78 from Billy Root, plus fifties by Marnus Labuschagne and Dan Douthwaite saw Glamorgan complete a record-breaking run-chase at Hove as they chased a formidable looking target of 348 with debutant Roman Walker sealing a famous victory with eight balls to spare with a massive six over mid-wicket.
Whilst Glamorgan’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup ended after their five-wicket defeat at Lord’s on Sunday, the Sharks are one of four counties, alongside Gloucestershire, Middlesex and Somerset, in a joust for the top three spots in the South Group. But this was forgotten, as were the travails at Hove last summer, with the visitors posting their highest-ever run chase in a List A match.
With Roman replacing Timm van der Gugten, it was Lukas Carey and Marchant de Lange who shared the new ball as Phil Salt and Luke Wright opened the batting. Salt had an early life as Charlie Hemphrey failed to grasp a shoulder-high edge at second slip in the opening over delivered by de Lange, before off-driving the fast bowler for the day’s first boundary. He followed this up by on-driving and pulling De Lange for a trio of boundaries, but next ball he spliced another pull and was caught at short fine-leg by Carey. 30/1 saw the arrival of George Garton who began by pulling Carey for four.
Luke Wright also cover drove de Lange for four before edging him between wicket-keeper and first slip, followed two balls later by a rasping cover drive for four. Garton also cover-drove Carey for four as the Sharks ended the powerplays on 63/1. But one run later Dan Douthwaite ended Garton’s brief innings as Cooke completed a catch at the second attempt diving to his left.
Stiaan Van Zyl joined Wright as Walker replaced Carey at the Cromwell Road End and became the first Student on Glamorgan’s BTEC course in Sport Studies to play for the 1st XI. Van Zyl guided Douthwaite through backward point for four, but the two youngsters gave little away in their opening salvo’s with Walker conceding a four as Wright on-drove the North Walian.
With the total on 96/2, Douthwaite bowled van Zyl with a delivery which also shattered one of the bails. Laurie Evans announced his arrival with a booming cover drive for four before Marnus Labuschagne’s wrist-spin was employed. Graham Wagg also entered the fray and was driven to long-on for four as Wright completed a 71-ball fifty. Evans then struck successive balls from Labuschagne to the ropes at long-on and backward point for four.
Wright then on-drove Wagg for a pair of fours before late-cutting and upper-cutting Labuschagne to the ropes. He then greeted the return of de Lange by pulling him for six before lofting him to long-off for four. Wright then pulled a long-hop from Root for four before pulling a ball from Carey straight into the hands of Root at short mid-wicket and departing for 97. With the total on 203/4 David Wiese joined Evans and punched Labuschagne off the back foot through extra cover before thick-edging Carey to third man for four.
Evans completed his fifty by dabbing Labuschange to third man before swatting a short ball from Carey to long-on. He then struck successive deliveries from Wagg to the ropes at long-on and backward point before plonking the next over extra cover for six. He then drilled Douthwaite through extra cover for four before completing his 100 from 81 balls with a series of singles. He celebrated by lofting Douthwaite just over the head of the fielder at long-on.
Wiese also used the long handle in the closing overs to drill Carey through the covers for four and over extra cover for six. With the total on 324 Evans departed as he swatted de Lange to Jeremy Lawlor at deep backward point before three runs later Ben Brown chipped Carey to David Lloyd at short cover. Wiese then completed his fifty from 37 balls by straight-driving Carey before de Lange bowled Will Beer in the final over. Wiese also plonked the last ball over mid-wicket for six as the Sharks ended on 347-7.
Needing their highest-ever total batting second in a List A game, Lawlor and Lloyd began Glamorgan’s reply as Mir Hamza and Wiese opened the bowling. Lloyd drilled the Pakistani to mid-wicket and extra cover for a pair of fours whilst Lawlor clipped Wiese to deep backward square-leg before pulling Hamza for six. The youngster then straight drove Hamza for four but with the total on 32 Lloyd pulled Hamza to Van Zyl at backward square-leg.
Cooke joined Lawlor and began by clipping Wiese to fine-leg whilst Lawlor drove Hamza to the extra-cover boundary. Cooke then drove Wiese to mid-wicket to see the visitors to the 50-mark before Lawlor clipped Abi Sakande over square-leg for six followed by a deft nurdle through backward point for four. But in sight of a maiden List A fifty, Lawlor spliced a short ball from Sakande into Briggs’ hands at backward point.
Having been joined by Labuschagne, Cooke drilled Sakande straight for six as Glamorgan moved into three figures. Cooke then pulled Sakande for four before Labuschagne leg-glanced the same bowler to the ropes. But the introduction of Beer’s leg-breaks ended Cooke’s tenure of the crease as he bowled the visiting captain for 41. Root joined Labuschagne and swiftly unfurled some of his wristy signature strokes plus an impish upper-cut to third man against Garton.
Labuschagne also drove Beer over extra cover for six before pulling Garton for four, besides greeting the return of Briggs by driving him through the covers. The Australian then pulled Garton for six over fine-leg to complete a 54-ball fifty before Root reverse-swept Briggs for four. But with the total on 190, Labuschagne departed l.b.w. to Briggs.
With Hemphrey as his new partner, Root swept Beer for four before the pair scampered a series of series. But with the total on 210 Hemphrey drove Briggs to long-off where Sakande completed a low catch. Douthwaite joined Root who again reverse-swept Beer en route to a run-a-ball fifty before continuing to work the ball with his youthful partner who also flat-batted Wiese straight for four before swatting him to the mid-wicket boundary.
Mir Hamza was then nurdled for four to third man by Root before he pulled the Pakistani over square-leg for six as the equation became 94 from the last 10 overs. Root maintained the tempo by straight-driving Briggs for four followed by a flowing on-drive for another well-placed boundary. Douthwaite also drilled Hamza over long-on for six, but later in the over, Root was run out by Briggs at backward square-leg as he attempted to return for a second. His departure saw the arrival of Wagg who began by smearing a free hit from Briggs over point as the task became 63 off 42 balls. Douthwaite straight drove Beer for six before Wagg did the same to Wiese as Glamorgan reached the 300-mark in the 45th over with 44 needed off 30 balls.
But Hamza removed Wagg who paddled the ball to Wright at short third man. With De Lange joining him, Douthwaite flayed the Pakistani to fine-leg for four before lofting him over long-off for a huge six. De Lange also drilled Wiese over long-off for six, followed by another exocet-like four to the same area. Douthwaite then completed his lusty fifty from 32 balls before de Lange flat-batted a free hit over cover for four. Next ball though he was caught at long-on by Salt with 8 needed off 12 balls as Walker joined Douthwaite. After a single through the covers the debutant lofted Hamza over mid-wicket for a huge six as Glamorgan won with eight balls remaining to complete their highest-ever run-chase in a List A match surpassing their previous best of 334-7 against Hampshire at The Ageas Bowl in 2017.