Career-best bowling figures by Dan Douthwaite (4/23) and Jamie McIlroy (3/30), plus 47 from Colin Ingram saw Glamorgan launch their campaign in the Vitality Blast with a two-wicket victory in a thriller against Gloucestershire at Bristol. (writes Andrew Hignell)
In glorious sunshine over the Whitsun Bank Holiday and in front of a bumper crowd at the Seat Unique Stadium, acting captain Kiran Carlson opted to bowl first with Grant Roelofsen clipping Timm van der Gugten to the ropes at fine-leg before Chris Dent hoisted Jamie McIlroy to the fence at mid-wicket followed by another four to fine-leg. But Dent perished to the final ball of the over as he miscued a slower ball into Colin Ingram's hands at mid-on.18-1 then became 18-2 as Roelofsen nibbled at a ball from van der Gugten and feathered a catch into Chris Cooke’s gloves as the Dutchman delivered a rare wicket maiden. McIlroy then trapped Miles Hammond l.b.w. with the first ball of the third over as the home side slipped to 18-3 having faced a dozen successive dot balls during the powerplay.
Oli Price and Jack Taylor then attempted a recovery with the latter drilling successive balls from van der Gugten to the ropes whilst the former biffed him for six over mid-wicket as Gloucestershire ended the powerplays on 46-3. But Taylor’s riposte was ended by Dan Douthwaite’s fifth ball as the home captain spliced a catch into Sam Northeast’s hands at backward point. Ben Charlesworth, on his T20 debut , duly joined forces with Price, with the latter cover-driving Prem Sisodiya and the former doing the same to Douthwaite. Price also reverse-swept the left-arm spinner before lofting him over long-off for six, with Charlesworth bringing up the fifty stand by slog-sweeping Sisodiya. Their stand though was ended by McIlroy as Price spliced a catch to Carlson at short cover.
Charlesworth then flayed Douthwaite to the leg-side ropes before drilling Smith through the covers who hitherto had delivered a frugal spell. Charlesworth also had a life when Eddie Byrom spilled a difficult catch on the cover boundary before Graeme van Buuren swatted van der Gugten for six and four. Charlesworth then completed his 50 from 37 balls with a cover-drive against McIlroy but on 149 Douthwaite gained revenge as Charlesworth spliced a ball back to the bowler. Two balls later Zafar Gohar pulled a ball to Smith at deep square-leg before Matt Taylor drove the next into the hands of Billy Root who was fielding as substitute at mid-off before van Buuren struck a couple of late fours prior to David Payne being run out from the final ball as the home side ended on 161-9.
Byrom began Glamorgan’s reply by hoisting Payne for six and four in his opening over before opting to go aerial again against Matt Taylor and being caught at backward square-leg. 13-1 became 17-2 as Sam Northeast also skewed a ball from Payne to backward point as Ingram and Carlson joined forces. The visiting captain began with a massive straight six to a no-ball from Charlesworth before adding another maximum over mid-wicket. Ingram also plundered a pair of crisp boundaries as the 50 came up in the sixth over before Carlson went inside-out over extra-cover against Tom Smith followed by a flat-batted six over mid-wicket.
But Carlson’s boundary-laden camoe ended as he swatted a full toss from Payne to the fielder at point. Chris Cooke came in and took over the mantle of the aggressor as he hoisted Gohar over extra-cover for four before square-cutting him as the equation became 55 from 54 balls. Cooke then greeted Charlesworth by pulling him for six but, with the total on 121, he departed to an outstanding caught and bowled by Price who clung on one-handedly in his follow-through. After a lofted drive over mid-off, Ben Kellaway was bowled by Payne as the task became 36 from 32 balls but Ingram then departed to another superb catch as Charlesworth running back at fine-leg pouched a top-edged sweep. Douthwaite and van der Gugten joined forces but with the total on 138 Dent took a brilliant one-handed catch at long-off to send Douthwaite back to the Bristol Pavilion.
Van der Gugten responded by pulling Smith for a huge six as the task became 15 from the last two overs. The tension mounted as Gohar bowled Sisodiya but Ruaidhri Smith swatted the last ball of the spinner's over to deep square-leg for another maximum before van der Gugten sealed victory with another six over mid-wicket as Glamorgan crossed the winning line with five balls in hand.