Despite career-best bowling figures of 4/32 by Colin Ingram, the Yorkshire Vikings defeated Glamorgan by 90 runs at The SSE SWALEC in their quarter-final contest in the NatWest T20 Blast.
The Welsh county were just one win away from a place at Finals Day at Edgbaston, with Glamorgan looking to join Durham, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire who have all secured victories this week in the other quarter-final matches. 2004 was the last time that Glamorgan’s headquarters staged a quarter-final in the Twenty20 competition and a bumper crowd was present as Alex Lees, the visiting captain won the toss and opted to bat first.
Adam Lyth and David Willey opened the batting against Timm van der Gugten with the former having an early life as Jacques Rudolph dropped a catch at mid-on. He then cut the next ball for four before Willey struck Graham Wagg for a pair of leg-side fours in his opening over. He then pulled Hogan for a huge six over square-leg before off-driving the next two deliveries for a pair of fours, with Lyth also cover-driving Shaun Tait for four.
However, next ball, Rudolph atoned for his earlier drop as he pouched a drive from Lyth as Yorkshire lost their first wicket on 36. Lees joined Willey and struck Tait for successive fours, with the latter off a no-ball, Lees duly struck the free-hit for six before steering the paceman through point for another four as the Vikings ended the powerplay on 61/1. Willey also clubbed Craig Meschede for six over mid-wicket before Lees swept Andrew Salter for four.
Willey also straight-drove and swept Salter for four, before straight-driving Hogan for six to complete a 28-ball fifty. He celebrated by bringing up the hundred next ball as he pulled Hogan for another maximum. Lees welcomed the return of Wagg by driving him for four but the bowler made the perfect riposte as the visiting captain holed out at log-on. Willey responded by driving Wagg for six before hoisting Ingram over long-on for a further six, followed by a skewed drive for four.
But having pillaged 79 from 38 balls, he was then bowled by Ingram who in his next over, did the same to Jack Leaning. The wickets continued to tumble as 141/4 became 146/5 as Ingram trapped Will Rhodes l.b.w. After another frugal over from Tait, Ingram claimed his fourth wicket as Wagg took a brilliant diving catch at long-off to send Liam Plunkett back to the dugout. 154/6 then became 156/7 as Ingram was in the action again taking a good catch at third man as Bresnan tried to upper cut van der Gugten .
Adil Rashid then lofted van der Gugten to Hogan at long on before an accurate final over from Hogan saw Yorkshire end on 180/8 as the visitors added just 29 in the last five overs. But Glamorgan then lost David Lloyd from the first ball of their innings as he deflected the opening delivery from Tim Bresnan onto his stumps.
Ingram drove Bresnan for two and four to get the scoreboard moving, before steering Willey for successive fours to point and fine-leg. Wallace also flicked Bresnan for four to fine-leg before driving the all-rounder to Plunkett at cover. 21/2 saw Aneurin Donald join Ingram but it proved to be a brief pairing as three runs later the young tyro was bowled by Willey.
Rudolph had a life as Andrew Hodd dropped an edge from Matthew Waite’s first ball, but the debutant then claimed the prized scalp of Ingram who skied a drive to third man where Rhodes completed the catch. Plunkett then bowled Wagg before taking a catch at long-on as Meschede holed out on the boundary’s edge in Adil Rashid’s opening over.
Salter then drilled Rashid straight for six before Rudolph steered Plunkett for four through point as the fifty came up in the tenth over. Rudolph also pulled Plunkett for a pair of fours before drilling Rashid over extra-cover for another four but with the total on 65, Salter was bowled by Rashid. Van der Gugten straight drove Azeem Rafiq for four but two balls later Lyth at wide long-on took a good low catch to end Rudolph’s innings.
Van der Gugten responded by dispatching Rafiq for six into the Grandstand before Hogan lofted Rashid over mid-wicket for six. But the end swiftly came as the spinner then had van der Gugten caught at deep square-leg before bowling Hogan as Glamorgan were dismissed for 90 - their lowest-ever total in the competition as the Vkings made it an all-Northern Finals Day at Edgbaston..