A lusty 53* from 28 balls by Graham Wagg, plus for the second year in a row a superb pair of closing overs from Michael Hogan saw Glamorgan defeat the Kent Spitfires by one run in front of a sell-out 5,000 crowd at a picturesque Nevill Ground in Royal Tunbridge Wells to keep alive their hopes of a quarter-final place in the NatWest T20 Blast.
This was a must-win game for the Welsh county who welcomed Chris Cooke back into their ranks in place of Aneurin Donald as Jacques Rudolph and Colin Ingram opened the batting. After starting with five dot balls, Rudolph cover drove Darren Stevens for four before Ingram glanced Mitch Claydon to fine-leg for four. But next ball, Ingram was superbly caught low down at cover by Sam Northeast as he unleashed another booming cover drive.
Rudolph responded by clipping Stevens to fine-leg for four and then next ball cover driving him again to the boards. The next delivery was pulled for four to mid-wicket as three fours came in the over. Ben Wright began by clipping Matthew Hunn over extra cover for three, before clipping him to long-leg for four. Rudolph then greeted Calum Haggett by harpooning over mid-wicket for six before reverse-lapping him for four to third man as the fifty came up in the sixth over and the last of the powerplays.
After a series of singles, Rudolph under-edged a slower ball from Hunn onto his stumps. With the total on 56/2 Cooke joined Wright and he began by pulling Stevens for a massive six into one of the marquees lining the boundary. Wright also swept Tredwell for six but later in the over he perished at square-leg repeateding the stroke as Glamorgan reached 78/3 at the halfway stage.
Craig Meschede clipped the spin of Fabian Cowdrey to fine-leg but he miscued the next ball into Claydon's hands at backward point. Cooke then pulled Cowdrey for four, but with the total on 94, a slower ball from Hunn bowled Mark Wallace. Graham Wagg and saw Glamorgan to the 100-mark at the end of the 14
th over. Cooke celebrated by swatting Hunn for six to backward square-leg before driving him for another maximum back over his head and into the railway cutting. But to the last ball of the over he hoisted the ball to the fielder at deep mid-wicket as Glamorgan slipped further to 115/6.
Wagg swished Claydon over backward point for four before also depositing onto the railway tracks beyond the boundary at long-on. He then turned his attention to Haggett who he biffed for successive sixes over square-leg and mid-wicket. A flurry of one's and two's then followed in the final three overs as Wagg and David Lloyd worked the ball around as the total reached 162 at the start of the final over.
Lloyd was then bowled before Wagg clubbed Haggett to wide long-on for another six. He then flicked the next delivery to long-leg for four before smiting the last ball of the innings over long-on for his fifth six to complete a 28-ball half-century and to see Glamorgan to 179/7 as 64 runs came in the last five overs.
Michael Hogan opened the bowling and was drilled over mid-off for four by Joe Denly before Dean Cosker opened the bowling at the Pavilion End and was on-driven for four by both Denly and his opening partner Daniel Bell-Drummond. Denly then clubbed Hogan to deep mid-wicket for another four before swatting the next delivery to the ropes at square-leg. Two balls later he inside-edged a drive to fine-leg for another four before lofting the last ball to long-off for six and into one of the many rhododendron bushes lining the boundary.
Bell-Drummond then clipped Wagg to square-leg and fine leg for further boundaries as the Spitfires reached 50 after just 25 balls as Denly lofted Meschede's first ball high over extra cover. But Ingram ended the opening fireworks in the sixth over as Bell-Drummond miscued to mid-on. Sam Northeast got off the mark with a series of singles whilst Denly flat-batted Ingram through cover en route to a 28-ball fifty reached as Cooke nearly held a good low catch diving forward at long-off.
He celebrated by swatting Meschede over long-on for six followed by a four next ball to mid-wicket as Kent reached 99/1 at the halfway stage. Denly greeted Lloyd into the attack by late-cutting him for four but the bowler responded by having him caught for 70 at long-off.
With Kent on 106/2, Sam Billings joined his captain and the pair shrewdly worked the ball around before Northeast drive Lloyd straight for four and six. Billings then clipped Cosker to Salter at mid-wicket as Stevens arrived at the middle with 48 needed for 36 balls. Northeast greeted the return of Wagg by cutting him for four but he then sparred at a short ball from the all-rounder and Wallace pouched the top edge.
The task had become 41 off 30 balls as Cowdrey joined Stevens, The latter drilled Meschede through the covers for a pair of fours as the equation became 30 from 24 balls. Stevens responded by straight-driving Wagg for four before Hogan, Kent's nemesis from last season, retuned for the 18
th over with Kent needing 23 from 18 balls. But Hogan only conceded a single from the first three balls before having Cowdrey trapped l.b.w. Alex Blake was then dropped at cover next ball, but it wasn't an expensive miss as he clean bowled the Kent man with the next ball.
The upshot was 22 off 12 balls as Haggett joined Stevens. After a single from the first ball of the 19
th over, Haggett nearly pulled Wagg to square-leg, but this and the next ball each yielded two runs, before they scampered a single from the next two balls, with Wagg's last ball being a dot.
Kent therefore needed 15 from Hogan's final over with Stevens edging the first ball for a single to third man before Haggett off drove the second ball to the ropes at long-off. A single followed off the next ball before Stevens drilled Hogan over long-on for six. But Cooke then took a fine running catch at long-off to remove Stevens with three still needed. Haggett then smeared the last ball to deep square-leg before being run out after a smart throw by David Lloyd attempting the second run as Glamorgan won by one run - their first-ever victory in the competition against the Spitfires.