Despite career-best List A bowling figures of 4/39 by Colin Ingram, Glamorgan lost by 16 runs to Middlesex in their contest in the Royal London One-Day Cup at Radlett.
This is the first time that Glamorgan have visited Radlett to meet Middlesex in a 1st XI match. Over the years, the popular suburb in leafy Hertfordshire has been the home of many personalities and celebrities, including Douglas Jardine of “Bodyline” fame. In more recent times, Simon Cowell – the reality TV judge and producer - has also lived in the village of around 8,000 people, and after their thrilling victory on Sunday, Glamorgan’s cricketers will once again be looking for the X-Factor as they look to defeat Middlesex in another must-win contest for the Welsh county in their quest of qualifying for the play-offs for the semi-final of the 50-overs competition.
An unchanged Glamorgan side took to the field with Marchant de Lange and Michael Hogan sharing the new ball. The latter was off-driven by Dawid Malan in his opening over, whilst Nick Gubbins outside edged a pull over the slip cordon against de Lange. But the paceman had the last laugh as two balls later he trapped the opener l.b.w. 12/1 saw Nick Compton make his way to the middle and he began with a clip to square-leg for four followed by a firmly struck off-drive
Malan also off-drove Hogan for four, but next over Hogan found the outside edge of Compton’s bat with Chris Cooke completing the regulation catch as Middlesex lost their second wicket with 31 runs on the board. Adam Voges also began in assertive vein, clipping de Lange to the boards at mid-wicket before off-driving Hogan followed by a cover drive against Timm van der Gugten.
Malan added another boundary to his tally as he straight drove van der Gugten, whilst Voges square-drove Craig Meschede to keep the board ticking over. Another well-timed cover drive by Malan brought up the fifty stand. Further boundaries by each batsman through the covers, plus a nurdle for four against David Lloyd saw Middlesex reach the 100-mark in the 19th over.
Malan then completed his half-century from 53 balls but he departed without further addition in Colin Ingram’s first over as he was bowled attempting a cut against the wrist-spinner. Kiran Carlson also had a spell at the Salter’s Field End and with his second delivery trapped John Simpson leg before with Middlesex on 106/4.
Voges then late-cut Carlson but three overs later he also departed l.b.w. as he propped half-forward to Ingram. 128/5 then became 136/6 as Ryan Higgins miscued a drive to Meschede at mid-on. Franklin responded by again late-cutting Carlson before Toby Roland-Jones on-drove Ingram to the ropes in front of one of the gayly-coloured marquees which lined the boundary at the Pavilion End of the tree-lined ground.
De Lange returned at the Salter’s Field End and saw an edge from Roland-Jones dropped by Will Bragg at slip. The batsman then on-drove Ingram for four before Franklin miscued a drive against Hogan just over the head of mid-off, but in his final over, Ingram claimed his fourth scalp as Roland-Jones swished across the line and also departed leg before.
Tom Helm began with a cover drive against Ingram before the seamers returned for the final batch of powerplay overs. He also biffed van der Gugten through extra cover before scampering a series of singles with Franklin as the 200 came up in the 43rd over. Helm then lofted van der Gugten over mid-off for four before Franklin completed his fifty from 70 balls, but with the total on 219 de Lange returned and induced a top-edge from Helm as he attempted a pull, but ended up spooning the ball to mid-wicket where Aneurin Donald completed the catch.
A dozen runs later Franklin’s stoic innings ended as he chipped de Lange to mid-wicket where Bragg took a good tumbling catch, before Steve Finn and Ravi Patel used the long handle to plunder late runs until Finn smeared van der Gugten to extra cover where Andrew Salter, the substitute fielder, took a fine diving catch.
Chasing a target of 244, Jacques Rudolph launched Glamorgan’s reply by twice cover-driving Roland-Jones as well as unfurling a pair of high-class off-drives against Helm. Lloyd then bisected first and second slip as the pair of fielders both left an outside edge to each other in Roland-Jones third over. Rudolph then drilled Helm twice through extra-cover before Lloyd savagely square-cut the seamer.
Rudolph greeted the introduction of Finn into the attack by drilling him through mid-off before doing the same to consecutive deliveries from Roland-Jones through extra-cover. But in his second over, and with the score on 53, Finn ended Rudolph’s tenure of the crease as the visiting captain edged to slip. Bragg joined Lloyd and began by clipping Roland-Jones to the boards at mid-wicket before Lloyd greeted the return of Helm by doing the same.
Bragg also on-drove Finn before Lloyd pulled the England paceman for six high over long-leg followed by a thick outside-edge for four in Helm’s next over. He then upper cut Finn for another rasping four before the 100 came up in the 18th over with another firm stroke through backward point. But on 48 Lloyd’s assertive innings ended as he edged Finn into Simpson’s gloves.
A wobble set in as 104/2 became 109/5 with Braggbeing superbly caught and bowled by Finn who stooped down to safely pouch a firmly struck drive, before Carlson edged his second delivery into Simpson’s gloves. Roland-Jones then returned to the attack and immediately removed Donald who chipped a ball into mid-wicket’s hands.
Ingram responded by straight-driving Roland-Jones for four, whilst Cooke punched the seamer through point for another boundary. Malan’s spin was then introduced with Cooke steering a long-hop through extra cover, before accumulating in a series of singles with Ingram until the latter harpooned Malan high over mid-wicket for a massive six.
The southpaw then greeted the return of Helm by striking him for successive fours but with the total on 174, the seamer bowled Cooke before two balls later seeing Meschede chip a ball into mid-wicket’s hands. De Lange joined Ingram with 66 still required from 73 balls, and he began by cover-driving Higgins before lofting Helm over long-on for a second four. He then had a life as he was dropped at long-on by Franklin before swatting Helm for six over deep mid-wicket.
Finn returned and was flicked for four to square-leg by Ingram as he completed his 50 from 55 balls with the equation becoming 31 from 36 balls. But De Lange then chipped a ball back to Higgins before Finn yielded just two runs in his final over. In a bid to secure another boundary, Ingram then hoisted Higgins towards square-leg but Gubbins held a fine catch on the boundary’s edge to leave Glamorgan’s last pair still needing 28 from 23 balls.
Hogan and van der Gugten struck a series of singles to reduce the task to 19 from the last two overs, but with nine balls remaining Higgins bowled Hogan to give Middlesex victory by sixteen runs.