The battle of the bridge produced another exciting tussle that both sides looked to have control of at different times. In the end it was Glamorgan who claimed the win, some consolation for their two losses in the Blast.
After morning drizzle play finally got under way in Cardiff at 1:45, Gloucestershire having won the toss and not surprisingly choosing to bowl first on a pitch with a distinct green tinge. The game had been reduced to 33 overs-a-side, with a seven over power play. The pitch was quite central, an area of the square that usually provides good carry and Gloucestershire had the pace attack to take full advantage, despite the loss of David Payne, Marchant de Lange and Matt Taylor to the Hundred.
Aided by some lateral movement, the floodlights on throughout the match, the Glamorgan openers were soon on the back foot and Ajeet Singh Dale was the first to strike, bowling Will Smale for a duck, the 23-year-old beaten for pace. Eddie Byrom (5) was the next to go, edging an attempted pull off Josh Shaw to Cameron Bancroft at second slip and Glamorgan were 11/2 after 4.2 overs. At the end of the power play Glamorgan had reached just 22/2 and that became 27/3 when Dom Goodman trapped Tom Bevan lbw for 4, with the first ball of his spell.
Billy Root joined Kiran Carlson in the middle, the two most experienced batters in the Glamorgan line up, following the late withdrawal of Colin Ingram who has joined the Northern Superchargers. They picked up the pace of scoring, but the ball was still beating the bat and Carlson had one flash too many, edging Goodman to Bracey for 32 and Glamorgan were 76/4 from 15 overs. Root then went in a similar fashion off the bowling of Zaman Akhter for 29 with the score on 99/5 from 18.5 overs. Jack Taylor continued to have the Midas touch with his bowling changes as Dale then removed Asa Tribe for 12 and the impetus that Carlson and Root had given the innings was lost temporarily. Ben Kellaway, who looked as comfortable as any of the batters, was joined by Dan Douthwaite. Kellaway was particularly strong on the drive, using his tall stature effectively and then started reverse sweeping Graeme van Buuren. Douthwaite was bowled by van Buuren for 8, having put on 36 from 39 balls with Kellaway and shortly after Kellaway brought up his half century off 52 balls to take Glamorgan to 160/7 from 30 overs. The Gloucestershire bowlers kept things tight but Kellaway stuck at it, finishing unbeaten on 65 from 60 balls and with 21 scored off the last two overs, Glamorgan finished on 187/8. Dale was the pick of the bowlers with 2/22 from his seven overs, but they will be disappointed with the 19 wides that were conceded
The Gloucestershire openers found life as tricky as their Glamorgan counterparts and Jamie McIlroy struck in the fourth over as Miles Hammond lofted a drive to Carlson at cover. 5/1 became 7/2 as Cameron Bancroft edged Timm van der Gugten to Smale, out for nought. Two maidens were bowled in the seven over power play as Gloucestershire managed just 15/2. James Bracey took 15 off van der Gugten’s fifth over and he struck another maximum off Andy Gorvin in the next. He looked to take the attack to the Glamorgan bowlers, but at the other end Dan Douthwaite induced Ollie Price to play at a wide ball and the edge was taken by Smale. Gloucestershire were 44/3 from 10.5 overs as the clouds were gathering.
Bracey was starting to cut loose and he and Ben Charlesworth (14) put on 44 for the fourth wicket, before Charlesworth cut Douthwaite straight to Kellaway at point. Jack Taylor (14) has been a thorn in Glamorgan’s side this season and he put on 28 with Bracey for the fifth wicket before he skied a ball from Kellaway to Bevan at deep mid wicket. Fortune then favoured Gloucestershire as three edges in consecutive overs flew to the boundary and they had moved above the DLS par score for the first time, at 138/5 after 25 overs.
Bracey was the key for Gloucestershire and van der Gugten had been bowled out, his seven overs conceding 1/33. McIlroy had gone for just 10 runs from his first four overs, but when he came back for the 26th it went for 10. Graeme van Buuren went hard from the start of his innings and raced to 23 off 14 balls to get the required rate below a run-a-ball, but Bracey then played on attempting a pull off Douthwaite, his 86 coming off 79 balls. Gloucestershire were 157/6 needing 31 from 33 balls. Douthwaite’s over went for just one run and Gorvin, brought back next over, bowled van Buuren. 31 from 29 balls was the equation with three wickets remaining and Glamorgan were almost home when Smale took a smart catch, standing up, to dismiss Akhter with the last ball of the same over. Douthwaite then removed Shaw in the same fashion. Glamorgan had regained control and Gorvin finished the job, Goodman playing the ball into the hands of Kellaway at backward point. This was a payback for Gorvin having been the bowler to concede the boundary off the last ball of the Blast match won by the Shire.
Gloucestershire’s last five wickets had fallen for just three runs and it was an excellent performance from the Glamorgan bowling unit, Douthwaite finishing with 4/25 and Gorvin 3/32. Glamorgan next face Surrey at the Oval on Sunday, whilst Gloucestershire host Essex.
