Colin Ingram made a superb 155 as he rolled back the years with a white-ball masterclass as together with Tom Cullen (80*) the pair shared a record sixth wicket stand in List A cricket of 186 in 28 overs as Glamorgan beat Kent by three wickets in their Royal London Cup game at Sophia Gardens.
The Welsh county made two changes to their side with James Weighell replacing Timm van der Gugten whilst Tom Cullen also took over behind the stumps. The pair were soon in action as Weighell struck with his second legitimate delivery as Ben Compton edged into Cullen’s gloves with the Spitfires on 3-1.
It might have been 4-2 but a low edge by Ollie Robinson against Jamie McIlory just evaded the grasp of David Lloyd at first slip. The batter celebrated his good fortune by on-driving the left-armer before an edge by Joey Evison against Weighell didn’t quite carry to Cullen. He responded by crisply on-driving and off-driving McIlroy for a pair of fours besides pulling Weighell for four. Robinson also off-drove Weighell for a pair of fours as Kent reached 55-1 at the end of the powerplays.
Robinson then straight-drove Andrew Salter for four when the spinner entered the attack in the 12th over with Joe Cooke also having a trundle at the River Taff and being straight-driven for six by Robinson, who also lofted Salter for four as he completed a 44-ball fifty. Evison also pulled Cooke for four but with the total on 93, Colin Ingram entered the attack and removed Robinson with his fourth ball as the batter miscued a drive to Dan Douthwaite at mid-on.
Alex Blake joined Evison who brought up the hundred by on-driving Ingram for four, with Blake surviving a sharp chance at backward point as he drove uppishly against Douthwaite. He celebrated by swatting the all-rounder through the gully for four. Evison then completed his fifty from 77 balls before Blake cover-drove Douthwaite for four. Evison then drilled Salter through mid-off for four followed by a straight-driven boundary, with Blake also greeting the return of Cooke by driving him through mid-off followed by a lofted drive for six and a pull for four.
McIlroy duly returned at the River End for a second salvo and was pulled for four by Evison, as well as being lofted over cover by Blake. Evison also swatted Cooke to the ropes at mid-wicket, before Blake scythed Weighell through backward point en route to completing a 43-ball fifty. Evison then swatted and square-cut Weighell for successive fours before Blake drilled Ingram over extra-cover for a handsome six.
Evison duly completed his 115-ball hundred by cover-driving Lloyd for four, but the all-rounder removed Blake as, with the total on 228, he holed out to Salter at long-on. Having been joined by Darren Stevens, Evison straight drove Ingram for six but then chipped a ball back to the wrist-spinner who dived low to pouch the catch. 240-4 saw George Linde make his way to the middle and he began by pulling Douthwaite for four with Stevens also slog-sweeping Ingram for six. However, next over Stevens pulled a calf muscle and retired not out, as Grant Stewart joined Linde.
However, Stewart’s stay in the middle was a brief one as next over he departed l.b.w. to McIlroy as Hamidullah Qadri was Linde’s new partner. After a brace of one’s and two’s he lofted a slower ball from Douthwaite into Ingram’s hands at long-on as Kent lost their sixth wicket on 288. Three runs later they lost another as Gilchrist drove Weighell into Cooke’s hands at long-on before Matt Quinn spliced Douthwaite to Lloyd at point before Kent ended on 304-8.
Lloyd and Northeast began Glamorgan’s run-chase against the new ball pairing of Navdeep Saini and Stewart with the Indian making an early breakthrough as Northeast edged Saini’s fourth delivery to second slip where Compton completed a head-high catch. Ingram announced his arrival with a trio of immaculate cover drives in successive deliveries from Stewart but the bowler responded next over as he re-arranged Lloyd’s stumps as Glamorgan slipped to 19-2.
Having Kiran Carlson as his new partner, Ingram scythed Saini over the slips for four before scooping the Indian over square-leg for six. Saini might have taken a second wicket but Tawanda Muyeye, the substitute fielder at first slip, dropped a low chance. Ingram then carved Saini through point followed by a pair of booming off-drives from consecutive balls as the 50 came up in the ninth over.
Carlson then greeted the introduction of Quinn into the attack by cover-driving him for four followed by another firm drive behind square but later in the over, and with the total on 75, Quinn bowled the Glamorgan captain as Billy Root made his way to the middle. However three overs later Root was bowled by a delivery from Qadri which appeared to keep low.
86-4 saw Cooke join Ingram who pulled Quinn for four to reach his fifty from 42 balls. Cooke repeated the stroke later in the over before the Spitfires switched to an all-spin attack as Linde’s left-arm spin was employed at the River End. The Protea made an immediate impact as he bowled Cooke with the total on 107. Tom Cullen joined Ingram who swept Linde for four before his new partner began with a series of deftly-placed singles.
Saini then had a second salvo and was cover-driven for four by Ingram before Gilchrist also had a spell at the Cathedral Road End, with Qadri the switching to the River End in an attempt to break the doughty sixth wicket stand which had stabilised the Glamorgan innings. But both batters continued to work the ball around with Cullen also pulling Gilchrist for four before Ingram completed his hundred from 97 balls.
Cullen then harpooned Blake for four before Ingram lofted him over extra-cover for six to bring up the century stand. Quinn then returned at the River End in tandem with Linde at the Cathedral Road End. The latter was swept for four by Cullen before the wicket-keeper completed his fifty from 53 balls by pulling Quinn for four. Shortly before, Ingram had played one of his trademark pick-up shots for six over deep square-leg against Quinn followed next ball by a rasping straight drive.
Cullen also gleefully pulled Saini for four as Glamorgan entered the final ten overs needing 53 to win with the singles continuing to flow as the 150-stand came up after the pair had also broken the Club’s sixth wicket record in List A cricket, previously held by Matthew Maynard and Otis Gibson who had added 136 against Warwickshire at Sophia Gardens in their Benson and Hedges Cup game in 1996.
Cullen celebrated with an off-drive and a late cut, each for four, in successive balls from Gilchrist before Ingram on-drove Saini for four to post his highest List A score for the Welsh county surpassing the 142 he made at the same ground in 2017 against Essex. He then drilled Gilchrist through mid-on for his 16th four before completing his 150 from 142 balls with a single through the covers
Ingram then swept Linde for two to reach 155 – the highest for Glamorgan in List A cricket at Sophia Gardens, surpassing Hugh Morris’ 154* against Staffordshire in their NatWest Trophy encounter in 1989, before next ball holing out to Saini at long-on. With a dozen needed Douthwaite came in and on-drove Linde for four but next over, he was bowled by Quinn. Salter came in with five needed and after a single and a no-ball, plus another single, Cullen ended the match in the penultimate over as he on-drove Linde for four.