The victory by Glamorgan over Middlesex in their final group game in the NatWest T20 Blast means that the Welsh county have secured a home quarter-final at The SSE SWALEC against Leicestershire starting at 6.30pm on Wednesday , August 23rd.
This will be the third time in four summers that Glamorgan have reached the last eight of the competition, having also qualified in 2014 and 2016. Had it not been for the vagaries of a rain-reduced five over game against Gloucestershire in the final group contest in 2015, they might have also qualified that year as well!
Last August, Glamorgan met the Yorkshire Vikings in a quarter-final contest at their Cardiff headquarters, and in front of a bumper crowd of 10,087 - the largest attendance for a domestic game at The SSE SWALEC - with the spectators full of hwyl and expectation that the Welsh county were going to emulate the achievements of the national football team in the European Championships. Instead, they saw the Yorkshire Vikings inflicted a 90-run defeat on the Welsh county, after the visitor’s innings had been launched in grand style by David Willey who pillaged 79 from a mere 38 balls, striking seven fours and half a dozen sixes as his side raced to 61-1 at the end of the powerplay overs.
Yorkshire had also played a role in Glamorgan’s quarter-final appearance in 2008 as the Welsh county had been a late call-up to the last eight after the Yorkshire Vikings were disqualified having fielded an ineligible player. Glamorgan had won their final group match after defeating the Worcestershire Royals by six wickets and had left the New Road ground believing that they were out of the competition, only to be re-instated a week or so later by the ECB for the match at Chester-le-Street.
There was not to be a fairytale ending however, as the Durham Dynamos duly won by 44 runs. Glamorgan also lost their quarter-final against the Lancashire Lightning in 2014, where the contest went into the reserve day after a deluge of monsoonal proportions had left the Old Trafford ground under huge pools of water. The following day, the Glamorgan bowlers restricted the Lightning to 137-8 in their 20 overs, and at 92-2 in the fourteenth over, their batsmen seemed to be cruising towards their target. But Jordan Clark claimed four quick wickets as the visitors nosedived to 100-6 and despite a late rally, they lost by the agonising margin of one run.
2004 has, so far, been the only time Glamorgan have won their quarter-final contest and reached Finals Day. On that occasion at Cardiff, Glamorgan beat the Warwickshire Bears by five wickets with a crowd of around 8,500 present to see a stirring Glamorgan fightback. After the Bears set the Welsh county a target of 159, they slipped to 2-2, but Matthew Elliott found a noble ally in David Hemp, as they rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 118 for the third wicket as Glamorgan eased to victory with an over to spare.
This victory saw Glamorgan head on August 7th, 2004 to Finals Day at Edgbaston where they met the Leicestershire Foxes in the semi-final. However, Darren Maddy blitzed a quick-fire 72 from 40 balls to see his side to a decent total of 165-5 from their 20 overs. The Welsh county then lost their top-order during the first six overs, and despite the best efforts of David Hemp and Mark Wallace, they could not wrest back the initiative as the Foxes won by 21 runs.
That game in 2004 was only Glamorgan’s 13th match in the Twenty20 competition. Perhaps it will be thirteen years lucky in 2017 as Glamorgan strive to clinch a place at Finals Day on Saturday, September 2nd when they meet Leicestershire next Wednesday.
CLICK HERE to secure your seats for the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final versus Leicestershire on Wednesday 23rd August, 6.30pm at The SSE SWALEC with adult advance tickets priced £16, students advance £10, under 17s £5 plus family and group ticket offers.