A feisty 80 by Chris Cooke, plus fifties from Aneurin Donald and Graham Wagg, plus a four-wicket haul by MIchael Hogan and some outstanding fielding saw Glamorgan to a comprehensive 84-run victory against the Sussex Sharks as the Welsh county proved superior in all departments of their match in the Royal London One-Day Cup at The SSE SWALEC and remain top of the South Group.
Glamorgan rested Timm van der Gugten from the team which beat Gloucestershire on Monday evening, with Andrew Salter replacing him, but a player with number 64 on his back was soon performing as Steve Magoffin opened the bowling and after delivering a no ball, Jacques Rudolph flicked the free hit to fine-leg. His partner David Lloyd also secured early boundaries against Magoffin as he drilled him through extra cover and backward point, but the veteran seamer gained revenge as he edged to first slip.
18/1 saw Will Bragg make his way to the middle to join Rudolph who unleashed another series of high-class strokes as he off-drove Chris Jordan before gliding Magoffin to third man and to the ropes at cover. But on 21 he was hit on his forearm by a rising ball from Jordan and retired hurt, with Colin Ingram replacing him at the crease. Magoffin then changed ends and was clipped to long-on and mid-wicket for four by Bragg as the fifty came up in the 14th over.
Ajmal Shahzad then entered the attack at the River Taff and saw Ross Taylor at short mid-wicket drop a sharp chance as Bragg spooned a drive, but next over the pace bowler met with better fortune as Ingram – on 13 – gloved a short ball onto his stumps with the ball dislodging a bail. 86/2 saw Aneurin Donald join Bragg and after a series of singles, Bragg edged Shahzad to third man to bring up the hundred.
Donald then found the ropes at wide long-on as he lofted a drive against Danny Briggs but the off-spinner made further inroads into the Glamorgan batting as on 109 he bowled Bragg as the southpaw attempted to run the ball down through back ward point. It nearly became 111/4 as Donald lofted Chris Nash to long-on, but Harry Finch could not hold onto the ball. Chris Cooke was swiftly into his stride as he pulled Nash for four, whilst Donald swept Briggs for four.
Cooke also had a life as Ed Joyce at backward point spilled a reverse sweep much to Nash’s displeasure, before Donald brought up the 150 by nurdling Briggs to third man. When Jordan returned at the River End, Donald savagely hooked him for four to complete a 55-ball fifty, and next over Cooke lofted Briggs over extra-cover for six. But with the total on 178, Briggs snared Donald l.b.w.
Graham Wagg duly joined Cooke and with a trio of coruscating off-drives for four against Garton saw Glamorgan to the 200-mark in the 41st over. Cooke then turned his attention to the young seamer as he pulled him for four followed by a scorching cover drive as he completed a 54-ball fifty. By this time, Wagg had also pulled Garton for another rasping four before off-driving Shahzad to the boards and pulling the next ball for four as further acceleration took place in the closing overs.
Cooke greeted the return of Jordan by clubbing him over mid-off for four before dispatching the next ball over fine-leg for six. The next ball, a no-ball saw Cooke “caught” at backward point before together with Wagg they scampered a series of one’s and two’s. Cooke then celebrated by pulling Shahzad for six, followed by a rasping four. An upper cut for six by Wagg brought up the 100-stand before another ferocious straight drive for four and a drop at cover, as the all-rounder completed his fifty from 35 balls. He was yorked in the penultimate over by Jordan before Cooke was caught at wide long-on in the last over as Glamorgan ended on 302/6 as a torrent of 116 runs came in the final ten overs as the home batsmen made the visitors pay for their slipshod fielding
With Rudolph having gone to hospital for an X-ray, it was Ingram who led the Welsh county into the field as they looked to continue their good run of form in white ball cricket. Michael Hogan, who shared the new ball with Wagg, conceded the first boundary as Nash clipped him to mid-wicket, but there was little on offer as the Sharks made a sober start, with Wagg being cut by Ed Joyce to the boundary boards in the seventh over.
With the build-up of pressure Nash tried to sneak a quick single in Hogan’s fourth over but Dean Cosker – on his 250th List A appearance - swooped like a gazelle at backward point and with a direct hit at the bowler’s end ran out Nash who was inches short of his ground. Harry Finch joined Joyce who then clipped Hogan to wide mid-on for four before Salter and Meschede entered the attack. Finch struck each for four square of the wicket before Joyce pulled Salter to wide long-on for four. But the opener then perished playing the same stroke to Meschede as Wagg on the boundary’s edge safely pouched the ball.
64/2 saw Ross Taylor make his way to the middle and the Kiwi was swiftly into his stride with a series of singles but with both Meschede and Cosker in parsimonious mode, the asking rate continued to climb. In another attempt to break free of the shackles, Taylor unleashed a furious drive against Meschede who noncha lently plucked the ball one-handed out of the air in his follow-through.
78/3 saw Luke Wright join Finch and the visiting captain ended the boundary drought by driving Meschede in the air to long-off, followed by a flick to the boards at square-leg. But Finch then tried to copy his captain’s example and perished for his aggression as he skied a drive against the wily Cosker and was caught by Ruaidhri Smith, the substitute fielder who ran across from mid-on to mid-off to complete a tumbling catch.
Ben Brown duly joined Wright with the Sharks on 90/4 as Lloyd had a trundle at the River End and was clipped to fine-leg and backward point for a pair of fours by Wright before Brown scythed him through the gulley for another four. Wright then straight-drove Lloyd for six before Brown reverse-swept Salter for four as the Sharks reached the 30-over mark on 146/4 and ahead of Glamorgan at the same stage of their innings.
Shortly afterwards Wagg returned to the attack in tandem with Salter with the left-armer ending the fifth wicket stand as Brown miscued a drive into the hands of mid-on. Jordan became Wright’s new partner with the Sharks captain completing his fifty from 42 balls with another scurried single before cover-driving Salter for four before pulling the next ball high over mid-wicket for six.
Wright greeted the return of Hogan by pulling him for four but he then perished attempting another blow in the same area with Ingram running back at mid-on taking a fine running catch as he gleefully held onto the ball as it descended over his shoulder. Jordan defiantly pulled Hogan for four and harpooned Cosker for six to mid-wicket but he then departed repeating the stroke as Donald running in from the boundary superbly held onto another skier.
205/7 then became 207/8 as Garton departed l.b.w. to Hogan, before five runs later the Australian seamer bowled Shahzad before he finished the contest by having Magoffin caught at cover as he finished with the commendable figures of 4/41 as Glamorgan won with 44 balls remaining.