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Bowlers delight as Glos beat Yorkshire by 36 runs

2 August 2024

Ollie Price’s watchful 98 off 118 balls plus a feverish bowling display led by three-wicket quick Matt Taylor led Gloucestershire to an entertaining win over Yorkshire at York as they successfully defended a 252-target to triumph by 36 runs. 

Price had underpinned Gloucestershire’s 251 for nine, while opener Miles Hammond leant support with 54. But the visitors added only 85 runs in a damaging final 15 overs which saw seven wickets fall.

The Vikings responded on a challenging batting pitch, with new ball seamer Ben Coad (two for 27 from 10 overs) particularly impressive as one of four bowlers who struck twice.

Shan Masood and James Wharton hit 76 and 56 respectively to leave Yorkshire well placed, but they slumped from 137 for two to 215 all out inside 48 overs. Excellent new ball left-armer Taylor finished with three for 35 off 10. Both counties have now won two, lost two in Group B.

Glos elected to bat on the same hybrid pitch used for Yorkshire’s Wednesday win over Sussex, and they showed early caution against accurate bowling.

After Cameron Bancroft’s early departure, caught behind off Coad - 36 for one in the 11th over, Hammond and Price advanced impressively as extra bounce was evident without extra pace.

They rotated strike amidst an 88-run partnership, and a feature of Price’s innings was his sweeping and reverse sweeping against spin.

But the reverse sweep against Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin was Hammond’s undoing, bowled shortly after reaching his 84-ball fifty - 124-2 in the 30th. By then, Price had also reached 50 off 65.

England Lion Price beautifully drove two boundaries almost arrow straight off Ben Cliff’s seam in the 34th over before, at the start of his next, James Bracey hoisted the same bowler over long-on for one of only two sixes in the entire innings.

However, Gloucestershire’s acceleration was shackled, as four wickets fell for 19 from 172 for two in 36th over to 191 for six in the 41st. 

Cliff struck twice in an action-packed 36th as Bracey played on and Ben Charlesworth was caught behind. Coad then forced Jack Taylor to play on, as did Moriarty to Graeme van Buuren. 

Tom Smith added a useful 27, but Price was yorked by George Hill as the visitors only just crept over 250.

Wickets continued to fall as Yorkshire replied.

Fin Bean was bowled off the inside-edge - the fixture’s fourth chop on - as he left Matt Taylor alone before Ajeet Singh Dale bowled Will Luxton shortly afterwards, the Vikings 24 for two in the seventh over. 

Masood and Wharton set about a no-frills recovery, sharing a third-wicket 113. 

Masood hit 63 in Wednesday’s Sussex win, and by the time his latest half-century arrived off 52 balls, Yorkshire were on a healthy 94 for two in the 21st.

Acceleration came when they hit three leg-side sixes off the spin of Price and van Buuren, taking the score to 117 for two in the 23rd. 

It was now Yorkshire’s game to lose. But that’s exactly what happened.

Matt Taylor had Masood caught behind and bowled Hill in successive overs before Harry Duke pulled Dom Goodman’s seam to midwicket - 147 for five in the 33rd.

Wharton reached his fifty off 78 balls, but him crawling through the forties  heightened home nerves. It was, therefore, no great surprise when he miscued Smith’s left-arm spin to backward point, leaving the Vikings six down at 163.

That became 176 for seven in the 39th when Singh Dale trapped Dom Bess lbw. Now it was Gloucestershire’s game, and they didn’t let things slip.

Coad was run out before Matthew Revis, for 41, and Moriarty were caught in the deep off Goodman and van Buuren.

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