Half-centuries from Will Bragg (75) and Jacques Rudolph (53), plus a disciplined bowling and fielding performance saw Glamorgan defeat reigning champions Gloucestershire by 52 runs in their Royal London One-Day Cup match at The SSE SWALEC.
The Welsh county recalled Will Bragg to their side, with Jacques Rudolph and David Lloyd opening the batting after Gloucestershire, the reigning holders of the Cup, invited Glamorgan to bat first. Matt Taylor and Liam Norwell shared the new ball, with Lloyd pulling the former for four to square-leg in the third over before nurdling him to third man in his next over. Lloyd then cover drove Norwell for four, before twice pulling and straight driving the visiting seamer as his fourth over yielded a trio of firmly struck boundaries.
But Norwell gained revenge as next over Lloyd miscued a pull and Gareth Roderick caught the catch running round to leg-slip. 34/1 saw Bragg join Rudolph who then greeted the introduction of Craig Miles into the attack by straight-driving him for four as the 50 came up in the 14th over. Bragg also found the ropes as he pulled Miles to fine-leg and mid-wicket, before punching him through extra cover for four.
The second wicket pair also scampered some quick singles to keep the scoreboard ticking over, with the spin of Tom Smith being introduced in the 21st over . Bragg greeted the left-armer by twice driving him to the ropes at long-off as the 100 came up before biffing Benny Howell through mid-wicket for another rasping four. Rudolph also launched the spinner high over mid-off for four before Bragg completed a 51-ball fifty by drilling Miles through the covers for four.
Bragg celebrated by lofting Miles over cover for four before an off-drive by Rudolph brought up the century stand. Bragg twice reverse-swept Smith for four before clipping Miles to the ropes at mid-wicket but on 75 he was bowled by Miles. 156/2 saw Colin Ingram join Rudolph who completed his sober fifty from 77 balls, before his new partner began by pulling Smith for six over mid-wicket. But Rudolph departed shortly afterwards as he was run out by Howell attempting a second run, and 168/3 then became 169/4 as Aneurin Donald spliced a shot into Iain Cockbain’s hands in the gully.
Chris Cooke duly joined forces with Ingram with the new batsman guiding Norwell through the vacant slip cordon for four, but the innings stuttered again as next ball he edged again into Roderick’s gloves. Ingram then survived a run out chance after a mix-up in calling with Graham Wagg had seen him stranded well down the wicket but the throw at the stumps missed. He celebrated his good fortune by straight driving Miles for four, whilst Wagg biffed Norwell to the cover boundary before lofting Smith over long-on for six.
Ingram also harpooned the spinner over mid-wicket for six before the pair ran some swift singles against Howell and Dent. The latter was then drilled through the covers for four by Wagg, followed by a lofted drive over long-off for six by Ingram. But the spinner struck with his next ball, which the South African swatted into the hands of deep mid-wicket.
Craig Meschede was then bowled by Benny Howell, but Graham Wagg maintained the tempo by lofting Miles for six and four, but he was then run out for 49 attempting a quick single with Timm van der Gugten. 272/8 then became 272/9 as Dean Cosker was caught behind in Howell’s final over. But Michael Hogan then used the long handle, clubbing Miles to long-off before van der Gugten was bowled in the final over as Glamorgan ended on 289.
Dent, who scored a century yesterday against Somerset at Taunton, began Gloucestershire’s response by striking his first ball, from Wagg, for four through the covers followed by a chip to mid-wicket in the left-armer’s second over, but Wagg struck in his next over as he held onto a drive which Dent struck back at him as Gloucestershire lost their first wicket on 16.
At the Cathedral Road End van der Gugten delivered a series of dot balls until Michael Klinger square-cut him for four. With Gloucestershire on 24, Wagg struck again as Aneurin Donald at short mid-wicket parried a full bloodied pull by Roderick and gleefully caught the ball at the second attempt. Klinger responded with a two cover drives to the boundary ropes against Michael Hogan before Hamish Marshall firmly cut and on-drove Wagg for a pair of fours. But van der Gugten then returned and with the total on 48, he removed Marshall who was caught behind as he wafted at a short ball from the pace bowler.
Iain Cockbain began by edging Hogan to third man for four before square-cutting Meschede to the ropes, before the spin of Cosker was introduced in the 18th over. Klinger greeted him by steering the left-armer through backward point followed two overs later by a sweep to the ropes at fine-leg en route to a 75-ball fifty. But by this time he had lost Cockbain who feathered a catch down the leg-side into Cooke’s gloves in Meschede’s sixth over – and a reward for the all-rounder’s frugality - as Gloucestershire slipped to 108/4.
Ingram’s leg-spin was also deployed and in his second over he claimed the prized wicket of Klinger who was deceived into chipping a ball back to the twirler. 116/5 saw Jack Taylor join Howell, and with the asking rate climbing to 8 an over, he needed to up the tempo, but he became Ingram’s second scalp as he holed out to Donald at long-off.
Van der Gugten returned to the attack at the River End and was flicked to fine-leg for four by Howell, before Hogan replaced the Dutchman and was drilled to long-on by both Smith and Howell.With the required rate rising in excess of ten an over, both batsmen greeted the return of Cosker by sweeping him for four, before Howell hoisted him over deep mid-wicket for six. Smith then clipped Hogan to fine-leg to bring up the fifty stand for the seventh wicket.
Wagg and Meschede duly returned as Gloucestershire’s target became 105 from the final ten overs, and with his third delivery the latter ended Smith’s innings as he re-arranged his stumps. Next over, Miles was run out as Howell desperately tried to get back on strike. He responded by hoisting Wagg to the mid-wicket ropes before reaching his fifty from 49 balls by smearing Wagg through point. Two overs later, Howell repeated the stroke as the target became 75 from the last six overs.
With five overs remaining, Van der Gugten returned and was edged to third man by Norwell, but the Dutchman responded by having the batsman caught at deep square-leg as he pulled the next ball to Bragg. With his final partner, Howell flayed Hogan to third man but he then attempted to repeat the stroke in van der Gugten’s next over and was caught at point by Wagg as Glamorgan began their campaign with a resounding 52-run victory over the reigning champions.