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    Glos win first Vitality Blast match at Uxbridge

    8 July 2018

    A well paced pursuit of 161 after a good all round bowling performance saw Gloucestershire register their first points in this season's Vitality T20 Blast against Middlesex at Uxbridge, but as in the opening game at Taunton on Friday Gloucestershire saw one of their front line bowlers leave the field and play no further part in the match.

    On this occasion it was Benny Howell, who went to ground awkwardly as he tried to field a shot worked towards mid off by Steven Eskanazi. Only one ball remained of the ninth over, which was Howell's second, but after momentarily thinking about continuing Howell limped off in obvious discomfort.

    Ryan Higgins removed Eskanazi with the next legal delivery - he had bowled a wide the ball before - and only James Fuller's late onslaught, in which he took 22 off an over from Perera - saw Middlesex get their total as far as 160-7.

    Gloucestershire's reply however, had a good start from Miles Hammond (36), and skipper Michael Klinger, who completed a steady half century with only two boundaries before he was bowled for 58 in the 18th over. It was left to Jack Taylor to finish matters on a sweltring afternoon by pulling Tom Helm for six over mid wicket.

    Watch the reaction of head coach Richard Dawson here :

    　

    With Liam Norwell injured, Matt Taylor - on his 24th birthday - was brought in to replace him, and Michael Klinger opted to field first after winning the toss.

    Taylor and David Payne opened up and both had a wicket in their opening over, Payne taking a comfortable caught and bowled to remove Dawid Malan and Paul Striling top edging Taylor to 'keeper Roderick, who was later to claim two further victims.

    Taylor bowled three of his four overs in his opening stint, and with Tom Smith bowling four miserly overs at a personal cost of only 15 runs, Middlesex were forced to attack at the other end, not always successfully.

    Nick Gubbins had collected four boundaries in reaching 19 before a thin edge off Perera found Roderick's gloves, and wicket keeper Simpson picked out Jack Taylor on the long off boundary in Howell's only completed over. When Eskanazi went Middlesex were 63-5 and even without Howell Gloucestershire were well on top.

    The fact Middlesex had something to bowl at was initially down to a stand of 47 in seven overs between Hilton Cartwright (24) and Dwayne Bravo (34), the West Indian striking the first six of the match off Matt Taylor in the 17th over. James Fuller, against his former county, then clubbed two further maximums and two boundaries in the penultimate over to set Gloucestershire an almost identical target to a year ago on the same ground.

    On that occasion they fell 61 runs short, but here the Middlesex attack lacked the same venom. Miles Hammond, who had looked to time the ball well in his brief innings at Taunton, showed similar positivity to reverse sweep Stirling in the first over and then twice despatch Helm to the fence through cover and mid wicket.

    The runs required was almost down below 100 before the end of the powerplay, but it was then that Hammond departed for a breexy 36 after hitting a full toss from Bravo straight to mid on.

    Cockbain and Klinger kept the scoreboard ticking in unfussy fashion until Cockbain was well caught in the deep by Cartwright in Stirling's last over. Gareth Roerick was promoted to Howell's usual position at four, and it looked like that he and Klinger would see Gloucestershire home, especially when Roderick produced a powerful switch hit off Malan's leg spin to clear the boundary in front of the pavilion.

    24 were needed from 26 balls at that stage, but Malan ended Roderick's cameo by taking a caught and bowled chance and Klinger, having reached his half century from 42 deliveries, was bowled by Bravo with the finishing line in sight.

    Higgins and Jack Taylor ensured Middlesex produced no further heroics, and a large slice of the negative run rate from Taunton had been clawed back in a six wicket win with eight balls to spare.

    　

    　

    　

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