Despite a vibrant 79* by Chris Cooke plus 51 from Stewart Walters, as well as a burst of 3/4 in five balls by Graham Wagg, Glamorgan lost to Gloucestershire by three wickets with four balls to spare in their 50 overs friendly match at the County Ground in Bristol.
On the day when the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the Budget for the coming year, Glamorgan's cricketers began their account for 2014 under leaden grey skies. After being invited to bat first in the overcast conditions, Gareth Rees and Stewart Walters opened the batting for the Welsh county, with both batsmen striking early boundaries as Rees sweetly cover drove Will Gidman and Walters flicked Liam Norwell off his hips to the ropes at square-leg.
Rees then safely edged Gidman through the slip cordon before Walters deftly steered the same bowler to the point boundary, followed by a rasping on-drive in the next over from the all-rounder. But the bowler gained a modicum or revenge in his next over as he had an appeal for leg before against Rees upheld by the umpire. With the total on 36/1 in the 8th over, David Lloyd joined Walters and he began by punching Graeme McCarter through extra cover for four.
Walters saw Glamorgan past the 50-mark with a sumptuous drive for four through mid-wicket before despatching Marc Lezar through mid-on for another boundary. Walters then opted for the aerial route as he drove the young bowler to the ropes at long-on before bringing up the fifty stand by drilling Lezar through the covers for four.
Lloyd also peppered the boundary fence - in front of the final building plot at the redeveloped Nevil Road ground - as he drove Lezar square of the wicket before pulling a long-hop from Tom Shrewsbury to the boards at long-leg. But with the total on 97 in the 24th over the youngster then had Lloyd caught by wicket-keeper Cameron Herring as he attempted a sweep.
Jim Allenby opened his account by lofting Tom Smith over extra cover for four before Walters reached his fifty from 76 balls by off-driving Shrewsbury for his eighth boundary. But the young spinner claimed his second scalp later in the over as he bowled the opener. 112/3 swiftly became 116/4 as Allenby was run out after a superb diving stop by Chris Dent as the home captain produced a fine piece of fielding at cover which left the all-rounder short of his ground as he and Chris Cooke attempted a single.
Mark Wallace joined Cooke and the pair worked the ball around against the slow bowlers before the latter cover drove Shrewsbury for four. Wallace also punched Smith through extra cover for four before pulling both McCarter and Lezar to long-leg as the seamers returned to the attack. The Glamorgan captain brought up the fifty stand by driving McCarter through mid-off but with the total on 166 he was caught at mid-wicket to give Lezar his first wicket.
Ben Wright was swiftly into his stride square-driving Lezar to the ropes before harpooning the bowler for six over mid-wicket. Cooke also cut the youngster through backward point for four before pulling McCarter for another boundary. The leading run-scorer last summer for Glamorgan in List A cricket brought up the 200 by steering Gidman through the gully for four, and after surviving a difficult chance at third man, he biffed Norwell back over his head for six before completing a 51-ball fifty.
With the total on 239 Gidman trapped the jaunty Wright l.b.w. for 38, but the late momentum was maintained by some lusty swipes from the flashing blade of Graham Wagg whilst Cooke added further to his boundary tally as he steered McCarter through backward point. He then survived a second chance at mid-off before nearly decapitating Norwell with another rasping straight drive. He also despatched McCarter for four and six in successive deliveries in the final over as he saw Glamorgan to their decent total of 275/7 having struck 79* from 66 balls.
John Glover and Graham Wagg opened the bowling with the former being pulled for six by Dent in his second over before the acting Gloucestershire captain edged the latter through the slips. Dent then drove Wagg through extra cover before drilling Glover for successive fours to backward point and mid-wicket followed by a mammoth pull for six into the building site as the home side made a turbo-charged start.
Dent then off-drove Glover for successive fours followed by a pair of sixes - one straight and the other high over mid-wicket as he galloped to fifty from just 25 balls. His blitzkrieg looked like continuing as he drilled Andy Miller straight for four, but the triallist ended the salvo as Dent edged to Allenby at first slip and departed for a breezy 63 from 36 balls having struck 7 fours and 4 sixes.
With /Gloucestershire having taken their batting powerplay Hamish Marshall lofted Miller to long-on for four but Gidman then departed as he tried to repeat the stroke and holed out to Rees on the boundary's edge. Will Owen then struck with his second delivery as he clean bowled Marshall as Gloucestershire slipped to 87/3 in the 14th over.
After a phase of quiet reconnaissance with Iain Cockbain, Gareth Roderick lofted Dean Cosker over mid-off for six. Cockbain then burst into life striking Owen for successive fours on either side of the wicket before off-driving the seamer for another boundary. He then turned his attention to Cosker who he struck twice for four to mid-wicket as well as through extra cover before steering Allenby through extra cover for four.
Cockbain completed his fifty from 48 balls by glancing Miller to long-leg shortly after Roderick had nearly been run out at the bowler's end after a mix-up in calling and some smart ground fielding by Wagg. Roderick then nearly chipped Miller to Allenby at mid-off with the ball just clearing the outstretched hands of the fielder.
Cockbain then struck Allenby for six over mid-wicket before swatting his next ball through point for four as the equation became 83 from 14 overs.
But with the total on 199, the complexion of the run-chase changed Wagg broke the stand as he bowled Cockbain for 74. Two balls later, Wagg dismissed Will Gidman who edged into Wallace's gloves. Roderick responded by striking successive fours to mid-off and long-leg off Glover before his new partner Herring top-edged a pull against Wagg to the ropes at long-leg. Wagg had the perfect riposte as next ball he re-arranged the youngster's stumps as Gloucestershire slipped again to 215/6 in the 40th over.
Tom Smith cut Wagg for four in the left-armer's final over as the home side's target became 48 from 48 balls as Miller and Owen returned to the attack. After a flurry of singles, Smith bludgeoned Owen over mid-wicket for six as the equation was whitteled down to 24 off 30 deliveries and then 19 from 24 balls. Smith then survived a chance as mid-off failed to grasp a steepling drive before striking a full toss from Owen to the ropes at mid-wicket.
But the bowler then atoned by having smith caught at mid-off by Rees with Gloucestershire on 267/7 and still needing nine from fifteen balls. McCarter then failed to score from the next three balls before Roderick drove Glover over the head of mid-off for four. After a trio of singles and a leg-bye McCarter ended the contest by steering Owen for six to long-leg with Roderick unbeaten on 74.
The scorecard for today's game is available on the Total Cricket Scorer website at http://www.totalcricketscorer.com/TCSLive/tcslivescores.aspx . Please select U.K., Wales and Glamorgan in the option menu.