A superb 105 by Jim Allenby and an opening stand of 136 with Jacques Rudolph - the highest stand for Glamorgan in Twenty20 cricket - were the features of a record-breaking evening under the Richmond sun as Glamorgan defeated the Middlesex Panthers by six wickets in their NatWest T20 Blast contest at Old Deer Park.
With Darren Sammy having returned to the West Indies and Graham Wagg still suffering from a side strain, Glamorgan recalled Murray Goodwin, who yesterday scored a century against Durham 2
nd XI. Andrew Salter opened the bowling in tandem with Jacques Rudolph with the latter taking the first wicket courtesy of a spectacular diving catch at long-off by Stewart Walters as Joe Denly attempted to despatch the Springbok into Richmond town centre.
Eoin Morgan then clipped Will Owen through square-leg for four before pulling Michael Hogan for six as well as lofting him to long-off for four. He repeated the latter stroke against Jim Allenby. Dawid Malan, who had been content at first to score in singles then swept Allenby for four as the Panthers ended the powerplays on 40/1. Malan then lofted Salter over long-on for six before twice clubbing short balls from Owen to the mid-wicket ropes.
The boundaries continued as Morgan lofted Owen over long-on for six before sweeping Dean Cosker's first ball for four. But later in the over Hogan at short extra cover took a fine diving catch to end Morgan's fireworks, and his departure saw the tempo drop and Malan was also fortunate to survive a run out appeal as Cosker hit the stumps direct. The batsman celebrated by lofting Salter over extra cover before Dan Christian lofted Cosker for successive sixes and almost into the flightpath of planes on their descent towards Heathrow Airport before Malan was dropped at deep mid-wicket. Christian added a third six in the over as he struck a low drive to long-on before Malan completed his fifty from 38 balls.
Christian greeted the return of Hogan by on-driving him for six followed two balls later by a swatted six over the mid-wicket ropes but he then departed to a swooping catch low down on the cover boundary by Chris Cooke as Middlesex lost their third wicket on 152 in the 17
th over. After a series of singles, Ryan Higgins drilled Owen straight for six before Malan did the same two balls later, whilst Higgins added a rasping cut in Hogan's final over as the Panthers ended on 184/3.
Allenby began by cover driving James Harris for four before nearly lofting the Welshman to mid-off as the ball ran away for four. Later in the over - the third of the innings - he also speared Harris to wide long-on for four and six. The momentum was maintained as Allenby twice pulled Harry Podmore for four when the youngster switched to the Pagoda End, followed by a fierce square-cut for four and another pulled drive to mid-wicket for four. The 50 came up courtesy of four overthrows by Morgan as Glamorgan ended the powerplays on 57/0.
Rudolph then flicked Neil Dexter to fine-leg for four followed by a pair of clever reverse-sweeps for further boundaries in Ravi Patel's opening over. Allenby was then dropped by wicket-keeper John Simpson in Olly Rayner's opening over before reaching his fifty from 31 balls with another square drive for four. Rudolph also lofted the spinner for four over extra cover to reach the halfway mark on 93/0.
Allenby then took Glamorgan to the 100-mark with a lofted drive for six against Dexter followed by an on-drive for four against the same bowler as the equation became 79 from 9 overs. Allenby also pulled Rayner for four before scything Dexter square for four, followed by a massive lofted on-drive for six when Christian returned at the Pagoda End.
The opening stand then reached 130 with an off-drive by Rudolph breaking the Club's highest-ever first wicket stand, set by Matthew Elliott and Robert Croft against Gloucestershire at Sophia Gardens in 2005 and the highest for any wicket, - a feat which was celebrated by rasping cover drive by Rudolph, but on 136 the stand ended as Rudolph was caught nurdling Dexter and his departure saw Mark Wallace join Allenby as the target became 39 from 24 balls as Harris returned to the attack.
Wallace greeted him by harpooning him to mid-wicket for a trio of fours as the equation became 24 from 18 balls, but Wallace was then caught on the square-leg boundary by Rayner as he tried to flick Harry Podmore into Kew Gardens. Cooke and Allenby then ran a series of singles as the target became 19 off 12 balls with Harris bowling the penultimate over.
Allenby duly reached three figures with a glorious cover drive - his 13
th four - with his century from 61 balls also including 3 sixes. He then celebrated becoming the second centurion for Glamorgan in Twenty20 cricket after Ian Thomas in 2004 against Somerset at Taunton by top-edged the next ball over the keeper's head before being caught next ball at cover. Next ball, Ben Wright by caught by Denly at deep mid-wicket but Cooke drilled the last ball of the over for four as Glamorgan entered the final over needing six to win.
The first ball from Podmore was called a wide before Walters survived two throws at the stumps in securing two runs. He added a single by flicking the ball to fine-leg Cooke ended the game by straight driving the next ball for four as Glamorgan won by six wickets with three balls remaining.