Glamorgan lost their unbeaten record in the Friends Life t20 as they lost to the Northants Steelbacks off the final ball of a tightly-fought contest at Northampton after Murray Goodwin had top-scored with 47.
With Marcus North absent following a family bereavement, Jim Allenby took over the captaincy, with Alex Jones returning to the team, and it was Allenby who opened the batting with Mark Wallace when Glamorgan batted and the acting captain struck the first boundary as in the opening over he leg-glanced David Willey for four before twice swatting Steven Crook to extra cover. He then turned his attention to Lee Daggett on-driving him straight for four, before scopping Willey over short fine-leg for another boundary.Wallace continued to be something of a bystander as Allenby lofted Daggett to deep mid-wicket and Crook to long-off, but the Club captain brought up the fifty with successive fours against Crook, but on 57 the introduction of Mohammad Azharullah ended Allenby's merry spree as he topped edged a pull and was caught by wicket-keeper David Murphy. The Steelbacks then switched to spin as James Middlebrook and Matt Spriegel entered the fray, and the latter ended Chris Cooke's brief stay as Daggett took a catch at deep mid-wicket, and four balls later Wallace was stumped by Murphy as Glamorgan slipped to 68/3.
Goodwin then cover drove Middlebrook and pulled Cameron White to the ropes before reverse-sweeping Spriegel as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark in the 14th over. With Ben Wright scampering singles at the other end, the veteran off drove Mohammed Azharullah for four before lofting Spriegel inside-out over extra cover. wright reverse-swept Middlebrook for four but then next ball, with the total on 121 in the 16th over, he was bowled by the spinner. Graham Wagg announced his arrival by drilling Daggett for four and six over extra cover and long-on before hitting his wicket as he attempted to pull Azharullah.
137/5 saw Nathan McCullum join Goodwin as the cosmopolitan pair furiously scampered some one's and two;s, with Goodwin also scything Willey for four to third man. The pair both departed in the final over bowled by Azharullah as the Pakistani finished with the splendid figures of 4/14 as Glamorgan ended on 153/7.
James and Allenby opened the bowling with Richard Levi and Kyle Coetzer opening for the Steelbacks. It proved to be a short opening stand as to the eighth ball of the innings, delivered by Allenby, Coetzer pulled a ball to Alex Jones at deep mid-wicket with the total on 7.White then joined Levi and on-drove Allenby for three as well as nurdling him for four, before using the long handle to despatch Wagg for six over long-on followed by savage pull for four. His lusty swipes prompted the appearance of Michael Hogan and Dean Cosker into the attack, with Hogan conceding just a single to put a break on the Steelbacks progress
Levi then harpooned McCullum over long-on for six before White sent the Kiwi through the covers for another four. Levi drilled Cosker straight for four but two balls later a subtle change of pace saw the canny spinner bowl the South African with the Steelbacks on 60/2 in the tenth over. With Alex Wakely as his new partner White pulled Wagg for four before Wakely cover drove McCullum for four as the equation became 70 off 8 overs. Cosker nearly then nearly had Wakely caught at backward point and the home captain celebrated his let-off by drilling Allenby for four as the target between 53 off thirty balls. Wakely responded by cover driving Wagg for four but it was the only boundary as Hogan returned with the Steelbacks needing 45 off 24 balls.
White responded by lofting Hogan for six to long-on to complete a 43-ball fifty which he celebrated by harpooning another six high over mid-wicket against Hogan as the target became 28 off 18 balls. Allenby was then guided to long-leg for four from successive balls - the first intentionally by Wakely before the second coame off the inside edge. A mis-field then resulted in three runs as Wagg returned for the penultimnate over with 15 needed off a dozen balls. After a flurry of singles, Wakely swatted him for four to comeplte a 35-ball fifty before White struck a four just over the head of James fielding at deep mid-wicket as the equation became three off the final over from Hogan. It proved to be a cliff-hanger as after a dot ball and a single, James ran out white, Wakely then blocked out a yorker before scampering a single to bring the scores level with one ball left and Steven Crook on strike. The Steelbacks all-rounder then swatted the ball through backward point to seal victory for his side
