Fourth win in a row enhances quarter final hopes
4 August 2015
Michael Klinger's highest score of a prolific season set up a fourth win in a row in the Royal London One Day Cup, this time over holders Durham by 71 runs.
Klinger made an unbeaten 135 out of a score of 289-7 in a rain affected 41 overs. Set 286 in reply under Duckworth Lewis, Durham lost wickets regularly and were finally dismissed for 214 off the first ball of the last over, David Payne finishing with 5-40.
The only cloud over the day was Michael Klinger's hamstring injury, which necessitated him batting with a runner for the final seven overs of the Gloucestershire innings. Klinger will have a scan to assess the severity of the problem.
Listen to David Payne's post match thoughts here :
Gloucestershire selected an unchanged team and despite the threat of showers early in the day Michael Klinger chose to bat first. There were two interruptions before ten overs had been bowled, in which time Chris Dent had walked after edging Hastings to keeper Mustard.
When the players came out of the pavilion for the third time, the match was down to 41 overs per side, and almost immediately Gareth Roderick clipped Rushworth to Jennings at mid wicket.
That brought in Geraint Jones, and together with Klinger he added 130 for the third wicket in 20 overs against a Durham attack which bowled too short and were frequently cut and pulled square of the wicket.
Klinger did drive Jennings for a straight six towards the Ashley Down Road end, and clearly taking encouragement from Jones' aggression at the other end, his usual efficiency was sprinkled with some deft improvisation, especially to off spinner Pringle.
A second straight six brought up his half century off 50 balls, and the earlier rain breaks looked incidental as a succession of bowling changes failed to stem the flow of boundaries.
Jones scored two boundaries playing the switch hit to Pringle of consecutive balls and his stand with Klinger was worth 106 when another short shower again forced the players off. With 16 overs remaining and no further reduction made by the umpires, Gloucestershire put their foot on the accelerator.
Jones reached his own fifty from 55 balls with five boundaries and a six, before being bowled trying to attack Pringle once too often, but far from the imputus being lost Benny Howell thrived on base set up for him.
He drove the recalled Hastings to long off and then pulled a huge six over mid wicket, and there was more profit from the switch hit as Howell also struck back to back boundaries off Pringle.
With Klinger twice finding the rope when Arshad was brought back into the attack, the 50 partnership took only 25 deliveries, and it took the leg spin of Scott Borthwick - strangely held back until the closing overs - to check Howell's sprint towards his own half century when he was bowled for a rapid 45 which had included three sixes.
By this stage Klinger was 94 not out, but therafter Chris Dent did his running for him, although that was to be no barrier to another well crafted hundred completed off 95 balls with ten fours and three sixes.
Borthwick accounted for Noema-Barnett (10) and Fuller (3) in the closing overs but Klinger still attacked the quicker bowlers, again driving Hastings for a straight six to complete his highest score of the summer. It was his last involvement in the match, Geraint Jones taking the captaincy duties for Durham's reply.
With a required rate of seven an over, the visitors showed early intent with skipper Mark Stoneham striking two sixes inside the first four overs. His departure for 19 after lofting Payne to Jack Taylor at mid off set a pattern where batsmen threatened to make an impact but got out before they could do so.
Wicket keeper Mustard (28) fell to a smart catch by Chris Dent at short mid wicket off Benny Howell, who also accounted for Borthwick with the assistance of a low diving catch in the deep by David Payne.
At half way Durham were 92-3, virtually on a par with the Gloucestershire score at the same stage, and the stand between Clark and Muchall was probably the one phase where the visitors looked to have a realistic chance of getting close to their target.
Great appreciation of the team by the Gloucestershire supporters. #FortressBristol #GoGlos pic.twitter.com/61ptgLQAwk
— Gloucestershire CCC (@Gloscricket) August 4, 2015
Clark, in only his fifth List A match, had slammed Tom Smith over wide long on for six, but he failed to react to a short ball from Craig Miles and Noema-Barnett at mid wicket took a simple catch.
MacLoed soon followed - caught at long off by Jack Taylor - and Durham started the last ten overs needing 144 to win, a target that was to prove well beyond them despite some lusty hitting from John Hastings. His innings of 46 came off only 41 balls before he became the fourth of five wickets for David Payne.
The left arm seamer took 4-24 in his final four overs , although it was Craig Miles who topped off the victory by bowling Chris Rushworth in the last over.
The result means Gloucestershire head to New Road to play Worcestershire on Wednesday in third place in Group A with three matches remaining, and with a live chance of a home quarter final later in the month.
