Despite 64 by Colin Ingram plus a bucolic 36 by Graham Wagg. Hampshire extended their lead at the top of the group table as an unbeaten seventh wicket stand of 85 in 14.3 overs between Brad Taylor (54*) and Gareth Berg (52*) saw the visitors to a four-wicket victory in their contest in the Royal London One-Day Cup at a sun-drenched St. Helen’s, Swansea.
The Welsh county made one change to their team which beat the Sussex Sharks at Sophia Gardens on Friday with Ruaidhri Smith replacing Connor Brown with Nick Selman and Aneurin Donald opening the batting as Chris Wood and Reece Topley sharing the bowling duties. Selman was the recipient of a five in the third over as a throw at the stumps by Joe Weatherley ricocheted off the stumps for overthrows. He then under-edged a four against Chris Wood before Donald pulled the left-armer for six over square-leg followed by an on-driven four against Topley.
Donald then greeted the introduction of Mason Crane by driving the leg-spinner for four to mid-wicket, but Gareth Berg ended the youngster’s innings in his opening over as Donald pulled a ball into the hands of Jimmy Adams at short mid-wicket. 48/1 saw the arrival of David Lloyd in the middle and he began by nurdling Berg for four to third man. Selman then survived a stumping chance against Crane but next over the keeper made amends as he snaffled an edge as Selman attempted to cut Crane.
66/2 then became 68/3 as Lloyd chipped a ball straight back to Berg. Ingram responded by cover-driving the seamer before pulling a full toss from Crane for six but the leg-spinner responded by snaring Kiran Carlson who skewed a delivery to Brad Taylor at backward point. 83/4 saw Chris Cooke join Ingram and he began with a flowing off-drive against Taylor, before Ingram swatted another short ball from Crane through extra-cover.
After bringing up the hundred with a single, Ingram greeted the return of Reece Topley by pulling him for six, before Cooke drilled him through cover for four. Ingram then swept Taylor for four but in the off-spinner’s next over Cooke chipped a ball back to the bowler and departed with the total on 120.
Graham Wagg joined his captain and also benefitted from four overthrows as he scampered a single before Ingram pulled Berg for four followed by a ramp for four against Taylor en route to a 52-ball fifty. He celebrated by sweeping Taylor for his third six, before Wagg lofted the spinner into the Mumbles Road for another maximum to see Glamorgan to the 150-mark. He then harpooned Crane for six over mid-wicket before lofting Wood over long-on for another maximum.
But Crane claimed a third scalp in his final over, albeit with a long-hop as Ingram pulled him to deep mid-wicket having made 64. 176/6 then became 177/7 as Andrew Salter struck a full toss back to the grateful bowler. Tom Alsop then dropped a running catch at mid-wicket to give Smith a life, and he celebrated his good fortune by reverse-sweeping Taylor for four and three, but to the final ball of the over Wagg holed out at long-off.
195/8 then became 197/9 as Smith lofted Berg into the hands of mid-off before Timm van der Gugten swatted Berg for four besides running some quick singles with Lukas Carey, who also biffed Berg’s final ball for four through the leg-side. Van der Gugten also opened his shoulders to swat Topley for four, courtesy of a fumble on the boundary by Jimmy Adams, before pulling Wood to the ropes at square-leg for four but on 227 the innings ended as Wood bowled Carey
Alsop and Rilee Rossouw began the chase, with the former on-driving Carey for four before flicking the next delivery to the ropes at fine-leg. But with the total on 17 Rossouw miscued a pull against van der Gugten and Donal, at deep square-leg safely held the skier. James Vince duly joined Alsop who on-drove van der Gugten for four
Vince began by drilling Carey for successive fours to mid-wicket and long-off, before pulling Smith for four. Alsop also drilled van der Gugten through extra-cover for four before off-driving Smith. Vince also lofted van der Gugten over extra cover for another boundary but Selman then took a fine catch diving one-handed to his right at short mid-wicket to remove Alsop as van der Gugten claimed his second wicket.
Vince responded by striking successive deliveries from Smith to the ropes as Hampshire ended the first powerplays on 66/2. He then accumulated mainly in singles with Joe Weatherley who also greeted Salter by sweeping him for four. But with the total on 88, Salter trapped Vince l.b.w. for 41 as Jimmy Adams made his way to the middle. He began by on-driving Lloyd but the bowler made amends as two balls later the experienced batsman chopped a delivery onto his stumps.
93/4 saw Taylor join Weatherley as the scoring rate dropped, just like the match on Friday against the Sharks, and after six overs without a boundary, Taylor swept Salter to the square-leg ropes before pulling Lloyd for four. Weatherley also did the dame to Salter, before clipping Lloyd to fine-leg. Wagg then replaced Lloyd at the Mumbles Road End and with the total on 128 found the edge of Weatherley’s bat with his first delivery as Cooke completed the catch.
McManus joined Taylor and after a couple of singles, he lofted Ingram for six over long-on, but in Wagg’s next over, he edged a rising delivery into Cooke’s gloves as Hampshire lost their sixth wicket on 144. Berg became Taylor’s new partner with Hampshire needing 82 from 20 overs, with the new man upper-cutting Wagg over the head of the solitary slip fielder for four before on-driving him the boards at the Mumbles Road End.
In Wagg’s next over, he nurdled him for another four before Berg greeted the return of Salter by lofting him for a straight six, and after a brace of singles the task became 42 from 12 overs. Another lofted on-drive against Salter brought Berg his second six. Taylor then steered van der Gugten to third man for four before completing a 75-ball fifty with the pair running a series of watchful singles as they carefully whittled away at the target. A nurdled four by Berg followed by a pull for four against Smith Saw Berg complete his fifty from 46 balls as Hampshire reached their target in the 44th over and secured a place in the knockout stages of the competition.