After a fine 86 by Hamish Rutherford, a late rally overseen by Tom Cullen and Joe Cooke who added 66 in the final five overs helped Glamorgan to compile a match-winning total as they registered a comprehensive 59-run victory over Northamptonshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup, with Cooke also taking 3/32 and the ever-reliable Michael Hogan 3/26.
The Welsh county made one change to their line-up which defeated Warwickshire in their opening match in the competition at Sophia Gardens, with Andy Gorvin replacing Roman Walker. The home side opted to bowl first on a bleached white surface and under heavy cloud cover and the prospect of thundery showers later this afternoon. Hamish Rutherford and Nick Selman opened the batting with the latter straight-driving and cover-driving Tom Taylor for a pair of crisply-struck boundaries before the former punched a wide delivery from Hamish Rutherford through backward point.
Selman greeted the introduction of Wayne Parnell by square-driving the former Springbok seamer as Glamorgan ended the powerplays on 35-0 after ten overs. Graeme White’s left-arm spin was then introduced with Rutherford – in his 100th List A contest - off-driving him for four as well as lofting him inside-out through extra-cover. Selman had a moment of good fortune as he top-edged a pull against Parnell to fine-leg.
Freddie Heldreich’s left-arm wrist spin was then introduced for the 18th over and with his sixth delivery he ended the opening stand as Selman chipped the ball back to him. Steve Reingold joined Rutherford and after a brace of singles he clipped Taylor over the head of the fielder at fine-leg. The Kiwi then drilled Heldreich through extra-cover for four before repeating the stroke as Taylor returned to the attack, prior to reaching his half-century from 71 balls by square-cutting Heldreich for his seventh boundary.
But with the total on 106, Reingold was bowled between bat and pad playing forward to Heldreich before Kiran Carlson opened his account by drilling the spinner through mid-off. Rutherford also pulled successive balls from Heldreich for four before sweeping White to the ropes, followed by a lofted on-drive for another boundary.
However, Sanderson returned to the fray and claimed wickets in successive overs as firstly Carlson, with the total on 144, spliced a pull and was caught by Heldreich at long-leg. Ten runs later, Sanderson removed Rutherford as the opener, on 86, chopped a ball onto his stumps. Billy Root and Callum Taylor joined forces as Heldreich returned to the attack in tandem with Tom Taylor. The latter was clipped to fine-leg by Root who, a couple of balls later, also miscued a pull into the hands of Charlie Thurston running in from backward square-leg.
After scampering a series of singles, Tom Cullen square-cut Heldreich before twice drilling him through extra-cover for a pair of rasping fours, before Callum Taylor greeted the return of his namesake by unfurling a lofted straight drive for six. He then pulled Heldreich for four but in the next over he inside-edged a ball from Taylor onto his stumps and departed for 36.
Having been joined by Joe Cooke, Cullen clipped Parnell to fine-leg for four before his new partner twice flat-batted Sanderson through the covers for a pair of lusty fours. Cullen also opened his shoulders to drill Parnell to mid-wicket. The late runs continued to flow as Cooke lofted Sanderson for a straight six followed by a pull for four, with Cullen also lofted the seamer for a straight six en route to a maiden List A fifty. He celebrated by pulling Parnell for four as the Welsh county ended on 295-6 – their best-ever List A score against the East Midlands side with 100 runs flowing in the last ten overs, including 71 from the final six.
Northants suffered an early blow as Michael Hogan found the edge of Emilio Gay’s bat with his third delivery, with Cullen completing a regulation catch. Ben Curran began by off-driving Lukas Carey for a pair of fours before Ricardo Vasconcelos twice cover drove the seamer. However Carey had the last laugh as, in his next over, Vasconcelos edged an attempted cut stroke into Cullen’s gloves.
Rob Keogh announced his arrival with a crisp cover drive against Hogan but the wily veteran made the perfect riposte as later in the over he re-arranged Keogh’s stumps. With Northants ending the powerplays on 55-3, Andrew Gorvin and Steve Reingold entered the attack for the first-ever time, with each being struck to the ropes with their opening deliveries. However, both settled into decent spells with Reingold’s off-spin beating the edge of Saif Zaib’s bat, besides beating him in the flight on a couple of occasions when he advanced down the wicket.
Northants reached the hundred-mark in the 21st over as Zaib pulled Cooke who had joined the attack at the Lyn Wilson End, and in his second over, the all-rounder claimed a wicket as Curran had a rush of blood, advancing down the wicket to Cooke and ended up miscuing an extravagant drive with Cullen completing his third catch of the innings.
114-4 duly saw Hogan return to the attack, with the wily Australian removing Charlie Thurston as he miscued a drive into the hands of mid-on. Taylor announced his arrival by on-driving Cooke with Zaib also cover-driving the all-rounder, but his over-ambition proved to his downfall as later in the over he pulled a ball straight into Selman’s hands at deep mid-wicket as the East Midlands side slipped further to 132-6.
Taylor biffed Cooke through mid-on for four before Parnell pulled him for four to mid-wicket, but next ball, Cooke struck again as the South African drove the ball back towards him only for the all-rounder to nonchalantly stick out his left hand to complete a superb caught and bowled. Graeme White joined Taylor and after a series of singles, he lofted Gorvin to long-off for four. But Taylor’s off-spin snared him as he miscued into the hands of extra-cover with the home side nosediving to 181-8.
Sanderson unfurled some rustic blows with Taylor also hoisting Carey to square-leg for six before Sanderson fell to a diving catch at mid-on as Nick Selman completed his fourth catch to equal the Club record in one-day cricket held by Hugh Morris who pouched four against both Scotland at Edinburgh in 1988, and against Kent at Swansea in 1990, as well as Viv Richards against Leicestershire at Sophia Gardens in 1990.
Taylor continued to open his shoulders as he pulled his namesake for four to complete a 51-ball half-century before launching Carey over mid-wicket for a huge six. But a smart piece of fielding by Billy Root ended the innings as Heldreich was run out at the bowler’s end to give the Welsh county a 59-run victory.