A 68-ball hundred by Liam Dawson, plus 84 by Will Smith, followed by a spell of four wickets for two runs in 16 balls from Gareth Berg saw Hampshire to a comprehensive 186-run victory over Glamorgan in the Welsh county’s penultimate group game in the Royal London One-Day Cup at Swansea
After the excitement and drama of their closing group games in the Twenty20 competition, Glamorgan returned to action today in the Royal London One-Day, with the Welsh county, currently in fifth place in the South Group, knowing that victories in their two remaining group games will greatly assist their quest of a place in the top four of the group and a quarter-final in the 50 overs competition.
Glamorgan fielded an unchanged side with the same eleven in action from the defeat on Tuesday to the Essex Eagles at Chelmsford so it was Graham Wagg and Timm van der Gugten who shared the new ball. Jimmy Adams opened with Tom Alsop who struck the days first boundary as he flicked Wagg to fine-leg .before Adams cut the Dutchman for four.
Wagg beat the outside edge several times of Adams’ bat before the opener dispatched him over the head of extra cover for four before lofting van der Gugten to the ropes at mid-wicket. But the bowler had the last laugh as he bowled Adams later in the over. 38/1 saw Will Smith join Alsop who drilled Michael Hogan’s first delivery through mid-on before bringing up the fifty with a booming off-drive against van der Gugten.
Will Smith then straight-drove Hogan for four before Alsop whipped Craig Meschede through mid-wicket for four, but the all-rounder then deceived him with a slower delivery and the batsman scooped the ball to Wagg who was stationed on the drive at short mid-wicket and leaped up to complete a two-handed catch above his head.
With the total on 76/2 Joe Weatherley joined Smith with Glamorgan switching to spin as Andrew Salter entered the attack. Smith responded by ramp-stroking him for four to long-leg. On 23, he had a life as Aneurin Donald at mid-wicket dropped a lofted drive. Weatherley also lofted Salter straight for six before Smith pulled Colin Ingram’s first ball for four.
Weatherley then cover-drove Jacques Rudolph for four but next over he repeated the stroke and drilled the ball into Wagg’s hands as Hampshire lost their third wicket on 137. Shortly afterwards, Smith completed a 67-ball fifty before scything van der Gugten to third man for four. Liam Dawson began with a series of singles, plus a cover driven four began Wagg and Meschede returned in tandem.
The fourth wicket pair continued to work the ball around as Hampshire reached the 200 mark in the 39th over before Smith nearly swatted Wagg into mid-wicket’s hands, but later in the over he lobbed an on-drive to mid-on where Lloyd completed the catch. 223/4 saw Ryan McLaren join Dawson who completed his 45-ball fifty with another single. McLaren began by top-edging a pull for four against van der Gugten – the first boundary for thirteen overs.
Dawson also lofted Hogan straight for four before McLaren pulled the Australian for six over square-leg before plonking Wagg over long-off for another maximum. Dawson nearly pulled van der Gugten to Wagg at deep backward square-leg but McLaren made a decent contact next over against Wagg as he plundered another maximum. Next ball, the Springbok attempted to repeat the stroke but holed out to Ingram at long-on, Dawson added further sixes over square-leg and long-off later in the over before swatting Hogan over cover to bring up the 300, before another couple of sixes over long-on on the final over, bowled by Hogan as he completed a 68-ball hundred with 59 runs coming from the last five overs
Chasing a target of 317, and with the tide having come in out in Swansea Bay, Glamorgan had an immediate setback as Lloyd departed leg before to the first delivery of the innings, delivered by McLaren. Will Bragg got the scoreboard moving as he flicked Gareth Berg for four through mid-wicket. Rudolph then benefitted from a free hit as he scythed McLaren to wide long-on, but later in the over he feathered a catch down the leg-side into the wicket-keeper’s gloves.
This was the first of five wickets to tumble in the space of 28 balls as 22/2 immediately became 22/3 as next ball Bragg edged a sharply rising ball from Gareth Berg into McManus’ gloves, and then four balls later Ingram top-edged a pull and Mason Crane running in from long-leg completed the catch as Glamorgan lost their fourth wicket on 24, and then one run later the fifth wicket tumbled as Donald clipped an in-swinger from Berg into mid-wicket’s hands.
The decent-sized crowd then gave a loud cheer as Mark Wallace firmly cut McLaren for four, but this was not the end of the clatter of wickets as next over Berg claimed his fourth wicket in the space of sixteen balls as he trapped Wagg leg before with another in-swinging full length delivery. With Meschede as his new partner, Wallace twice cover-drove Brad Wheal to the ropes before surving a run-out chance in Berg’s penultimate over.
Meschede brought up the 50 with a booming off-drive against Berg before nurdling him for four as he finished his ten over quota with figures on 4/25. Gareth Andrew then entered the attack and claimed wickets with his fifth and sixth deliveries as firstly Wallace inside-edged another swinging delivery as McManus pouched the ball inches above the turf, before Salter edged a sharply rising delivery into the hands of second slip.
59/8 saw Van der Gugten join Meschede and the Dutchman began by swatting Andrew to the mid-wicket ropes. Meschede also on-drove Andrew for four before McLaren returned. After over-stepping Meschede swiped a free hit to the long-on boundary, whilst van der Gugten clubbed Andrew straight for four followed by a huge swipe for six over backward square-leg.
Van der Gugten then whipped McLaren to square-leg before driving the South African into mid-off’s hands. Meschede defiantly swatted Andrew for fours to long-on and long-off to bring up the hundred. Hogan also cover drove McLaren for a pair of fours, besides edging him to third man for four before Meschede harpooned Mason Crane over mid-wicket for six. But McLaren ended procedings as Meschede drove loftily to mid-off where Crane held the skier to give Hampshire victory by 186 runs.
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