Marriage works - Howell guides Glos to Hants T20 win a day after getting hitched
14 July 2015
Gloucestershire kept their slim hopes of reaching the NatWest T20 Blast quarter finals with a five wicket win over Hampshire in a low-scoring match at Cheltenham.
A day after getting married, Benny Howell (31*) hit the winning runs against his former club to chase down the 117 required and cap a superb individual performance.
He finished on 31 not out after returning figures of 2-15 from fours overs that included a double-wicket maiden.
Glos still need to rely on a number of other results to go their way but a win over Glamorgan in Cardiff on July 24 may still be enough to see them finish in the top four and qualify for the knock out stage.
To watch Benny Howell's post match interview click below
Glos won the toss and on a drizzly afternoon put in their best bowling performance of the competition so far to bowl the visitors out for 116.
After a quiet first two overs, the game sparked into life at the beginning of the third.
From the first ball of Craig Miles’ over, Michael Carberry flicked a ball off his hip straight into the media area, sending journalists diving for cover.
But the very next ball the former England man was on his way, bowled for 12 to leave the visitors on 18-1.
Miles, James Fuller and Benny Howell all bowled with discipline as James Vince and new man Adam Wheater added 20 in the next 3.4 overs to make it 38-1 after the power play.
Fifteen runs off Kieron Noema-Barnett’s first over looked to have given Hampshire some momentum. But it proved short-lived as Tom Smith gave away a miserly four in the next pover to leave the visitors on 57-1 after eight overs.
Benny Howell has been one of Glos most consistent performers in this year’s Blast and his clever variations of pace appeared tailor made for the College wicket as he produced with a double wicket maiden in the ninth over.
First the dangerous James Vince was brilliantly caught by a diving Ian Cockbain at long on for 32. And three balls later Wheater was trapped LBW for 10 to make it 57-3 with two new men at the crease.
Glos continued to keep it tight and Howell was unlucky not to pick up a third wicket as Joe Gatting cleared Peter Handscomb at cow corner by a matter of inches for only the second maximum of the match.
But Howell was in the game again in the next over (the 12th) as Owais Shah (6) picked him out on the long off boundary off the bowling of Jack Taylor.
The Blast’s top wicket taker Smith (1-17) made it 23 for the season when he bowled Terry (1) in the 13th to make it 76-5.
The visitors failed to score a boundary in more than three overs but Will Smith put that right in the 16th. First he pulled Taylor(1-24) for four before sending journalist scurrying for cover for a second time with a six onto the media balcony.
But the expected Hants onslaught proved short-lived as the returning James Fuller (2-19) had Gatting caught by Taylor on the cover boundary for a run-a-ball 22. He followed that up with the wicket of Smith (18) four balls later.
In the last over Miles (3-25) removed Arafat (3)–caught Dent at deep backward square leg – and bowled Wood (3) next ball. A run out by Smith off the final ball of the innings left Hampshire on 116 all out.
In reply, with four runs on the board, Glos lost Blast leading run scorer Michael Klinger fifth ball LBW to Jackson Bird for 0 to stunned silence from the home crowd.
At the other end, Dent – replacing the injured Hamish Marshall – was enjoying his return to T20 action as he hit the first boundaries of the Glos innings including a scoop over short fine leg.
Together with Cockbain the pair added 25. But a mix up over a possible third run cost Cockbain his wicket, run out by ‘keeper Wheater for 8.
Dent continued to force the pace, reaching 23 before clipping straight into the hands of Gatting at midwicket off Chris Wood in the sixth over to make it 39-3.
Things went from bad to worse in the eighth over when Handscomb (7) was bowled around his legs by Danny Briggs – much to his disbelief – with the score on 44.
That brought Geraint Jones to the crease on his 39th birthday. And he celebrated with his highest Glos score T20 score – 40 – sharing in a stand of 61 with Howell.
His knock came of just 30 balls and included three fours and two sixes.
He was bowled by Vince after the second of his maximums with 12 runs still needed but Howell and Noema-Barnett (3*) saw their side home with eight balls to spare.
