Half centuries from Mark Wallace (61) and Chris Cooke (55), plus an excellent fielding display helped Glamorgan to a 34-run victory after being put into bat at Grace Road in their Yorkshire Bank40 match against the Leicestershire Foxes, with the victory lifting them into third place in the table, and with games in hand over the two sides above them.
The Welsh county began the day in fourth place in the group table and made two changes to their side which defeated the Unicorns at Southend with Will Owen and Alex Jones coming into the team in place of the injured Simon Jones and Ben Wright. After being put in, they responded by making a turbo-charged start as Will Bragg struck the first three balls of the match - from Nathan Buck - for two fours and a six. Mark Wallace also found the boundary ropes twice in the early overs as the pair with a series of swiftly scampered singles saw Glamorgan to the 50-mark in the 9th over as Bragg lofted Rob Taylor over extra cover for four.
Both batsmen greeted the spin of Jigar Naik by drilling boundaries through the offside in his opening over before Wallace unfurled a ramp shot as he scooped Taylor to the long-leg boundary for another sweetly-timed four. Wallace then drilled Michael Thornely for four before completing a 42-ball fifty, but their jaunty stand ended when Bragg drilled Naik into the hands of Angus Robson, the substitute fielder at long-off.
With Chris Cooke as his new partner, Wallace steered Thornely through backward point for four as the Welsh county reached three figures in the 18th over, but Naik then claimed his second wicket as Wallace was caught at short extra cover for 61. Marcus North duly joined Cooke who despatched Josh Cobb through the covers, mid-wicket and third man for a trio of fours. North then nurdled Shiv Thakor to the ropes for another boundary whilst Cooke continued to work the ball around, but the return of Taylor ended North's innings as he was caught by Niall O'Brien as the wicket-keeper, standing up to the left-arm seamer, took a good low catch with Glamorgan on 131/3.
Jim Allenby got off the mark by clipping Thakor to the boards at mid-wicket followed by a rasping cover drive against the same bowler. Cooke then despatched Buck high over cover for four before Allenby lofted Naik over mid-wicket for six. But with the total on 181, Allenby was run out by Anthony Ireland as the bowler gathered the ball in his follow through and then threw down the stumps as he tried to complete a single.
Murray Goodwin then cut and pulled short balls from Taylor for four before Cooke completed his fifty from 54 balls. Goodwin celebrated by lofting Taylor over mid-off for four before Glamorgan took their batting powerplay on 211/4 in the 34th over. But ten runs later Cooke miscued a drive against Buck and was caught at mid-on. Goodwin cut and pulled further fours before Wagg was bowled.
Two wickets then tumbled in the space of three balls in the next over as Joe Burns took a good diving catch to hold onto a lofted drive by Dean Cosker before Goodwin pulled a ball to Thakor at deep square-leg with Glamorgan on 241/8 after 37 overs. Will Owen then clubbed two fours whilst Michael Hogan struck Buck over long-on for six as Glamorgan ended on 265/8.
After an opening maiden from Allenby, Cobb drilled the all-rounder straight for four before consecutive fours against Hogan - the first off the inside edge and the second off the middle through cover. Niall O'Brien duly greeted Wagg at the Bennett End by steering him through backward point. Both batsmen then biffed boundaries in Allenby's fourth over before Cobb bludgeoned Wagg for a pair of fours to long-on as the Foxes ended the opening powerplay on 57/0.
But three wickets swiftly fell in the space of six balls as Allenby bowled Cobb and trapped Greg Smith l.b.w. in successive balls before Hogan returned and had O'Brien caught behind - all without a run before scored. Thakor announced his arrival by cover-driving Hogan but three maidens from Allenby, Hogan and Owen kept the Foxes well and truly under control.
The pressure steadily built-up and directly led to the fall of the fourth wicket as Thakor, in trying to sneak a second run to Cooke on the cover boundary was smartly run out. With the scoreboard reading 71/4 Thornely joined the almost strokeless Joe Burns before Cosker kept things tight at the Pavilion End. Thornely opted for the aerial route against the spinner, lofting him for four - the first boundary for a dozen overs - before clubbing Owen over mid-wicket.
Another furious straight drive by Burns then felled Thornely at the non-strikers end, prompting a short break as the dazed batsman received attention before resuming his innings. Thankfully, he showed no ill effect as shortly afterwards he cover drove Cosker for four, before Burns launched Owen over extra cover for a boundary. But in the next over, Thornely lofted Cosker into Alex Jones' hands at long-off with Leicestershire losing their fifth wicket on 116.
Burns responded by lofting Cosker over long-on for six before Ned Eckersley nearly felled Burns as he drilled Jones to long-off . The Australian responded by pulling Wagg over mid-wicket for six as the equation for the Foxes became 117 from 66 balls, but their hopes took a blow as Eckersley holed out to Allenby on the deep mid-wicket boundary as he tried to loft Jones to the ropes.
With Leicestershire on 153/6 in the 30th over, Taylor joined Burns who completed a 69-ball fifty - his first in the competition - before drilling a full toss from Jones to long-on before scything the next ball to the ropes at third man as the Foxes target became 93 from 48 balls as they took their batting powerplay. Burns responded by striking Wagg for two fours and a three before clubbing a full toss into the grateful hands of Jones who completed a good diving catch at mid-off as the Australian departed for 71 with his side on 188/7.
Hogan then returned as Taylor and Ireland with a mix of lusty swipes desperately tried to keep up with an ever rising run rate and, with the total on 205, Goodwin ran out Ireland as they sought a quick single to short mid-wicket. Nine runs later Hogan bowled Taylor before he also ended the contest by bowling Naik with the penultimate delivery.
