Glamorgan were literally in seventh heaven on Friday night after their 7th win of the summer in the Nat West T20 Blast, by seven wickets over Middlesex, which saw them clinch top spot in the Southern Group, plus a home quarter-final against Leicestershire on Wednesday evening, who had beaten the Notts Outlaws by just two runs in a humdinger of a contest earlier in the evening at Trent Bridge to secure fourth spot in the Northern Division.
Glamorgan’s record of seven wins this summer is one short of their record in the competition, achieved last summer in the group stages prior to the quarter-final against the Yorkshire Vikings. The Foxes recorded eight victories in the group stages in what was something of a curate’s egg performance, winning their first four matches and the last four, with their closing sequence including a 48-run success against reigning champions the Northants Steelbacks, plus four wicket wins against the Yorkshire Vikings and Derbyshire Falcons.
Besides their collective success, the Foxes can also boast the leading bowler in the group stages of this year’s NatWest T20 Blast with Clint McKay, the former Australian seamer, having claimed 22 wickets at a mere 14 runs apiece, with Glamorgan’s Michael Hogan in joint fourth place with 17 wickets to his name so far in the competition.
The Welsh county have only met Leicestershire once before in the short format of the white ball game, at Finals Day at Edgbaston on August 7th, 2004 when Glamorgan were defeated by 21 runs as Darren Maddy, the Foxes all-rounder and original Mr. Twenty20, played a match-winning innings before his side won the competition with a seven wicket victory over Surrey in the final.
Glamorgan last met Leicestershire in limited overs matches in 2013 when half-centuries by Chris Cooke and Mark Wallace at both Grace Road and St. Helen’s, saw Glamorgan complete the double over the East Midlands side in the 40 overs competition. Michael Hogan also took 3/38 in the 34-run victory at Leicester whilst Jim Allenby claimed three scalps as Glamorgan won by 68 runs at Swansea.
Leicestershire most recent victory over Glamorgan in a one-day game came at Sophia Gardens in September 2003 where despite an unbeaten 91 by Michael Powell and 4/44 by David Harrison, a century from Paul Nixon plus an unbeaten 67 by Paul Nixon saw the Foxes home by three wickets. As far as Glamorgan’s most recent win is concerned, you have to go back to April 29th, 1990 when Glamorgan were victorious in their Sunday League contest with a half-century by Viv Richards and a probing spell of 3/30 from seamer Mark Frost.