Despite 122* from Asa Tribe – his one-day best for the Welsh county - plus a maiden half-century by Henry Hurle (56) , a century by Rob Jones helped the Worcestershire Rapids beat Glamorgan by five wickets in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at New Road (writes Andrew Hignell).
With the famous cathedral as a backdrop, and no floodlight pylons situated around the boundary’s edge, the New Road ground is the next venue for Glamorgan as they seek a return to winning ways against a Worcestershire Rapids team who are pressing for a spot in the knockout stages of the One-Day Cup. The Welsh county welcomed back James Harris into their line-up with the experienced seamer together with Andy Gorvin, as Ned Leonard and Zain ul Hassan were both rested. Eddie Byrom and Asa Tribe opened the batting after the players and umpires had entered the playing area through a guard of honour comprising youngsters from a local cricket club, two therapy dogs and Nile the Crocodile who is the Rapids mascot!
Tom Taylor and Khurram Shahzad opened the bowling with Byrom punching the latter through mid-off for the day’s opening boundary, followed by further drives through the covers and mid-on, before two overs later clipping him to the ropes at backward square-leg and later scything Taylor to the ropes at third man. Byrom then off-drove Shazad for another four. After some watchful reconnaissance, Tribe flicked Taylor to backward square-leg for four before the 50 came up in the tenth over as Byrom straight drove Ben Allison. Next ball he swatted the seamer over the slip cordon before getting a leading edge to the next delivery and skied a catch to the keeper Henry Cullen.
56-1 saw the arrival of Henry Hurle, with Tribe cover-driving Taylor before his new partner on-drove Allison to the boards at the Diglis End. Tribe then clipped Allison for four through mid-wicket before Hurle greeted the introduction of Etan Brookes into the attack by lofting him to mid-wicket for four before nonchalantly driving him for six to long-on. Hurle then brought up the hundred by cover-driving Brookes for four before Tribe pulled the bowler for four.
Hurle then greeted the return to the attack of Pakistan international Shahzad by pulling him for a pair of sixes – the first over the ropes at fine-leg and the second into the seats in the Graeme Hick Pavilion at mid-wicket. He then swatted Brookes on the up over extra-cover before clipping him to backward square-leg to complete his maiden fifty from 71 balls. Next over, Tribe brought up the 150 and his own fifty by pulling Shazad for four – his 63rd delivery – before later in the over repeating the stroke to bring up the century partnership.
Brett D’Oliveira entered the attack and was reverse-swept for four by Hurle, but next ball the young batter attempted an orthodox sweep and was bowled for 56.Kiran Carlson joined Tribe with the scoreboard reading 160-2 in the 30th over and he began by flicking Allison to square-leg for four and six, but later in the over, and with the total on 179 he was caught by Cullen as he tried to repeat the shot but miscued into the keeper’s gloves.
The boundaries continued for Glamorgan as Will Smale began with his trademark scoop over fine-leg for six against Allison, but in D’Oliveira’s next over he swept him to deep mid-wicket where Dan Latigan completed a good catch after running in and diving forward. Billy Root joined Tribe who late cut D’Oliveira for four before bringing up the 200 by pulling him for another crisply-struck boundary. But next over Root edged Matthew Waite into Cullen’s gloves as Dan Douthwaite made his way to the middle.
After a series of singles, Douthwaite launched D’Oliveira for six high over mid-off before Tribe did the same over extra-cover before dancing down the wicket and cover-driving him for four. Douthwaite maintained the late surge of runs by driving Taylor over for successive sixes over long-on and long-off as Glamorgan sped past the 250-mark. Tribe then completed his century – his first in List A cricket for Glamorgan with a single to mid-on – his 114th ball -before celebrating by drilling Taylor for four to long-off. Douthwaite then pulled Taylor for a huge six over square-leg but his cameo ended two balls later as he skied another muscular blow and was caught at cover.
Gorvin joined Tribe and scampered a series of singles, with Tribe also edging Shazad for four to third man. With the total on 281, Gorvin was caught at cover so it was Harris who joined Tribe as the opener on-drove the final ball for four and carried his bat for 122* with Glamorgan ending on 297-7. Harris then helped to give Glamorgan a good start as he bowled D’Oliveira with his third ball. Gorvin was also parsimonious in his opening salvo at the New Road End as the Rapids did not live up to their one-day moniker by making a cautious start.
After playing and missing at Harris, Laitigan on-drove him for four before hoiking a free hit for six as well as adding a cover-drive. The tempo continued to rise as Kashif off-drove and on-drove successive balls from Gorvin for four and six as Worcestershire ended the first powerplays on 38-1. Lategan responded by on-driving Harris for a pair of fours before lofting Romano Franco’s first delivery just over the head of Root at long-on before reverse-sweeping him to the ropes. He also pulled Douthwaite for four but next over lost his partner as Kashif was superbly caught at extra-cover as he leapt up one-handed above his head to catch a drive off Franco’s bowling.
78-2 then became 78-3 as a mix-up in calling saw Latigan run out at the bowler’s end as Jake Libby played the ball into the covers where it was acrobatically stopped and thrown back to Franco, the bowler, with the non-striker failing to re-make his ground. Rob Jones joined Libby and, after swatting a free hit from Douthwaite for four, he late cut Franco for four before lofting him to the ropes at long-on. Libby pulled Morris for four before Jones scythed him through point.
Libby also on-drove Morris for four, whilst Jones square-cut him as the fourth wicket pair continued to chisel away at the target. Jones then drove a free-hit from Douthwaite to the boards at deep mid-off before drilling Carlson through mid-off for another boundary en route to his fifty from 59 balls. Libby then greeted the return of Harris to the attack by pulling him for four to bring up the century stand, besides completing his own fifty from 57 balls as the Rapids task became 100 from 13 overs.
Libby then lofted Carlson for four before Jones lofted Franco for six over long-on with Libby also lofting Gorvin to long-off for another four. Jones showed that he had panache as well as power in his armoury by deftly guiding Gorvin to the vacant third man ropes as the Rapids task was whittled away to 62 from 48 balls. Libby then struck successive fours against Carlson to long-on and backward point. But with the total on 250 Libby departed as he skewed an expansive blow and was caught and bowled by Gorvin, who ran back from the stumps and completed a fine catch.
Having been joined by Brookes, Jones scooped Douthwaite for four before his partner reverse-swept Franco for four. Jones then straight-drove the young spinner for four before completing his hundred from 101 balls as the Rapids task became 24 from as many balls. Harris returned at the Diglis End and had Brookes caught at deep backward square-leg by Morris with Cullen joining Jones. He began with a pair of swift singles before pulling Harris for six and then outside-edging Douthwaite for four. But it was Jones who struck the winning runs as he off-drove Gorvin for four to end unbeaten on 110 as the Rapids reached their target with ten balls remaining.