A fine all-round performance with bat and ball saw Glamorgan make a winning start to their NatWest t20 Blast campaign at the Ageas Bowl as they defeated Hampshire by ten runs, with Will Owen taking 3/32.
After losing the toss, captain Jim Allenby opened the batting with Jacques Rudolph and struck the first ball of the contest, delivered by Kyle Abbott, behind square for four before cover driving the last ball of the opening over for a further boundary. Rudolph then swatted a long-hop from Sean Ervine behind square on the leg-side before striking three successive fours as he deftly leg-glanced Matt Coles to the ropes at long-leg before savagely cutting and cover driving the next two deliveries.
Danny Briggs then entered the attack with Glamorgan on 30/0 after three overs and the spinner was nonchalantly despatched through extra cover by Allenby but he advanced down the wicket to the final ball of the over and was stumped by Michael Bates. Mark Wallace duly replaced him and cut his first ball, from Coles, for four before Rudolph brought up the fifty by scooping Will Smith for four.
The South African then glanced Liam Dawson for four before harpooning Briggs to the mid-wicket ropes, but the tall spinner claimed his second wicket as he also departed stumped advancing down the wicket. 65/2 saw Murray Goodwin join Wallace, who punched both Abbott and Dawson in the air through the covers for four. The pair also scampered a series of well-placed two's but with the total on 98 Wallace swept Smith into the hands of the fielder on the mid-wicket boundary.
Five runs later the innings looked like stuttering as Goodwin reverse-swept Dawson to short fine-leg, but Ben Wright and Chris Cooke joined forces, with the former swatting Ervine over backward point for four before Cooke lofted Briggs for six over mid-wicket. But Wright then departed trying to emulate his partner as he holed out to mid-wicket with the total on 124.
Graham Wagg then helped Cooke to scamper a series of singles and in an attempt to clear the ropes again, Cooke blasted Briggs to Jimmy Adams at wide long-on. Wagg though had more luck as he drilled Abbott straight and then to mid-wicket in the penultimate over. Smith was then bowled by Coles in the final over as Glamorgan ended on 161/7 with Wagg unbeaten on 21.
Andrew Salter opened the bowling and was cover driven by James Vince for four, with the Hampshire captain then lofting Wagg in the same direction next over. But Will Owen struck with his third delivery as he bowled Michael Carberry. Jimmy Adams then survived a loud l.b.w. appeal from Allenby before Vince upper cut a short ball from Wagg for four. Adams then pulled Owen to long-leg for three but two balls later Cooke caught him at short fine-leg with the total on 42.
The spinners Dean Cosker and Salter then bowled in tandem and kept the home batsmen in check with Dawson also twisting a knee and having to call for Carberry as a runner. Despite hobbling, he continued to briefly flay away before retiring hurt with his side on 59/2 and Ervine joining Vince with 100 needed from the last ten overs. Vince responded by lofting Salter straight for six but next ball, the young spinner had him smartly stumped by Wallace.
Coles then bludgeoned Cosker and Owen for six over mid-wicket before Ervine drove Cosker straight for four. Coles also had a life as Wallace running back towards third man dropped a difficult chance as the all-rounder attempted to pull Owen. Coles celebrated his good fortune by lofting Owen for six in the direction of Winchester but Wagg and Allenby thwarted his efforts to clear the ropes again as Hampshire entered the last five overs needing 51 to win.
Ervine responded by driving Cosker for three successive boundaries as the equation became 34 off 24 balls, but Owen then returned and conceded just three runs from his final over besides bowling Ervine with a slower ball. Salter conceded just seven runs from his last over as the equation became 24 from the last 12 balls..
Smith then ran out Will Smith in Allenby's final over with the Glamorgan t20 captain not conceding a boundary in his exemplary bowling spell as Hampshire entered the final over still requiring eighteen to win but Wagg held his nerve as just seven runs were scored, with the left-armer also bowling Coles with his penultimate ball as for the second year in a row Glamorgan opened their campaign in the Twenty20 with a pulsating win.