By ECB's Reporters Network
Glamorgan kept their Vitality Blast qualification hopes alive with a thrilling one-run victory over Surrey for whom England batsman Ollie Pope top scored with 60.
David Lloyd and Billy Root both made 41 in Glamorgan’s total of 153 for six, but they should have reached at least 170 after making a strong start to their innings.
The Welsh county still did enough for victory, but only by the narrowest of margins. Pope couldn’t find anyone to support him, but Kyle Jamieson nearly took Surrey home.
The New Zealand bowler smashed 31 and with Surrey needing 13 from the last over, he looked like he would be the hero.
Jamieson needed two from the last ball, but Glamorgan’s Timm van der Gugten held his nerve and ran out the Surrey man off his own bowling.
Glamorgan were without Australian pair Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser again as they were in isolation after being deemed close contacts of Nick Selman who has tested positive for Covid-19.
Surrey chose to bowl first on a green wicket, but Glamorgan started well with Lloyd punching Jamieson down the ground for four in his first over.
Makeshift opener Kiran Carlson also smashed Gus Atkinson for six over cover and then followed that up with two more consecutive fours as Glamorgan went past 50 in the fifth over.
Carlson was caught by Rory Burns for 32 off Jamieson from just 16 balls.
Lloyd smashed Jamieson over fine leg for six, but after Colin Ingram departed, he was immediately run out by new man Chris Cooke. Will Jacks initially misfielded, but his throw was good.
It was a cheap wicket for Glamorgan to give away. They did go to 100 in the 12th over, but their innings fell away badly as Dan Moriarty finished with one for 16.
Billy Root, who had struggled to get the ball away, smashed four sixes in the final over bowled by Atkinson. Root ended unbeaten on 41 from 28 balls.
Jacks went to the first ball of Surrey’s chase, caught at cover by Roman Walker off the bowling of Prem Sisodiya and Laurie Evans soon followed him. This time it was Ingram with the smart catch. England Test pair Burns and Pope were charged with the rebuild.
Both did so impressively as they ran well between the wickets. Burns struck a six, but it was Pope who was the more aggressive until his partner was cleaned up by Walker for 24.
Surrey needed 79 at the halfway stage with Pope unbeaten on 37, but Walker’s one for 17 held them back. Jamie Smith, dropped poorly by Ingram off Sisodiya, departed for 20 and then Sisodiya claimed the wicket of Jamie Overton.
Pope went to 50 from 39 balls with six fours, but his team needed 45 from the final four overs.
When their main man was run out by Carlson coming back for a second run, the game looked up.
That was until Jamieson took charge only to fall just short.
Glamorgan batsman Billy Root, who top scored with 41 and hit four sixes off his team’s last over, said: “Those games are amazing to play in and I’m sure they are even better to watch. Credit to Timm van der Gugten at the end for bowling a big last over. He delivered on the last ball. We’ve worked hard in the last few games and when you do, you get your rewards.
"When Ollie Pope was going well the game was always in the balance. We got him out at the right time but then Kyle Jamieson came in at the end and hit the ball really nicely. The game swung both ways, but thankfully we closed it out. I had to go for it in the last over and I was seeing it quite well by that point. It’s always difficult to lose players, especially someone like Marnus Labuschagne. It was a great performance from the bowlers. To defend 157 was a top effort.”