Timm van der Gugten wrote his name straight into Glamorgan’s record books on Thursday evening against Surrey at The Oval, as his return of 4/14 became not only the best figures on debut for the Welsh county in the competition but the third best overall. Had it not been for a thick outside edge in his final over which sped away to third man for four, Timm’s outstanding figures might have been even more parsimonious.
The Twenty20 competition in its early years was something of a bowler’s graveyard with all-rounder Richard Grant claiming the first ‘four-for’ in the competition for Glamorgan at Worcester in 2005. It wasn’t until 2009, that a Glamorgan bowler claimed a five-wicket haul with another all-rounder, Ryan Watkins, claiming 5/16 against Gloucestershire at the SWALEC Stadium.
Watkins’ five-wicket haul came after Gloucestershire had made a breezy start chasing a target of 167, before losing a flurry of wickets as Watkins claimed three wickets in four balls during his opening over, as Alex Gidman chopped a ball onto his stumps, before Craig Spearman was well caught at backward point by Dean Cosker and then next ball Chris Taylor was clean bowled. Watkins struck again in his second over as he clean bowled Hamish Marshall before adding a fifth scalp as Gemaal Hussain was trapped l.b.w. to leave Gloucestershire teetering on 72/9, before a half-century stand for the tenth wicket prevented them from being dismissed for under a hundred.
Ryan’s figures remained the best in the competition for Glamorgan until Graham Wagg claimed 5/14 at Worcester in 2013. His efforts came as Worcestershire chased a target was 161, but in his opening over, the left-armer removed both openers in consecutive balls, before two balls later re-arranging Gareth Andrew’s stumps. After a brief rest Wagg then returned in the closing overs and dismissed Ben Cox and Shaaiq Choudhry, again thanks to good catches being taken in the deep as Glamorgan recorded a handsome victory, and Wagg completed what remain as the best-ever bowling figures for Glamorgan in the Twenty20 competition,