Glamorgan travel to the south coast to meet Hampshire in their next match in the NatWest T20 Blast with the contest at the Ageas Bowl on Friday, July 3rd starting at 7pm.
Their victory on Sunday at Taunton has lifted Glamorgan back up into fifth place in the group, level on ten points with Hampshire, but with an inferior run rate and having played a game more than the South Coast side. A Glamorgan victory on Friday would greatly enhance their quest for a quarter-final place, especially as they complete their programme in the group stages of the T20 competition with away matches against two other sides currently ahead of them in the table - the Sussex Sharks and Kent Spitfires - before returning to Cardiff for the final group game on July 24
th against Gloucestershire who are currently languishing in seventh spot in the table.
Glamorgan have already met Hampshire this year in the NatWest T20 Blast but they lost on May 29
th when the two sides met at the SSE SWALEC in a contest where the left-arm bowlers enjoyed a field day. Graham Wagg's efforts in taking 4/27 were then trumped by Chris Wood who claimed a career-best 4/16 as Hampshire won by 21 runs.
However, Glamorgan were victorious last summer at Hampshire's headquarters in the opening match of the 2014 Twenty20 competition as a fine all-round team effort, plus a haul of 3/32 by Will Owen saw Glamorgan launch their campaign with a 10-run victory. Prior to this, Glamorgan had been defeated at the Ageas Bowl in 2011 when they lost by two wickets after being restricted to 120/9 with spinner Danny Briggs claiming 4/24.
Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams had been the star the previous summer at their home ground when he posted what proved to be a match-winning century for his side as they defeated the Welsh county by 54 runs. His efforts also helped his side redress the balance having lost three weeks before at Cardiff by seven wickets.
As far as some of Glamorgan's players are concerned, Friday night's game sees them close to personal milestones. Mark Wallace needs one further catch to reach 50 in the competition, whilst Chris Cooke needs 56 runs to follow Jim Allenby and Mark Wallace in amassing over 1,000 runs in the Twenty20 competition for the Welsh county.
Hampshire Factfile
T20 Captain: James Vince
Overseas players: Fidel Edwards (West Indies), Yasir Arafat (Pakistan), Jackson Bird (Australia)
Last Season: Finished 3
rd in the South Division, Semi Finalists- Losing to Lancashire Lightning by 41 runs (D/L method)
Pre-Tournament odds: Sky Bet, William Hill, Coral - 6/1; Betfred- 13/2
T20 results - Hampshire v Glamorgan in 2014
16
th May 2014 at The Ageas Bowl - Glamorgan won by 10 runs
Glamorgan 161/7 in 20 overs; JA Rudolph 34, MA Wallace 33. DR Briggs 2-24
Hampshire 151/6 in 20 overs: MT Coles 42, JM Vince 38. WT Owen 3-32
25th June 2014 at Cardiff - Hampshire won by 6 runs
Hampshire 170/6 in 20 overs: MA Carberry 59, JHK Adams 52. MG Hogan 2-28.
Glamorgan 164/6 in 20 overs: MA Wallace 38, CB Cooke 35*