Gloucestershire book their return to Edgbaston for Finals Day by beating the Bears by 14 runs
The last of the Vitality Blast quarter finals was decided on a fine evening at Edgbaston in front of a big crowd. On a pitch that was true but where the ball didn’t come on to the bat, it proved to be a low scoring encounter. Gloucestershire successfully defended what had seemed like an inadequate total of 138, winning by 14 runs. The only time that the bat was on top of the ball was at the start of the Gloucestershire innings when some undisciplined Bears bowling enabled the batters to reach 51 off five overs, which in the end proved decisive.
Chasing a target of 139, the Bears soon lost skipper Alex Davies who skied David Payne to deep square leg. Moeen Ali, who had played out a maiden to Payne, gradually got going, launching the same bowler for a couple of huge sixes. He then edged Payne to be caught behind for 27 and the Bears were 35-2 and had only advanced to 37-2 at the end of the powerplay.
Dan Mousley hit Olly Price for a square leg six then tried to pull a straight ball and was lbw after a review – 45-3. Sam Hain and Jacob Bethell looked to be building a partnership with some sensible cricket, so it was a surprise when new England recruit Bethell hit an innocuous delivery from Olly Price precisely into the hands of Jack Taylor at extra cover. At 59-4, the Bears were struggling and the pressure finally got to Sam Hain who skied Olly Price out to deep mid wicket. It was then 74-5 in the 13th over, the target of 139 looking distant.
Chris Benjamin and George Garton did their best to retrieve the situation against some steady Gloucestershire bowling, but Garton, going for a six, found the safe hands of Cameron Bancroft at long off and the Bears were 105-6, which became seven when Zak Foulkes was lbw to his first ball.
Though Benjamin and Danny Briggs tried their best, the last over arrived with 18 still needed and then Benjamin holed out to Payne. Jake Lintott too was caught off a skier and at 124-9, the Bears fell short. Payne finished with 4-23 and Olly Price 3-32.
Earlier on, the Bears bowlers had looked decidedly rusty, none more so than George Garton who started with a wild no ball down the leg side. When Miles Hammond hit the resultant free hit for four, Gloucestershire were 10-0 off one legal delivery.
Bears’ skipper Ali raced through his bowling options but initially none of Garton, Foulkes, Richard Gleeson and Dan Mousley could stem the flow from the bats of Hammond and Cameron Bancroft. The 50 was up off five overs. Then Hammond hit a full toss from Mousley to Lintott at mid off who pulled off a tricky catch.
64-1 was the score at the end of the powerplay and as so often, it was the slower bowlers who started to pull things round. Briggs had James Bracey lbw when he tried to pull a straight ball and after the first five overs had gone for 51, the next five went for just 23. Then Briggs had Olly Price caught by Lintott off a top edged sweep for just two.
Ben Charlesworth struck Ali for a huge leg side six but, trying to repeat the shot, fell to a skied catch taken by Bethell. The same fielder had earlier just failed to catch Bancroft having sprinted a massive distance from long off. Whatever might be said about the occasional looseness off their bowling, the Bears’ fielding was outstanding. Garton proved the point when he threw in from near the boundary to demolish the stumps at the bowler’s end and run out Bancroft for 43.
New Zealander Foulkes took two wickets in two balls when Tom Price and Josh Shaw fell to leg side catches to leave Gloucestershire 129-8.
It was Garton again who effected another run out with a direct hit, sending Matt Taylor on his way. And when David Payne skied Dan Mousley, Gloucestershire were all out138 in 19.2 overs. Foulkes with 3-22 was the most successful of the bowlers.
Then came the Bears struggle to chase such a low target. It is a decade since they reached Finals Day and they must wait at least another year. Gloucestershire have made it four teams out of four from the South Group to qualify and will be back at Edgbaston in a week’s time.
