Despite an impressive innings of 82 on his List A debut by Ben Kellaway, Glamorgan were beaten by four wickets by the Worcestershire Rapids in their opening game in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at New Road.
With Sam Northeast and Timm van der Gugten being rested, Glamorgan gave List A debuts to the two Ben’s - Messrs Kellaway and Morris - along with wicket-keeper Alex Horton and Harry Podmore. After losing the toss and being asked to bat first in the bowler-friendly conditions, Tom Bevan and Eddie Byrom opened the batting with the latter drilling Joe Leach through the covers for four before on-driving him for another four in his next over.
Ben Gibbon opened the bowling at the New Road End but struggled with his radar in his opening over and gifted seven wides to the visitors before Byrom drove Leach through the covers for a pair of well-timed fours. But in the eighth over Gibbon found the edge of Bevan’s bat with Azhar Ali at first slip completing the catch with Colin Ingram making his way to the middle with the total on 36. He began by guiding Gibbon down to third man for four but two balls later he was run out in unfortunate circumstances as Gibbon, in his follow through, deflected with his foot a firm drive by Byrom onto the stumps at the bowler’s end with Ingram stranded out of his ground.
Kiran Carlson joined Byrom who cover-drove Gibbon to the ropes in front of the Pavilion before the new batter did the same but, with the total on 66, Byrom shouldered arms to Dillon Pennington and was bowled as the ball cannoned off his bat and onto the stumps. Billy Root began with a thick outside-edge to third man but in Pennington’s next over he feathered a ball into Ben Cox’s gloves.
72-4 saw Kellaway join his captain and he began by flicking Pennington to mid-wicket for four before edging the next ball just wide of second slip with the ball speeding away to third man for four. He added a third boundary to his tally as he lofted the next delivery over mid-on followed next over by a fourth as he pulled Matthew Waite to the boards at square-leg. He added another as he cut Waite for four to also bring up the hundred before reverse-sweeping Josh Baker for four when the spinner entered the fray at the New Road End.
With Carlson happy to play second fiddle, the rookie then lofted Waite to mid-wicket for four to bring up the fifty stand before running a series of singles as the Rapids switched to an all-spin attack as Brett d’Oliveira entered the attack, with the wrist spinner also ending Carlson’s stay in the middle as, with the total on 137, the visiting captain holed out to long-on. Horton thumped his first ball through point for four but then was run out by Jake Libby to his third ball as he was sent back by his partner as Horton attempted an ambitious single.
141-6 saw Andy Gorvin join Kellaway who completed his fifty, from 48 balls, by driving D’Oliveira for a single to long-on but the leg-spinner bowled Gorvin as he played back to a ball which hit off-stump.151-7 became 152-8 as Podmore top-edged a cut against Baker into the hands of Waite at backward point. With Jamie McIlroy as his new partner, Kellaway square-cut d’Oliveira before McIlroy cut Baker through backward point for four.
Kellaway then swept d’Oliveira for four before reverse-sweeping Baker but with the total on 181, Baker bowled McIlroy. Kellaway responded by straight-driving d’Oliveira for six before top-edging for four a pull against Pennington. But on 82 - and the total on 199 - his superb efforts ended as he lofted d’Oliveira into the hands of Jake Libby at deep mid-wicket just as he looked like he might emulate the likes of Jacques Kallis and Bernard Hedges by making a century on debut in List A cricket.
Brett d'Oliveira and Azhar Ali opened the batting as Podmore shared the new ball with McIlroy with d’Oliveira swatting a free hit from Podmore for four before cover-driving McIlroy. He then drilled Podmore through extra-cover for another boundary before doing the same against McIlroy, following by a rasping square-cut. Azhar then pulled McIlroy to the ropes in front of the Ladies Pavilion but with the total on 36, Podmore made the breakthrough as d’Oliveira inside-edged a ball into Horton’s gloves.
The sun had broken through the clouds as Rob Jones made his way to the middle with Morris also entering the attack at the New Road End and being edged by Jones through third slip. Azhar also cover-drove him for four before Gorvin began a stint at the Diglis End as the second wicket pair continued to work the ball around for one’s and two’s. Carlson’s off-spin was also employed before McIlroy had a second salvo in search of breaking the stand, But Azhar brought up the 100 before completing his patient fifty from 84 deliveries by edging McIlroy just out of the reach of Ingram at a wide second slip with the ball racing away for a single.
The one’s and two’s continued to be accumulated before Morris returned and was drilled over mid-off for six by Azhar before being flicked to fine-leg for four to bring up the century stand. But next ball, Jones tried to loft Carlson over Bevan at mid-on but the young tyro held the catch at the second attempting after leaping up to parry the ball. Jake Libby arrived in the middle with 64 needed from 18.5 overs, with the home captain making a purposeful start with a brace of two’s before Azhar took a liking again to Morris as he biffed him into the Basil d’Oliveira Stand for another six.
But next over Azhar departed as he was deftly stumped by Horton, albeit off a wide, as he advanced down the wicket to Carlson. Kellaway then entered the attack with Kashif Ali lofting him over long-on for six before swatting Carlson for four to mid-wicket. But the visiting captain removed the aggressive batter also holed out to Bevan at mid-on with the Rapids on 172-4.
Ben Cox started by sweeping Carlson for four but he also departed to the visiting captain as Ingram held a fine running catch at wide mid-off. Matthew Waite then drove Gorvin to long-on for fours but it was a case of four and out yet again as he then steered the all-rounder to Morris at short third man. Leach then cover-drove Kellaway for four before five wides from Gorvin saw the Rapids home with 51 balls remaining.