Glamorgan narrowly missed out on a place in the quarter-final play-offs of the Royal London Cup despite an extraordinary 19-run victory at Worcester as Sam Northeast posted an unbeaten 177 - the highest score for Glamorgan in List A cricket – and shared in a record-breaking fourth wicket stand of 245 in 28.1 overs with Billy Root (113*) as Glamorgan amassed 356-3 in their 50 overs after being put in to bat by the Worcestershire Rapids.
The Welsh county are seeking another victory today, as well as improving their net run rate besides hoping that Kent lose to Lancashire at Canterbury and Yorkshire lose against Hampshire at Scarborough and end up with an inferior net run rate to the Welsh county’s. Glamorgan welcomed back Sam Northeast who had recovered from the illness which prevented him from playing last Friday at Neath and, after Worcestershire had won the toss and opted to bowl first on the hybrid pitch, he opened the batting with Tom Bevan as Joe Leach shared the new ball with Dillon Pennington.
Bevan struck an early boundary as he drilled Leach through mid-off for four before edging Pennington to first slip where Ed Pollock failed to grasp the ball. The young tyro celebrated by punching Leach through extra-cover for another four but, in the fifth over, he feathered a ball from Leach into Ben Cox’s gloves. Having been joined by Chris Cooke, Northeast pulled Pennington for four but Leach struck again in his next over as he re-arranged Cooke’s stumps.
16-2 saw Kiran Carlson make his way to the middle to join Northeast who on-drove Leach for four before off-driving the all-rounder. Carlson then cover drove Adam Finch with great authority before on-driving and square-driving Leach for further boundaries from successive deliveries. The visiting captain then hooked Josh Tongue for four before scything a wide delivery from the bowler to the ropes at backward point.
With Northeast dropping anchor and working the ball around for singles, Carlson hooked Tongue in front of square for four before his partner swatted Finch through point for four followed by a flick to fine-leg for another boundary. Carlson then nurdled Tongue to the vacant third man ropes before Northeast drilled the bowler for another four through the covers before upper-cutting him over point.
Ed Barnard then entered the attack at the New Road and, with the total on 111, ended the third wicket stand as Carlson edged a ball to Cox with Billy Root joining Northeast whilst teenage spinner Ollie Davidson entered the fray at the Diglis End. The left-armer, who has played for Scotland, immediately found the edge of both player’s bats with the ball, in each instance, scuttling away for four, but Root responded by cover-driving and off-driving the debutant for a pair of fours.
Northeast continued to work the ball around as the 50-stand came up in eleven overs with Root also flaying Barnard through point for four. Northeast then upped the tempo by swatting Barnard for four to the ropes at mid-wicket before lofting Pennington over mid-off for four and straight-driving Finch for four as the opener approached a deserved century. Root then completed his fifty from 66 balls before Northeast pulled Tongue for successive fours to complete his hundred from 114 balls.
Root also reverse-pulled Davidson for six before Northeast went past Hugh Morris’s score of 106 at the ground in the Benson and Hedges Cup encounter which had been Glamorgan’s best List A score against Worcestershire in 1990. The stand also became Glamorgan’s best for the fourth wicket against the West Midlands side, breaking the 111 added by Robert Croft and Matthew Maynard in the National League game at the ground in 2001.
Root celebrated by flaying Finch over extra-cover for six before Northeast deposited Davidson over long-on for successive sixes before reverse-sweeping the teenager for four to reach a List A career-best 134. Northeast then flayed Finch over extra-cover for a pair of fours besides scampering a series of singles to reach his 150 from 137 balls. He then drilled Pennington inside-out over extra-cover before lofting Tongue for a straight six as the 300 came up in the 48th over. Root pulled Tongue for four before Northeast did the same for six over mid-wicket followed by a punch for four over mid-off with the opener breaking Jacques Rudolph’s 169* against Sussex at Hove in 2014 to make the best-ever List A score for Glamorgan.
Root then pulled Pennington for a trio of massive sixes over deep square-leg to complete an 88-ball hundred, followed by a reverse-pull for another maximum and then another orthodox pull for six – the fifth of the over - as the stand broke the Club’s record for the fourth wicket set by Chris Cooke and Billy Root who added 234 against Gloucestershire at Bristol in the same competition in 2019. Northeast then drilled Tongue over extra-cover for four in the final over for another regal four as he ended unbeaten on 177 and Root on 113* equalling his career-best
Chasing a target of 357, Ed Pollock began by dispatching Dan Douthwaite through extra-cover for a pair of fours followed by a rasping pull through mid-wicket. He also inside-edged the all-rounder for four but his luck ran out in James Weighell’s third over as he got a leading edge to another expansive blow and was caught at third man by Prem Sisodiya. 31-1 then became 34-2 as Weighell struck again as Toby Cornall miscued a drive into Carlson’s hands at mid-off.
Jake Libby began with a pair of fours through point before Carlson spilled a chance at mid-off as Gareth Roderick miscued a drive against Douthwaite. The batter celebrated his good fortune by flicking Weighell to square-leg. Joe Cooke then entered the attack at the New Road End with Prem Sisodiya starting a spell at the Diglis End and being swept for four by Roderick. But the bowler had the last laugh as next over Roderick holed out to Root at long-on.
86-3 saw the arrival of Barnard who began by also sweeping Sisodiya for four before Libby square-cut the spinner for four. With Joe Cooke in frugal mode at the New Road End, Carlson also had a spell and removed Barnard who chipped a ball back to the gleeful visiting captain. With the scoreboard reading 116-4, Cox joined Libby with completed his 50 from 48 balls as Andy Gorvin had a spell at the New Road End and also kept things tight.
With the asking rate rising Libby attempted to loft Carlson over cover but proceeded to scoop a catch to Callum Taylor the substitute fielder. 147-5 saw Leach join Cox who, after a further series of singles, swept Carlson for four before Leach straight drove the spinner for four followed by a slog-sweep to the ropes. Leach then drilled Gorvin for a straight six before outside-edging him to third man as Sisodiya returned to the attack, with Leach also slog-sweeping him to the boards at mid-wicket before having a life as Weighell at long-off spilled a catch.
Leach then mowed Sisodiya to cow corner for four followed by an inside-out drive through the covers and a massive straight drive for six as he reached 50 from 31 balls with the target being 140 in 14 overs. Cooke and Weighell returned in a bid to stem the flow of runs but Leach flayed Cooke through extra-cover before bludgeoning him through backward square-leg for another muscular four.
But Northeast then took a stunning one-handed catch running back at extra-cover to grasp onto another lofted drive by Leach as Worcestershire slipped to 229-6. Pennington then off-drove Cooke for four before Cox greeted the return of Douthwaite by cover-driving him for four. Pennington also biffed him for four through point with the equation becoming 99 off 54 balls. Sisodiya then returned to bowl and re-arranged Pennington’s stumps as Tongue made his way to the middle. Cox duly completed his fifty from 58 balls with Tongue then drilling Sisodiya for four as well as straight-driving Douthwaite for four. He then plonked Sisodiya for a straight six before holing out to Joe Cooke at long-off.
Finch came in and biffed Weighell for a four and six over mid-wicket before being caught off a no-ball from Douthwaite with Cox smiting the free-hit for six. But Finch then lofted a drive to Weighell at mid-off as the Rapids entered the final over needing 35 to win. Cox swept Weighell for successive fours before the Rapids ended on 337-9 as Glamorgan won by 19 runs but news that the Kent Spitfires had beaten Lancashire at Canterbury from the penultimate ball meant that Glamorgan missed out on the play-offs.