A brilliant 94* from just 54 balls by Chris Cooke saw Glamorgan defeat the Kent Spitfires by three wickets with just two balls remaining as they successfully chased a target of 317 - their highest-ever at the SSE SWALEC - in their day-night contest in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
The Welsh county named an unchanged line-up for today's match with the same side taking to the field from Sunday when Glamorgan played the Notts Outlaws at Welbeck CC. Michael Hogan and Ruaidhri Smith shared the new ball with each being struck for four in their opening overs as Daniel Bell-Drummond unfurled a cover drive and Joe Denly pulled a short ball.
Denly also found the ropes again as he clipped Hogan to square-leg before drilling him through mid-off. The opener then on-drove Smith for another boundary but with the total on 38, the visitors lost their first wicket as Bell-Drummond miscued a pull and spooned the ball to Hogan at mid-on.
Sam Northeast got off the mark with a cover drives four against David Lloyd and Craig Meschede but with the total on 54 he lost his partner as Denly edged into Mark Wallace's gloves. Sam Billings duly joined his captain and the pair initially quietly worked the ball around before Northeast straight drove Lloyd, and Billings cover-drove Meschede.
Billings greeted the return of Smith by despatching successive deliveries to the mid-wicket boundary, before Northeast took a leaf out of his partner's book by hoisting Meschede to mid-wicket to bring up the fifty stand. Billings then reverse-swept Lloyd for four before the spin of Dean Cosker was then introduced at the Cathedral Road End and was also reverse-swept for four by Billings.
Hogan also returned at the River End and was steered through backward point for four by Billings to complete a 45-ball fifty. Next over Northeast followed suit from 64 balls with an off drive against Cosker before bringing up the century stand by lofting the spinner to long-on for four. But with the total on 158, their breezy stand was ended as Cosker lured Billings down the wicket and Mark Wallace removed the bails to complete his 999
th dismissal for Glamorgan's 1
st XI.
Darren Stevens then joined Northeast and opened his account by steering Hogan through point for four, followed shortly afterwards by sweeping the leg-spin of Colin Ingram for four. He then cover drove Ingram before sweeping him for six whilst Northeast swept and cut Ingram for further fours as the Spitfires reached the 200-mark in the 37
th over. But four runs later Cosker snared Northeast l.b.w. for 74.
With Alex Blake as his new partner, Stevens flicked Cosker for four to fine-leg but Blake's stay at the crease was brief as on six he edged Smith into Wallace's gloves to give the keeper his 1,000
th dismissal for the Welsh county. 219/5 saw Fabian Cowdrey join Stevens who clubbed Smith to mid-wicket for four before completing his half-century with a six over long-off - his 39
th delivery - before pulling Jacques Rudolph into the Grandstand for another maximum. He then straight drove Meschede for four and cover drove Hogan for four, before Cowdrey lofted Hogan over long-on for six as the pair upped the tempo in the closing overs.
The flurry of boundaries continued as Stevens twice flicked Meschede for six in an over , with both blows sending the ball soaring over square-leg. No fours or sixes came from Hogan's penultimate over but Stevens completed his century by pulling Meschede for four. He then pulled the all-rounder for six before perishing at long-on as Cosker completed a good running catch. Next ball he pouched another skier to remove Cowdrey as the Spitfires ended on 317/7 with 99 runs coming in the last ten overs.
When Glamorgan began their run-chase Will Bragg spliced a drive over the head of the slips in the second over, before Rudolph edged Matt Coles and was caught behind for nought. 4/1 saw Ingram make his way to the middle to join Bragg who unfurled a pair of glorious off-drives for four against Mitch Claydon. Ingram square-drove and straight drove Coles for four to open his account whilst Bragg continued to find the ropes as he drilled Claydon through extra cover.
Ingram then straight drove Ivan Thomas for four before pulling the youngster for six into the Grandstand and to square-leg for four in successive balls. He also glanced Claydon to fine-leg for four before cover-driving the seamer as Glamorgan raced to fifty in the 8
th over. Bragg brought up the fifty stand by straight-driving and pulling successive balls from Coles for four.
Stevens and James Tredwell then put a brake on Glamorgan's progress as they limited the second wicket pair to just a series of singles in the space of eight overs, with the sequence being ended by a firm drive through point for four by Ingram before pulling Stevens' next delivery to the square leg ropes to complete fifty from 47 balls. Shortly afterwards he brought up the hundred in the 21
st over as the pair continued to chisel away at their target, with Bragg scoring a pair of two's to also bring up their century stand.
Bragg celebrated by pulling Coles for four when the all-rounder returned at the River End before Ingram reverse-swept Cowdrey's wrist spin for four. Bragg then completed his fifty from 69 balls with a single to long-on as Thomas returned to the attack. He was more frugal then in his opening spell as the tempo dipped again as the target became 185 to win from 22 overs.
Shortly afterwards, Thomas match a tumbling catch in his follow-through to end Bragg's stay at the crease for 59, with Aneurin Donald joining Ingram. The young tyro began by guiding Cowdrey to third man for four before hoisting the next delivery to long-on for another assertive boundary. This hastened the return of the wily Stevens as well as Claydon as the asking rate climbed to 9.5 an over, and in a bid to scoop the latter to fine-leg Donald was caught by Bell-Drummond.
156/3 saw Chris Cooke join Ingram who lofted Claydon to long-on for four before drilling Tredwell over extra cover for another boundary. With Cooke running a series of singles, Ingram completed his century from 100 balls by driving Claydon through the covers, before reverse-sweeping Tredwell for another boundary. Cooke found the ropes by straight-driving Coles but with the total on 197 Billings took a superb one=handed catch high above his head to end Ingram's innings on 109.
Meschede joined Cooke as the target became 112 from the last ten overs. The new batsman made his intentions clear by clubbing Stevens for four to mid-wicket and splicing Coles to third man, but with the total on 213, he was stumped advancing down the wicket to Stevens as Wallace made his way to the middle. Cooke responded by smashing Coles for successive fours but a heavy shower then fell with Glamorgan on 223/5 and 31 runs behind the DLS par score. It was only a brief stoppage and after a quarter of an hour play resumed but to the second ball Wallace was caught at backward point.
Lloyd joined Cooke who flat-batted Tredwell for successive sixes high over mid-wicket. Lloyd also played a deft switch-hit to gain a boundary against the spinner, before swatting Thomas to long-leg for four. He then pulled a non-ball from Thomas for four before scampering a series of two's with Cooke who also defty switch-hit Claydon for four to third man before cover-driving him to complete a turbo-charged fifty from 36 balls.
To add to the drama, Cooke was then caught off a no-ball from Thomas but shortly afterwards Lloyd skied a drive into the deep and was caught by Bell-Drummond, with Smith making his way to the middle with Glamorgan needing 37 from 18 balls. Their cause was helped by a no-ball from Claydon which Cooke smashed for six before driving the next ball for four. He then edged the next ball to third man as the target became 16 from 12 balls
A series of scampered two's then came in the penultimate over before Cooke drilled Thomas over long-on for a massive six as Claydon bowled the final over with just two needed. The first two deliveries were dot balls before Smith scampered a single from the third leaving Cooke to strike the next ball for four to win a crackerjack of a game with two balls to spare with Cooke unbeaten on 94 from 54 balls as Glamorgan completed their highest-ever run chase at Cardiff in List A cricket at Cardiff, and their fourth highest overall.