Despite half-centuries from Jacques Rudolph (60*) and Murray Goodwin (71*) who shared a stand of 104 in 11.2 overs, table-topping Essex Eagles beat Glamorgan by seven wickets with two overs to spare in their NatWest T20 Blast match at the SWALEC Stadium.
Glamorgan recalled Graham Wagg to their line-up with the all-rounder replacing Ben Wright from the side which lost to the Sussex Sharks at Hove on Tuesday, but it was the usual pairing of Jim Allenby and Jacques Rudolph who opened the batting , with the pair continuing their productive opening partnership adding 53 in 8.4 overs with both batsmen unleashing some furious straight drives against the spinners Tim Phillips and Tom Westley, as well as young seamer Matt Salisbury as the Welsh county reached 43/0 at the end of the powerplays.
Ravi Bopara entered the attack in the seventh over and immediately put a brake on their progress, as his opening over yielded just three singles, followed by just two scoring strokes in his second plus the wicket of Allenby who chipped a ball back to the England one-day international. Murray Goodwin joined Rudolph and began with an inside-edge for four to a drive against Bopara.
At first, Jesse Ryder also kept things tight at the River End before Goodwin lofted him for a massive straight six followed by a brace of two's as the pair started to raise the tempo as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark in the 15
th over as Goodwin reverse-swept Phillips for four, followed by a massive six over square-leg. He then pulled Bopara for a trio of fours to the leg-side as he completed a 29-ball fifty, one ball after his partner had completed his half-century from 45 balls.
Goodwin added a cheeky ramp stroke for four to fine-leg when Ryder returned for the 17
th over before Rudolph drilled Salisbury over long-on for four. A leg strain, or a touch of cramp, then slightly inconvenienced Goodwin in the closing overs but he brought up the 150 with a pull to square-leg which was dropped by Greg Smith, before the century stand came up off the penultimate ball as Goodwin drilled Salisbury for six before holing out to long-off off the final ball.
Chasing the target of 158, Mark Pettini launched the Eagles chase by glancing Allenby's second ball to fine-leg and then steering the final ball of the opening over to third man for four. Ryder also struck early boundaries swatting Michael Hogan for six over fine-leg followed by a pair of coruscating cover drives for four. The helter-skelter start continued as the Kiwi then pulled Will Owen's first ball to the ropes at mid-wicket before Pettini on-drove Owen for another boundary as the Eagles soared to 36/0 in the third over.
Andrew Salter then entered the attack and was biffed over long-on for six by Ryder who then greeted the return of Hogan by twice hoisting him in the same direction as the fifty came up after 26 balls. Pettini also struck the Australian over backward point for four before drilling Allenby to long-on and point for further boundaries as the Eagles ended the powerplays on73/1 with Allenby having Pettini caught at mid-off in the sixth over.
Tom Westley was soon into his stride driving Owen straight for four, before Dean Cosker yielded just three runs in his opening over. The spinner then nearly took a good running catch at deep mid-wicket as Westley harpooned Salter as the Welsh county opted for an all-spin attack. The change did the trick as, after Ryder had completed his barn-storming fifty from 27 balls, Chris Cooke held a steepling catch on the boundary's edge as the southpaw attempted to despatch the spinner in the direction of the city centre.
93/2 saw Bopara join Westley and he was swiftly off the mark with a couple of singles before he straight drove Allenby for six. Cosker though remained in frugal mode at the Cathedral Road End conceding just eight singles from his first sixteen deliveries before Westley hit him inside-out over extra cover for four. Salter also conceded just a series of singles when he returned but Westley then pulled Owen for four before driving the next ball straight for four.
Both batsmen also off-drove Salter for four before Stewart Walters at long-on ran round to long-off to take a fine diving catch as Westley tried to end the game in the grand manner by striking Allenby for six. Ben Foakes then joined Bopara who ended the game by flicking Allenby to long-leg for four as they reached their target with a dozen balls to spare to dent Glamorgan's net run rate but with other results seemingly helping the Welsh county, much will now depend on the final zonal match next Friday night against Gloucestershire who today lost at Cheltenham to Surrey.