Glamorgan’s penultimate group game in the Vitality Blast against the Essex Eagles at Chelmsford saw a series of records being broken as the home side, seeking a victory and an enhanced net run rate to secure a home quarter-final amassed 254-5, the fifth highest total in the competition and the most-ever made against the Welsh county surpassing Sussex’s total of 239-5 at Hove in 2010. (writes Andrew Hignell).
Thanks to an unbeaten 97 by Sam Northeast, Glamorgan replied with 185-7 as the match aggregate reached 439 – the third highest total in a game involving the Welsh county and bettered by the totals of 443 which they made at the same ground in 2017 when winning by five wickets, as well as 455 at The Oval in 2015 when Glamorgan defeated Surrey by 25 runs.
Remarkably, the aggregate of 439 was not a ground record at Chelmsford as the contest earlier this summer, on 17 June, produced 477 runs as Essex posted 244-7 against Sussex who replied with 233-6. Even this was well short of the world record set by Central Districts and Otago during 2016/17 in a game which saw the two teams score a total of 497 runs.
As the list below shows, Sam Northeast’s 97* saw the acting captain enter the top ten list of individual scores in T20 cricket for Glamorgan, whilst his efforts were the second highest in a losing cause and surpassed only by Herschelle Gibbs’ 98 at Northampton during their 24-run defeat in 2008.
116* - Ian Thomas v Somerset at Taunton, 2004
114 - Colin Ingram v Essex at Chelmsford, 2017
105 - Jim Allenby v Middlesex at Richmond, 2014
101* - Jacques Rudolph v Gloucestershire at Bristol 2015
101* - Colin Ingram v Essex at Chelmsford, 2016
101* - Colin Ingram v Sussex at Arundel, 2017
99* - Andy Balbirnie v Gloucestershire at Sophia Gardens, 2020
98 - Herschelle Gibbs v Northamptonshire at Northampton, 2008
97* - David Lloyd v Kent at Sophia Gardens, 2016
97* - Sam Northeast v Essex at Chelmsford, 2022