Owen and Miller bowl Glamorgan to an emphatic victory at Kidderminster

31 Mar 2014 | Cricket
Will Owen took 4/23 including a hat-trick and Andy Miller claimed 5/30 as Glamorgan dismissed Worcestershire for just 80 to win a dramatic 50-over friendly at Kidderminster by 65 runs.
After the home side had won the toss, it was no surprise that the Welsh county were invited to bat first on a slow and verdant surface under a heavy cloud cover. Will Bragg got the scoreboard moving in the second over as he deftly glanced Chris Russell to the long-leg boundary. But next over, Russell made the initial incision as he bowled Gareth Rees for 2.


Stewart Walters announced his arrival at the crease by clipping Russell through mid-wicket for four, before Bragg nonchalantly did the same behind square. But with the last ball of the eighth over he bowled Walters as Glamorgan slipped to 22/2. Bragg continued to find the ropes as he played a lofted off-drive against Russell before David Lloyd pulled a short ball from the seamer to the mid-wicket boundary.


Bragg then dispatched Nick Harrison's opening delivery to wide mid-on for another four before edging the seamer through Daryl Mitchell's hands at second slip. The southpaw celebrated his good fortune by securing successive fours, punching Russell off the back foot through extra cover followed by a crisp leg-glance as Glamorgan reached the 50-mark in the 14th over. After a flurry of singles, Bragg unfurled a booming off-drive against Joe Leach to bring up the fifty stand but next over he edged a drive against Harrison into the wicket-keeper's gloves.


77/3 saw Ben Wright join Lloyd and he began with successive fours against Harrison - the first to long-leg and the second over the head of the slip cordon - but next over Leach bowled the right-hander and without any further addition Lloyd was trapped leg before. 86/5 then became 94/6 as Aneurin Donald became another l.b.w. victim for Leach.


Chris Cooke duly brought up the hundred by cover-driving Harrison but Ross Whiteley then dropped a sharp chance at backward point as Russell switched at the Pavilion End. However, the all-rounder atoned for his error as three balls later he safely pouched another chance from Cooke. This was the first of three wickets in ten balls without addition as Andrew Salter miscued a drive against Leach before Huw Waters was bowled by Russell with Glamorgan nose-diving to 108/9.


Six wickets had tumbled for 22 runs in the space of nine overs when Andy Miller and Will Owen came together. The last pair duly shared a jaunty last wicket stand as they took the total to 145 with both men driving Leach through mid-off and mid-on. Owen also biffed Leach to long-off before Miller drilled Shantry to the ropes at long-on. Owen then greeted Ed Barnard by clubbing the seamer through mid-wicket for another four but two balls later the innings ended as Whiteley caught Owen at point in the 36th over.


Owen then struck with his first delivery as Tom Kohler-Cadmore was caught at long-leg by Waters who held onto a steepling catch. The Worcestershire captain Daryl Mitchell duly responded by flat-batting a free-hit over the ropes at mid-wicket boundary after Owen had over-stepped, but in the fourth over he was bowled playing forward to Miller and the tall seamer might have gained a second scalp two balls later as Whiteley was dropped behind the stumps.


Alexei Kervezee also edged Miller over the head of the slip cordon but he was not so lucky in Owen's next over as Walters took a good head-high catch at second slip. Next ball, Barnard was trapped l.b.w. as Worcestershire's slumped further to 17/4 after five overs, and with the first ball of his next over, Owen completed a hat-trick as Whiteley edged to first slip.


Leach then unfurled a couple of flowing cover drives before nearly top-edging a drive into the hands of third man. Miller then switched ends and emulated Owen by striking with his first ball at the Railway End as Cooke snaffled an inside edge off an attempted drive by Leach. 44/6 saw Shaaiq Choudhry arrive at the crease and he brought up the fifty by flicking Miller through mid-wicket, but two balls later he departed l.b.w. to the former Warwickshire and Sussex seamer.


In his next over Miller claimed two further wickets in successive balls as Joe Clarke departed l.b.w. before Russell was clean bowled, before Harrison edged Waters through the gully for four. The pair continued to collect a few singles before Harrison despatched Lloyd through extra cover and mid-off in successive balls. But with his next delivery, the North Walian bowled the number eleven to end a remarkable game at the Chester Road ground.