GVB heroics in vain as Glos fall short
29 August 2020
Andrew Salter claimed four for 20 as Glamorgan kick-started their Vitality Blast Central Group campaign with a 15-run victory over Gloucestershire at the Bristol County Ground.
The visitors ran up 150 for seven on slow pitch after losing the toss, Chris Cooke top-scoring with 51 not out and Ryan Higgins returning three for 29.
In reply, Gloucestershire could manage only 135 all out, Glamorgan spinners Salter and Prem Sisodiya dominating after taking the new ball. Graeme van Buuren (52) and George Scott (33) did their best, but from 70 for six their efforts were in vain.
Glamorgan were 40 for two at the end of the six-over power play, having lost Dan Douthwaite, lbw to Matt Taylor in the second over, and Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie, who looked in decent touch until attempting to pull a Ryan Higgins full toss and clothing a catch to short fine leg.
Gloucestershire spinners Tom Smith and van Buuren then did an excellent job, Smith claiming two wickets and van Buuren finishing his four-over spell with one for 20.
Those figures would have been even better had Cooke not been given a life on six when lofting a drive towards long-on. Ian Cockbain slipped as he started to run in for the catch and ended up spilling a low chance.
It was van Buuren who took the important wicket of Billy Root in the tenth over, the opener having moved to 29 off 31 balls before carelessly reverse sweeping a catch to short third-man.
Smith bowled Marchant de Lange and had Kiran Carlson stumped giving him the charge as Glamorgan slumped to 88 for five before Cooke and Callum Taylor restored respectability with a stand of 43 in five overs.
Taylor showed his promise with 23 off 20 balls, while Cooke, who faced 35 balls, hit sixes with a slog-sweep off Smith and a majestic drive over long-on off David Payne.
Higgins took two wickets at the end of the innings and Glamorgan’s score looked under par. But their chances improved when Sisodiya bowled a maiden to Miles Hammond at the start of Gloucestershire’s reply and Salter followed up by bowling Chris Dent for a duck.
Glamorgan’s decision to open with spin at both ends reaped further dividends when Hammond was caught at extra over off left-armer Sisodiya’s second over to leave the home side six for two.
That became 13 for three when Cockbain was caught at deep mid-wicket off Salter and after six overs Gloucestershire were becalmed on 24 for three.
Sisodiya finished his four over spell from the Pavilion End with one for 12, the 21-year-old having caused problems for every batsman.
Higgins then fell lbw to Salter, bringing Gloucestershire’s new T20 captain Jack Taylor to the crease at 29 for four. James Bracey briefly threatened a recovery and had moved to 17 when middling a high full-toss from Salter straight to deep mid-wicket and departing with a shake of the head.
Callum Taylor had been brought on to replace Sisiodiya with his off-breaks and at 54 for five Gloucestershire had faced one over of seam in the 11 bowled.
When Taylor was caught behind off de Lange to make it 65 for six, Glamorgan had a grip their seamers never looked like relinquishing, some belligerent blows from Scott and van Buuren, who hit two sixes in succession off Taylor, proving too little, too late.
It was a valiant effort by van Buuren, in particular, but Gloucestershire needed 21 off the last over, bowled by Tim van der Gugten, and the task proved too great.
After making 53 off just 27 balls in a losing cause, Gloucestershire's Graeme van Buuren said: "When we rocked up at the ground, we didn't expect spin to be the dominating factor in the game, but there was just a bit of dampness left in the pitch.
"The Glamorgan spinners exploited it really well. I just concentrated on trying to take the game into the final overs when I batted, but it wasn't quite enough.
"We have done well in this competition before with this group of players and it is important to put this game behind us quickly and move on."
