Jack Taylor, Ollie Price drive Gloucestershire to crushing win

Gloucestershire 311 (J Taylor 106, O Price 95, Crocombe 4-63) beat Sussex 145 by 166 runs

For Sussex this was one other failure to copy their sturdy efficiency on this competitors final season; this was their fifth defeat in six matches, one other heavy one as they had been bowled out in simply 25 overs, and so they seemed a aspect devoid of perception.

Chasing a sizeable Gloucestershire whole they by no means seemed within the contest. Tom Haines, driving with out shifting his toes, was caught at cowl within the fifth over and Tom Alsop, wanting runs within the competitors, was run out by a direct hit by Paul van Meekeren at mid-on as he tried to scamper a fast single.

Harrison Ward chanced his arm and hit 4 fours and a six in a skittish 27 off 19 balls however was then lbw as he fell over making an attempt to barter a full supply Matt Taylor, returning to the aspect after recovering from an contaminated toe. The experiment to advertise Danial Ibrahim forward of James Coles didn’t repay, the batsman lbw for simply six.

With Cheteshwar Pujara ticking over and the required run fee going up on a regular basis the strain was now on Coles to supply one thing spectacular. He seemed within the temper to take action too, with a six and two fours in his 17-ball 23. But then he was magnificently caught by Ollie Price. Attempting to tug van Meekeren, he received a prime edge and Price, sprinting spherical from effective leg took the catch two-handed simply contained in the rope to go away Sussex reeling at 88 for 5.

When Pujara was sixth out at 126, lbw to Tom Smith, it was realistically throughout regardless of some lusty blows from Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who fell to a different excellent boundary catch by Ollie Price.

Gloucestershire’s massive whole was based mostly round a partnership of 128 in simply 13 overs between the in-form pair of Ollie Price and Jack Taylor. Price scored a really spectacular 95 off 88 balls, with 11 fours. But he seemed virtually pedestrian alongside Taylor, whose 106 got here at a fee of virtually two runs a ball.

Taylor, who had already scored two fifties and 121 in opposition to Worcestershire on this yr’s marketing campaign, confronted simply 54 deliveries and thumped eight fours and 7 sixes. At occasions he seemed not possible to bowl to, particularly when attacking the brief boundary on the east aspect of the bottom.

Gloucestershire had misplaced Chris Dent within the second over earlier than their innings was launched by James Bracey, within the type of his life after his current 224 in opposition to Somerset. Bracey hit a fluent 41, with 5 fours and a six earlier than he minimize Jack Carson to Pujara at backward level. Miles Hammond, taking part in his first List A recreation for 4 years, was stumped for 19 and when Graeme van Buuren fell instantly, lbw to Ibrahim for a duck, the innings was wobbling at 127 for 4 within the nineteenth over.

It was then that Price and Taylor got here collectively to wrench the sport in Gloucestershire’s favour with some thunderous blows, essentially the most memorable being a lofted straight six by Taylor off Hudson-Prentice that sailed over the media centre and into the automobile park on the sea finish.

The Sussex bowling was poor, not for the primary time within the competitors this season. But Henry Crocombe, whose first three overs had disappeared for 37 runs, had the satisfaction of returning to the assault to select up 4 wickets, his finest return in List A cricket.