Gloucestershire's T20 Blast campaign takes off thanks to Captain Cockbain
15 May 2015
Gloucestershire began their NatWest T20 Blast campaign with a seven wicket win against Middlesex thanks to a career best 91 not out from Ian Cockbain.
In his first game as skipper the right hander led by example, smashing nine fours and five sixes in his 49 ball innings as his side chased down their target of 176 with an over to spare.
Coming in at 16-1 Cockbain shared in a 98 run third wicket stand with Hamish Marshall (56) before seeing the game out with a partnership of 61 with Geraint Jones (18*).
To watch a video with Ian reflecting on the win click below:
Earlier Gloucestershire won the toss and chose to field.
After a quiet start, Middlesex’s season ignited in the fourth over with four boundaries off debutant Matt Taylor to score on to 36-0.
Having been content to milk singles from the first few overs both Nick Compton and Paul Stirling traded several blows over cover to put Gloucestershire on the back foot.
Compton survived a care in the fifth over when James Fuller dropped a straight forward chance at long-off from David Payne.
And he made the home side pay as he went on to make his highest ever T20 score of 78.
At the other end Stirling kept the boundaries coming to take the visitors to 63-0 after six overs.
But the end of the power play proved a turning point in the innings as Stirling dragged on from Matt Taylor for 39 (from 24 balls) to make it 65-1.
Glos could have made another breakthrough in the next over when Jones missed a simple chance to stump Joe Burns off Jack Taylor. But the same bowler got his man two overs later – caught Marshall at long-off – to compound a miserable four overs for Middlesex that yielded 14 runs for the loss of two wickets.
Jack Taylor finished with 1-29 from his four overs and in tandem with Benny Howell (0-25) the pair looked to have negated the visitors’ positive start.
But with Compton joined at the crease by experienced Australian Adam Voges, Middlesex still looked dangerous. The former England opener brought up his 50 in the 14th over off 36 balls the visitors never quite got away from Glos. The return of James Fuller in the 18th over brought the end of Compton – LBW for a career best 78.
Former Glos man James Franklin hit the first six of the game in the 19th over and another one off the final ball of the innings saw Middlesex finish on 175-3.
In reply the home side lost Dent in the second over when he skied one to Burns from Steve Finn to make it 15-1.
But that bought Marshall and Cockbain together and from their Glos didn’t look back.
Marshall started as the aggressor, mixing inventive flicks to third man and fine leg with some powerful shots in front of the wicket – including a flat straight six off Harry Podmore in the third over.
The 50 partnership came up in the seventh over and Marshall brought his 50 up from 33 balls ( five 4s, three 6s) in the tenth.
Gloucestershire's next NatWest T20 Blast home match is a week Sunday, when Essex visit the Bristol County Ground:
Gloucestershire v Essex - NatWest T20 Blast, Sunday 24 May, 2.30pm
Join us for our family day, with lots of free activities for children!
Adults £15 and Juniors (age 18 and under) £3 - when you buy tickets in advance.
[Click here to buy tickets]
Ian Cockbain is sponsored by Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP
