for four followed by another laconic flick off his legs for six. He then pulled a long-hop from Gubbins for six to move into the nineties, but it wasn’t a case of the nervous nineties as he crispy pulled Holland for four before pulling Currie for six – his sixth maximum – high over the pavilion to complete his hundred from 88 balls and compile the first-ever List A hundred for Glamorgan at Neath.
He celebrated by pulling Holland for four followed by a Maynard-esque on-drive for six over long-on followed by a drilled four through mid-off against Currie followed by another six into the pavilion, plus for good measure a straight-drive for four against the same bowler. Ingram then flicked Turner for four to fine-leg before Bevan clipped Currie for his ninth sixth but the bowler made amends as to the last ball of the over Bevan flicked him into the hands of Albert at deep backward square-leg as he departed for a career-best 134 with the stand of 203 in 27.1 overs being one short of the record for the second wicket stand in List A cricket made by Steve James and Adrian Dale in the NatWest Trophy game against Lincolnshire at Swansea in 1994.
210-2 then became 220-3 as Carlson was caught at backward point, before Billy Root joined Ingram and the pair duly knocked the winning runs with Ingram se off as Glamorgan strolled to victory with 18.2 overs in hand.