Ben Charlesworth shines on debut nevertheless it’s extra gloom for Gloucestershire

Glamorgan 162 for 8 (Ingram 47, Payne 3-17) beat Gloucestershire 161 for 9 (Charlesworth 56, Douthwaite 4-23) by two wickets

Timm van der Gugten and Ruaidhri Smith held their nerve to usher Glamorgan to a tense two-wicket win over Severnside rivals Gloucestershire in an exhilarating Vitality Blast encounter at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.

Set 162 to win their first outings of the South Group marketing campaign, the guests seemed to be cruising when Colin Ingram and Kiran Carlson staged a third-wicket stand of 69. But Gloucestershire’s veteran left arm seamer David Payne bowled beautifully to say 3 for 17 and the sport was on a knife-edge with the guests requiring 15 from 12 balls on the dying.

Netherlands worldwide van der Gugten helped himself to 2 sixes in smashing 21 from 12 balls and Smith weighed in with a most of his personal as Glamorgan chased down their goal with 5 balls to spare.

Beaten for the second time in three days, Gloucestershire had been once more left to mirror on a below-par batting efficiency, their top-order specifically failing to fireplace.
Put into bat, they made the worst attainable begin, shedding three wickets within the house of eight balls with the rating on 18.

Chris Dent took two boundaries off McIllroy earlier than skying a catch to mid-on and falling for 11, whereas abroad recruit Grant Roelofsen swung at a ball exterior off stump and was caught behind for seven off the bowling of Timm van der Gugten. Dismissed for 113 by Kent solely 48 hours earlier, the house facet’s confidence was dealt an additional blow when Miles Hammond was pinned lbw with out scoring by the superb McIllroy.

A return of 46-3 from the powerplay was under par and Gloucestershire additional subsided within the seventh over, Jack Taylor discovering himself cramped for house by Douthwaite, top-edging a pull to level and departing the scene for 16.

Charlesworth rose to the problem in forthright trend, pouncing on something brief or broad to plunder a collection of boundaries and convey the Bristol crowd to life. He obtained a life on 45, dropped at deep level by Ingram off the bowling of van der Gugten, and went on to deliver up his maiden Blast 50 within the subsequent over, carving McIllroy by way of the covers for his sixth 4.

But his progress was abruptly halted by Douthwaite, who additionally eliminated Zafar Gohar and Matt Taylor in claiming three wickets in 4 balls within the penultimate over.

Having missed the whole lot of final season’s Blast marketing campaign by way of harm and making his first look within the brief format since 2021, Graeme van Buuren provided Charlesworth staunch help in a sixth-wicket alliance of 48 in 5 overs.

Gloucestershire wanted to take early wickets and Matt Taylor and David Payne mixed to take away openers Eddie Byrom and Sam Northeast inside two overs, the previous held within the deep and the opposite caught at backward level.

But Carlson and Ingram moved shortly to redress the steadiness thereafter, the third wicket pair advancing the rating to 61 for two earlier than the fielding restrictions had been lifted. Desperate to interrupt the partnership, Gloucestershire skipper Jack Taylor recalled Payne, and the veteran left arm seamer had Carlson caught at backward level for 35. But Glamorgan’s captain had not less than ensured that those that adopted him might afford the posh of scoring at little greater than a run a ball.

Accordingly, Ingram and new associate Cooke adopted a comparatively low threat technique in easing Glamorgan in direction of their goal.

Having raised 25 by way of 18 balls, Chris Cooke provided a pointy return catch to Price with the rating on 121 within the 14th over. Payne then bowled Ben Kellaway for 3 within the subsequent over and, when Ingram top-edged Price to brief positive leg and went for a 33-ball 47, Glamorgan had been 129 for six and the end result doubtful.

Needing to attain 30 from the final 4 overs, Glamorgan suffered an additional setback, Douthwaite falling to the returning Matt Taylor within the seventeenth over as Gloucestershire, cheered on by a raucous viewers, scented blood.

Big-hitting van der Gugten then hoisted Smith over the sq. leg boundary to deliver the asking fee down to fifteen off 12 balls, just for Zafar to bowl Sisodiya. Ruaidhri Smith swung Zafar over the backward sq. boundary to depart the Welsh county needing six off the ultimate over and van der Gugten received the sport with one mighty hit over mid-wicket on the expense of Smith.