A match with an aggregate of 683 runs saw Glamorgan complete their second highest run-chase in List A cricket as 100 by Sam Northeast plus 69 from Colin Ingram saw the Welsh county round off their campaign in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup by beating the Northants Steelbacks by five wickets at Sophia Gardens as they successfully chased a target of 341 with fourteen balls to spare.
Glamorgan made two changes to their line-up from the side which beat Somerset by two wickets at Taunton on Sunday afternoon, with Prem Sisodiya and Jamie McIlroy replacing the rested Timm van der Gugten and Zain ul Hassan, it was McIlroy and Ruaidhri Smith took the new ball after the Steelbacks opted to bat first with Ricardo Vasconcelos having an early life as he edged McIlroy just out of the grasp of wicket-keeper Alex Horton. He celebrated by pulling Smith for six before cover-driving McIlroy for four. Sam Whiteman also pulled Smith to the ropes at fine-leg before swatting the next delivery to deep square-leg.
Whiteman then scooped Smith for six and four to the vacant third man boundary, followed by a six over mid-wicket as the Steelbacks raced to 50 at the end of the eighth over. Kiran Carlson and Andy Gorvin then had a spell in tandem and, after a series of singles, Vasconcelos pulled Carlson for four before Whiteman flicked Gorvin to fine-leg for four en route to his fifty from as many balls. He then drilled Gorvin to long-off for four as the 100 came up during the 19th over with Vasconcelos square-cutting Ben Kellaway for four, whilst Whiteman also swept the teenager for four prior to harpooning Carlson for six over deep mid-wicket.
Whiteman also cover-drove and on-drove Carlson before lofting Kellaway over extra-cover, but the youngster gained revenge as next ball Carlson, at short mid-wicker, completed an acrobatic catch as the Australian departed for 88 with the total on 141. Justin Broad was the new batter as Vasconcelos completed his fifty from 64 balls, but with the score on 159 Broad swept Sisodiya to deep mid-wicket where McIlroy completed a fine catch diving forward.
Rob Keogh made his way to the middle and outside-edged Smith for four before a more authentic boundary as he drove the seamer through mid-off. Vasconcelos also nurdled Smith for four before Keogh launched Gorvin over deep mid-wicket for six. Vasconcelos also flicked the seamer in the same direction for four before drilling the next delivery to the ropes at long-off as the 200 came up after 33 overs.
Keogh then drilled Sisodiya through the covers before rain briefly sent the players from the field but no overs were lost. Vasconcelos swatted Sisodiya for four before pulling McIlroy for four, with Keogh then lofting Gorvin for four over mid-wicket as he completed his fifty from 43 balls. He then dispatched Gorvin through wide mid-on for another rasping four before Vasconcelos completed his hundred from 110 balls, besides pulling Sisodiya for four.
Next over he was bowled trying to ramp Smith with his side on 276, and James Sales joining Keogh, who drilled Sisodiya through mid-off for a trio of fours before cover-driving Smith for a pair of fours followed by a ramp to fine-leg. Keogh then straight-drove McIlroy before chipping him over cover as he completed his century from 69 balls before Sales clubbed McIlroy over long-off for six. Keogh then holed out at long-on before Gorvin bowled Lewis McManus. Gus Miller then ramped McIlroy for four as the Steelbacks ended on 340-5.
Sam Northeast and Eddie Byrom began Glamorgan’s reply with the former cover-driving Tom Taylor before Byrom clipped him to square-leg. Northeast then lofted Taylor over long-on for six before clipping him twice to square-leg as well as backward point, whilst Byrom pulled and ramped successive balls from White for four. Northeast also straight drove Taylor for six as the 50 came up after seven overs before Byrom eased into a laconic on-drive when Sales entered the attack, followed next by a flat-batted drive through the covers and mid-on. He also pulled White for four as Glamorgan reached 77-0 at the end of the first powerplays.
The boundaries continued to flow as Byrom drilled a free-hit from Sales to long-on before Northeast greeted Keogh by dispatching the off-spinner through the covers, with Byrom also reverse-sweeping him for four prior to completing a 32-ball fifty with Northeast also reaching his later in the over from 44 balls. But with the total on 108, Byrom was caught by McManus leaping high to his left as Colin Ingram joined Northeast and began with a rasping cover-drive against Keogh.
Northeast then on-drove Keogh for another exquisite four before Ingram unfurled his trademark pick-up shot off his legs for six over midwicket against Procter before pulling the next ball for four. Northeast then late-cut the leg-spin of Alex Russell for four before Ingram reverse-swept the youngster for four, with Northeast also showing superb placement as a pull against the spinner perfectly bisected the fielders on the mid-wicket boundary.
Ingram then deposited Russell over extra-cover for six before Northeast regally on-drove Procter, whilst Ingram deftly flicked Procter to fine-leg for four as he completed a 43-ball fifty as well as bringing up the 200. He celebrated by lofting Miller over the River Stand and onto the towpath for a superb six before Northeast completed his hundred from 103 balls with a crisp drive into the covers. Next over he departed as White re-arranged his stumps as Carlson joined Ingram with 125 runs needed from 18.4 overs.
Ingram then flicked Russell to fine-leg for four before Carlson deposited Taylor over deep square-leg for six, but later in the over, Ingram got a leading edge to a ball from Taylor and spooned the ball back to Taylor. 243-3 saw Billy Root join Carlson who pulled and square-cut Taylor for successive fours before flicking the seamer to deep square-leg where Sales completed the catch. Five runs later Kellaway departed l.b.w to Russell as Horton joined Root with 79 needed from 67 balls.
Root reverse-swept Russell for four before off-driving Keogh for four and late-cutting Russell for three. Horton also flat-batted Russell for four to mid-wicket before harpooning the spinner for six in the same direction to reduce the task to 43 off 42 balls. Root then drilled a full toss from Procter to long-on for four before Horton drove Taylor to mid-wicket for another lusty boundary, followed by a pull to the ropes at square-leg. Horton then drilled Procter to long-off for four before unfurling a superb cover drive against Taylor
Root then steered Procter for four to third man before Horton struck the winnings runs as the Welsh county side reached their target with fourteen balls to spare and complete their second highest successful run-chase in List A cricket and only surpassed by the 348-8 against Sussex at Hove in 2019.