Glamorgan v Essex Eagles
Vitality Blast
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Team News:
Glamorgan: David Lloyd (c), Sam Northeast, Marnus Labuschagne, Kiran Carlson, Chris Cooke (wk), Andrew Salter, Dan Douthwaite, Michael Neser, James Weighell, Prem Sisodiya, Michael Hogan.
Essex Eagles: Adam Rossington (wk), Will Buttleman, Michael Pepper, Matt Critchley, Paul Walter, Tom Westley, Daniel Sams, Simon Harmer (c), Aron Nijjar, Ben Allison, Sam Cook.
Match Details:
Umpires: Russell Warren, Alexander Wharf & Tom Lungley
Match Referee: Peter Such
Toss: Glamorgan, who elected to field
Result: Glamorgan win by 6 wickets
Scorecard: View Here
Match Highlights:
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Match Report:
Glamorgan ran out winners by 6 wickets in the Vitality Blast clash at Sophia Gardens after an excellent bowling display from the hosts restricted Simon Harmer’s side to 113 through 20 overs.
The Eagles struggled to get into the game with collapses at both the start and end of the innings, with only Matt Critchley making a sizable contribution at a decent rate.
With just 114 runs needed Glamorgan reached their victory target with 19 balls and 6 wickets to spare with Sam Northeast top-scoring with 44.
Glamorgan took control of the match inside the opening powerplay having put the Eagles into bat. Hogan and Neser were impressive, combining to restrict the visitors to 17-3 at the end of the sixth over.
Will Buttleman showed attacking intent from the start of his innings, attempting to slog-sweep Michael Hogan in the first over. Unfortunately he never really got going and when he played his second big sweep shot off Hogan he was trapped lbw for 2 from 8 balls.
It was also Hogan who claimed the second wicket with Rossington, who mistimed a pull shot that was caught on the boundary by Neser.
Michael Pepper had made a career-best 75 not out in his last match in the Blast, but here he managed 3 from 10 balls before he drove the ball to Dan Douthwaite at mid-on off the bowling of Neser.
Things then settled with a partnership between Paul Walter and Matt Critchley, which brought the Eagles back into the match but when both fell in the space of 3 balls to Douthwaite it was Glamorgan who were back on top. Walter went to a ball that swung enough to take an edge through to wicket-keeper Chris Cooke. Critchley absolutely creamed a cut shot that was hit straight at Marnus Labuschagne who held on to the catch.
When Daniel Sams was run out and Simon Harmer was caught behind off Hogan from the very next ball the Eagles had gone from 72-3 to 81-7in the space of 10 balls.
Neser finished with career-best figures of 3/13 as the Harmer’s side finished on a disappointing 113-9.
The side were giving some hope of defending the target when Glamorgan skipper David Lloyd was dismissed by Daniel Sams for a four-ball duck, but from there a string of partnerships anchored by Northeast put Glamorgan in sight of victory before some big hits from Chris Cooke and Dan Douthwaite got the team over the line.
It was Critchley who was the best performer for the Eagles with the ball, finishing with 1/17 from his 4 overs with Simon Harmer also bowling a tight spell, but it was ultimately in vain.
The Eagles will look to get back to winning ways tomorrow night, when they face off with Gloucestershire at The Bristol County Ground.
