Dent and Bancroft seal two day Festival win
4 July 2017
Gloucestershire openers Chris Dent and Cameron Bancroft sealed a 10 wicket win over Glamorgan at the Cheltenham Festival with more than two days to spare after Liam Norwell's fourth five wicket haul of the season had left a victory target of 135 at the College Ground.
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After the helter-skelter nature of Monday's play, Glamorgan had only five second innings wickets remaining with which to try and set a challenging fourth innings total. They had mustered 99 runs before Norwell brought a sharp halt to affairs with two wickets in three balls as Glamorgan were dismissed for 158.
It left Gloucestershire 56 overs on the day to win the match, and with an increasing calmness that belied what had gone before Dent and Bancroft both made unbeaten half centuries to secure a second Championship victory of the season shortly before 5 o'clock.
Listen to Chris Dent and Cameron Bancroft's reaction to the win here:
Glamorgan had protected Chris Cooke and Graham Wagg by sending in night watchman Timm van der Gugten on Monday evening, and for the best part of an hour the Dutchman proved an obdurate block to Gloucestershire's progress as Glamorgan set out from the precarious position of 59-5.
Salter struck the first boundary through extra cover off David Payne, and with some light rain in the air the scoreboard was nudged slowly along until Salter used his feet to Noema-Barnett and launched a drive over the top towards the main scoreboard.
The pair had added 41 on the day when van der Gugten (17) fell foul of a delivery that kept low from Noema-Barnett was adjudged lbw. He dragged himself slowly to the pavilion, and in the next over Salter also departed for 31, although it needed confirmation from the umpires to the scorers that he had been caught behind by 'keeper Roderick. It initially appeared as if Miles' appeal had been for lbw.
Glamorgan's advantage was only 80 runs when Wagg joined wicket keeper Cooke, but with the latter batting deep in his crease they stayed together until lunch, adding 36 despite Wagg needing treatment after being struck on the toe. Given what had gone before, the prospect of chasing more than 150 still looked an uncomfortable one, and so it was with some relief that Liam Norwell trapped Wagg lbw for 30.
Having bowled throughout the match from the Chapel end, Norwell then switched ends and took the final two wickets in three balls as de Lange and Hogan both gave routine catches to Jack Taylor at cover. He finished with 6-38, and Glamorgan's second innings score of 158 left Gloucestershire needing 135 to win.
With time not an issue Dent and Bancroft could have been cautious but Glamorgan were hunting wickets so attacking fields left gaps which both men exploited in the opening overs with Marchant de Lange being driven to the boundary four times in his first spell.
Wagg and skipper Hogan dried up the runs for a while but the Gloucestershire pair had posted the first fifty partnership of the match before tea, when another burst from de Lange saw Bancroft punch two further boundaries as the South African bowled too short.
Dent did survive one difficult caught and bowled chance to Salter when on 35, but once the runs required dropped below 50 both Gloucestershire openers pressed the accelerator as the finishing line came into view.
Dent's half century came from 80 balls with six fours, and he finished 68 not out while Bancroft backed up an unbeaten 69 in the first innings at Hove last week with 62 not out here, completing the victory by cutting Salter to the point boundary. It was an orthodox end to a very unorthodox match.
