Strong batting display sets up seaside success
5 May 2019
Contributions right down the order - headed by Miles Hammond's 95 and with Jack Taylor providing the late acceleration with an unbeaten 69 - enabled Gloucestershire to post the highest List A score made at Eastbourne and beat Sussex by 116 runs in the South Group of the Royal London Cup.
Head coach Richard Dawson got his wish for a complete performance as first Hammond and Chris Dent (46) laid the foundations with a century opening partnership before Roderick and Howell added 79 in 69 balls and Jack Taylor was the focus over the closing seven overs, making an unbeaten 69 including three sixes off successive balls from David Wiese.
Set 336 to win, Sussex lost wickets steadily as Gloucestershire repeatedly broke partnerships that threatened to become established. Two fine catches by Dent and Jack Taylor accounted for van Zyl and Wiese, and Benny Howell finished the match with a hat-trick as Gloucestershire retain their chance of a place in the play off ahead of the final group game at Chelmsford on Tuesday night.
Gloucestershire made one change from the defeat by Glamorgan with Matt Taylor coming in for Chris Liddle, but a switch in the batting order with Miles Hammond pushed up to open alongside Chris Dent produced the best start in the tournament on what looked a true, if slow Eastbourne pitch.
Dent was dropped at slip by Garton off Hamza when he had made only nine - a sharp chance - and for much of the first wicket stand the captain played a supporting role to his fellow left hander, Hammond taking four boundaries off Abi Sakande's first two overs from the Sea End after the initial powerplay and flicking the same bowler over the rope at backward square leg.
Garton was also expensive from the Sea End - Dent pulling him twice for six to mid wicket - but the laft armer did split the Gloucestershire openers as the captain tried to make room to hit over cover and Sakande took the catch after the first wicket pair had added 110.
By this point Hammond had already posted his own highest List A score, passing fifty with the aid of seven fours and a six, and he found a reliable foil to keep the score ticking in Gareth Roderick, particularly when spinners Beer and Briggs were bowling in tandem.
51 runs came in 10 overs - Roderick dealing exclusively in singles - whilst Hammond closed in on a well built hundred before cursing himself as he tried to reach three figures in the grand manner, only to play too soon at Beer and turn a straight six into a comfortable catch for Wiese at long off.
James Bracey quickly followed, but the remainder of the Gloucestershire innings was text book in construction. Roderick gradually broadened his range of shots and with Howell pushed the total to 200-3 with ten overs left, allowing the pair - and those that followed - to plunder the Sussex attack for a further 135 runs.
Roderick (53) and Howell (41) struck three sixes between them in a stand of 79 at better than a run a ball, but it was Jack Taylor who took the innings into overdrive, taking 18 off three balls bowled by Wiese, the third maximum landing on the roof of the huge marquee where 600 guests were waiting for lunch.
He was dropped by Luke Wright at extra cover when on 36, but raced to 69 not out with eight sixes from only 26 balls with some clean hitting particularly off Hamza, whose last three overs cost 43 runs.
With such a late flourish Gloucestershire were defending their highest score in the tournament this season, and even on a small ground it created scoreboard pressure on Sussex from the outset with Luke Wright and Harry Finch having little time to play themselves in.
Wright - who had made 166 against Middlesex at Lord's eight days ago - was out in the powerplay, James Bracey taking a well judged catch at long off, and Matt Taylor removed Garton cheaply after a top edge was taken by Roderick.
Without Phil Salt, who had been called up for England's T20 international in Cardiff, Finch and van Zyl steadied things until Finch was bowled through the gate by Higgins for 29, but van Zyl looked increasingly fluent when a brilliant piece of fielding by Dent removed the left hander, clinging onto a clip off van Buuren low at mid wicket.
At half distance Sussex were well behind the clock overall but having twice rallied strongly against Essex and Hampshire their middle order still had plenty of potential. Laurie Evans and David Wiese added 65 before the early return of David Payne against a rising run rate forced Evans to try and hit over the top, and without the timing Higgins pouched the catch at long on.
Wiese and Ben Brown had almost pulled off a remarkable win at Southampton, and with ten overs left they were still together and Sussex virtually level with Gloucestershire at the same stage. It was asking a lot, however, for a repeat performance and after reaching his fifty with a straight six off Smith, the Taylor brothers combined to remove him with Jack taking a low catch running in from the cover boundary to give Matt his second of three wickets before Benny Howell rapidly closed things out.
Sussex captain Ben Brown swept Howell to David Payne on the square leg boundary off the final ball of the all rounder's seventh over, and then in his eighth he immediately had Sakande caught at mid off. Danny Briggs faced the hat trick ball with the last pair at the crease and when another sweep went straight to James Bracey, Howell had his first Gloucestershire hat trick and a convincing win had set up the potential of an exciting finish to the South Group.
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