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Cockbain and Howell complete victory after Norwell's 5-36

30 April 2017

An outstanding opening spell from Liam Norwell and a first white ball century from Ian Cockbain enabled Gloucestershire to bank their first Royal London Cup points of the season against Middlesex at Lord's.

Bowling straight through his 10 overs from the Pavilion End, Norwell took 5-36 after Middlesex won the toss and decided to bat. including two wickets in his final over to leave Middlesex on the ropes at 97-5. A century stand between Adam Voges (81) and Toby Roland Jones (65) gave the home side what looked a workmanlike total of 256-9 to defend.

Middlesex appeared to have strangled the match when Gloucestershire were 65-5 in reply but Ian Cockbain (108*) and Benny Howell (86*) gradually accelerated to compile an unbroken partnership of 192 for the 6th wicket to secure the match by 5 wickets when Cockbain cleared the rope off the first ball of the last over.

Listen to Ian Cockbain's post match thoughts here:

Gloucestershire were forced into one change to the side beaten by Glamorgan, with Craig Miles coming in for Chris Liddle who tweaked a muscle in the warm up. Matt Taylor and Liam Norwell again shared new ball duties, and Norwell soon got into a rhythm which he maintained throughout.

Paul Stirling clubbed a big six to the long Grandstand boundary off Matt Taylor and had scored 26 of the first 29 runs when Norwell's spell of destruction began, the Irishman edging to Klinger to give the Gloucestershire skipper the first of three catches. Using the slope to help angle the ball across the Middlesex left handers, Norwell proved hard to get away and Middlesex were 40-2 when Gubbins feathered another good length ball to Dent at second slip.

Adam Voges then joined Dawid Malan and for a while Middlesex steadied their innings, but Michael Klinger's decision to keep Norwell on after Miles had replaced Matt Taylor at the Nursery End paid huge dividends in his final three overs.

Malan (31) tried to steer a ball to third man but was caught behind by Mustard, and although a couple of boundaries spoiled his ninth over, Norwell responded with two further wickets in his last, bowling Simpson for 12 and then having Franklin caught behind by a tumbling Mustard for a duck.

Skipper Klinger was still at slip at this point, and he remained so as Adam Voges - a team mate at Western Australia - and one time Gloucestershire target Toby Roland Jones set about rebuilding the Middlesex innings after Howell accounted for Ryan Higgins to leave Middlesex 114-6 with 27 overs still remaining.

Tom Smith had two strong lbw appeals turned down before the pair had settled but steadily the Middlesex seventh wicket pair pieced together a century stand in 22 overs. Voges' half century contained only four fours despite a short boundary on the Mound Stand side, and Roland Jones passed his previous best List A score, completing his own fifty from 58 deliveries. Middlesex were 190-6 when the final powerplay started, and they added a further 66 runs in the last ten overs.

It might have been more had Roland-Jones and Voges not departed in quick succession, both caught by Klinger at extra cover off Howell and van Buuren respectively. Howell also removed Helm before Finn struck two sixes in the final over to give Gloucestershire a bigger target than seemed likely at half distance.

They needed a good start and although Tom Helm was accurate at the Nursery End, Steve Finn offered scoring opportunities which Klinger in particular accepted and 30 runs were already on the board when Mustard was tucked up by Helm and 'keeper Simpson took the catch. Dent got off the mark with a pull off Roland Jones towards the longer boundary in front of the empty Grandstand and 50-1 in the 14th was a satisfactory base, only for Middlesex to apparently rip it up.

Klinger (30) was angry with himself as he steered Roland Jones to Higgins at point : the same bowler then shattered Dent's stumps, and van Buuren was stumped having been lured forward by spinner Patel. When Jack Taylor was caught at slip off Franklin 54-1 had become 65-5.

The rescue act in the Gloucestershire batting order came in the form of Ian Cockbain and Benny Howell. Cockbain in particular started slowly, but the pair were unflustered by the deficit on Duckworth Lewis, which is generally a good guide. With 20 overs left they had added 37 runs but the rate was up above seven an over and Howell was first to react, twice pulling Higgins into the executive boxes in the Mound Stand, and then repeating the feat off Roland-Jones.

He remained the dominant scorer for a while, completing a 43 ball half century, and scoring 64 out of a century partnership which ticked up from 111 deliveries. Cockbain was continuing to scamper between the wickets, and when he reached his own fifty with four boundaries from 97 balls, 87 were still required from the last nine overs.

Temporarily, the boundaries dried up but James Franklin's 45th over saw Cockbain clear the Mound Stand boundary and Howell manufacture two fours, followed by two more in the 46th, bowled by Steve Finn.

The clock had tipped Gloucestershire's way, and when Cockbain struck the previously miserly Helm for four fours in the 48th over, it took him to the verge of his first one day hundred and Gloucestershire to the brink of a victory fittingly sealed when Cockbain heaved Higgins into the Mound Stand with five balls remaining.

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