Despite 83 by Gareth Rees plus a quick-fire 49 by Murray Goodwin, Gloucestershire defeated Glamorgan by two wickets off the penultimate ball in their crucial Yorkshire Bank40 match at Bristol with Michael Klinger making 87 to see his side also leapfrog the Welsh county and into second place in the group table
After their rousing back-to-back victories last week against Somerset and the Middlesex Panthers, Glamorgan named an unchanged side for today's contest with Gareth Rees and Mark Wallace opening the batting in what is a must-win game for the home side in order for the West Country side to progress to the last four of the competition.
Rees struck the first boundary of the day as in the opening over from James Fuller he steered the ball through backward point before surviving a sharp run out chance next ball and luck was also on the southpaw's side as he inside-edged another drive against Craig Miles with the ball speeding away to the ropes at long-leg. He celebrated his good fortune by pulling the next ball for four.
Rees maintained the helter-skelter start by swatting further short balls from Fuller to the ropes in front of, and behind, square-leg. Wallace then found the ropes himself as he executed a sumptuous cover drive against Miles followed by a thick outside edge against the same bowler which sped to the vacant third man position as the Welsh county reached 50 in the 8th over. But next over Wallace swatted David Payne into the hands of Hamish Marshall at deep square-leg.
With the total on 53/1 Chris Cooke joined Rees and he was quickly into his stride clipping Payne to backward square-leg for four before running a series of singles with Rees who, having struck a flurry of fours during the powerplay overs, accumulated thereafter in more sober fashion. Tom Smith's left-arm spin was then introduced in the 16th over and the twirler got immediate reward as Cooke - with the total on 83 - was caught behind as he attempted a cut.
Marcus North announced his arrival by drilling Fuller for four through mid-off but his stay proved to be a brief one as with the total on 95 in the 20th over he top-edged a sweep against Smith and was caught at deep backward square-leg This brought Jim Allenby to the crease as Rees completed a 62-ball fifty as the hundred also came up.
Allenby deftly nurdled Smith to third man for four before pulling Howell over wide long-on for six. He duly greeted the return of Miles by savagely pulling him for leg-side fours from consecutive deliveries but in Howell's final over - and the total on 140 - he lofted the all-rounder into the hands of Michael Klinger on the mid-wicket boundary.
Ten runs later Rees survived a stumping chance as he advanced down the wicket to Smith before his next partner, Murray Goodwin, also opened his shoulders against Fuller and despatched him to the boards at deep mid-wicket. He then swept Chris Dent for four before swatting the next ball to deep mid-wicket for another boundary. He added another leg-side four to his tally as he clipped Payne to square-leg before cutting the same bowler through backward point for another four.
Goodwin maintained the increased tempo by then pulling and cutting Smith for four before the batting powerplay was taken with Glamorgan on 192/4. He duly upper cut Fuller to third man for four but having made 49 from 31 balls he then cut Fuller into the hands of backward point. Graham Wagg then brought up the 200 in the 35th over before on-driving Smith for four and then off-driving Miles for another boundary. He then launched again into the young seamer drilling him straight for six but the bowler produced the perfect riposte as next ball he re-arranged Wagg's stumps.
With the total on 226/6 and two overs remaining, Ben Wright came in to join Rees who struck successive fours in the penultimate over from Payne as the ball disappeared to long-on and mid-wicket. But on 83 the opener departed with two balls remaining as he miscued to mid-on before Wright swatted the penultimate ball through extra cover as Glamorgan ended on 247/7.
Marshall and Klinger duly launched Gloucestershire's run chase with a flurry of runs with Marshall steering Michael Hogan to the ropes at mid-wicket for the opening boundary in the third over. Klinger also drilled Allenby to the cover boundary for two fours in the fourth over before Marshall steered Wagg through backward point for four followed by a pull for four against Allenby.
Klinger then nurdled Allenby for four to third man before Marshall brought up the fifty in the seventh over by pulling a long-hop from Wagg. Klinger then did the same to a short ball from the left-armer, as well as another from Hogan who switched the New Pavilion End as the home side ended the powerplay on 61/0. Marshall then cut Wagg through backward point for another four before cover-driving him to reach 50 from 38 balls.
Klinger then lofted North inside-out over mid-off for four as the West Country side reached the 100-mark in the 15th over, but next ball Marshall was superbly caught and bowled by Dean Cosker as the Kiwi drilled a ball back to the spinner. Dent - who scored 151* in the contest at Cardiff in May - then joined Klinger as the pair quietly worked the ball around as North and Cosker bowled in tandem and put a brake on the home side's progress.
Klinger duly completed his fifty from 56 balls whilst Dent carefully nurdled the ball for one's and two's before Simon Jones entered the fray for the 24th over with Gloucestershire needing 112 from 17 overs, and Glamorgan eager for further wickets. Klinger duly swatted his first delivery for four over backward point before Dent swatted the third to long-leg for six, but the wicket came in the next over as the wily Cosker snared Dent who was well caught at long-on by Hogan.
Two balls later 154/2 became 154/3 as Cosker took a superb diving catch at backward point to end Ian Cockbain's brief stay at the crease. Alex Gidman responded with a couple of assertive drives as the target became 82 from 72 deliveries as Cosker completed his frugal spell having not conceded a boundary, but having taken 2/28 in his eight overs.
Gidman responded with a firm on-drive against Jones as the target became 72 from the final ten overs, and with some well-placed drives this was whittled down to 65 from the last 48 balls as the home side took their batting powerplay. Klinger responded by despatching Hogan to long-on for four before Gidman struck the bowler over extra cover for four. Next over Klinger glanced Jones to long-leg for another four as his side reached 199, but he then chopped the paceman onto his stumps and departed for 87 as Howell joined Gidman with 49 still required from 36 balls.
Gidman then off-drove Hogan for four but the tall paceman struck a decisive blow by clean bowling the batsman two balls later as the home side slipped to 203/5. Jones held his nerve and conceded just three singles in his next over as the equation became 40 from 24 balls. With Wagg delivering an economical second spell, Gareth Roderick and Howell failed to find the boundary as the target became 34 from 18 balls.
Howell responded by harpooning Jones for six over mid-wicket before drilling the next ball to long-on for four. After a single by Howell, Roderick imperiously drilled another four to long-on as the equation became 17 from 12 balls. Howell then lofted Wagg straight for six but next ball Cooke held onto a steepling catch at deep mid-wicket as Gloucestershire lost their sixth wicket on 237.
Roderick struck a pair of twos, but was then caught and bowled by Wagg attempting another pull. Fuller then smeared a two as the target became five from the last over with Hogan starting with a wide. Smith and Fuller then scampered two runs before Hogan caught and bowled Smith. Payne then struck a single before Fuller struck the penultimate ball for four to seal victory by two wickets.
