T20 Cricket: Glamorgan hammered by 10 wickets against Gloucestershire

Glamorgan (98-9) lost to Gloucestershire by 10 wickets

Glamorgan’s T20 campaign is in danger of coming off the rails following a third successive defeat as Gloucestershire hammered the Welsh county in Cheltenham.

Just 48 hours after Somerset had inflicted a 64-run thrashing at Taunton, Glamorgan slumped to a humbling 10-wicket rout in the serene surroundings of Cheltenham College.

Glamorgan had started the tournament so brightly with four victories but this hat-trick of defeats has seen the Welsh county slip to third place below Somerset and Northamptonshire in the Midland/Wales/West section.

The worrying aspect for Matthew Mott’s men will be the overwhelming one-sided nature of the last two defeats.

Glamorgan now return from their traumatic time on the road for three home matches in Cardiff in seven days, starting against Worcestershire at the Swalec Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Gloucestershire had propped up the group before this game with one victory in six matches but totally outclassed their Welsh opponents in all departments.

After captain Marcus North had won the toss and decided to bat, Glamorgan struggled to just 98 for nine in their 20 overs with only three fours and one six in their innings.

The conflicting Cheltenham wickets had seen Gloucestershire bowled out for 96 at the same venue last weekend before this was followed by a high-scoring affair against Northants.

Only North (35) and Nick James (27 from 40 balls) came to terms with what they felt was a challenging cricket wicket as Ed Young and David Payne finished with three wickets each.

The umpires had conferred about the pitch during the Glamorgan innings and also talked to the ground staff.

But Gloucestershire openers Chris Dent (63 from 43 balls) and captain Michael Klinger (35 from 34 balls) proved why they felt there was nothing wrong with the pitch as they reached their target of 99 in just 12.5 overs.

There was a nine-man squad of Royal Air Force parachuters who landed on the ground before the match after jumping from 12,000 feet.

When the pomp and ceremony was over, Glamorgan lost the in-form Jim Allenby in the opening over when he holed out to Dan Christian at cover from the spin bowling of Tom Smith.

The Welsh county slipped to eight for two losing Mark Wallace dismissed in similar fashion in the next over as he was also beaten by the pace of the pitch with Christian taking another high catch from Payne.

Chris Cooke was defeated in the flight by spinner Young and only drove the ball straight to Klinger at short extra cover.

North and Murray Goodwin left three of the first five balls from Christian. Goodwin fell to the final ball of the over when he cut the ball straight to Ian Cockbain at point as Glamorgan slipped to 25 for four.

The pitch caught North in the ribs as a ball lifted off a length. And Nathan McCullum was dismissed from a similar delivery in the same over from Lucas as his leading edge gave the bowler an easy return catch as Glamorgan struggled to 31 for five after six power play overs.

North and James consolidated as they took Glamorgan to 46 for five after 10 overs as the pair retreated into survival mode.

North was eventually dismissed reverse sweeping Young straight to Alex Gidman at backward point for 35 from 40 balls. Young also outfoxed Graham Wagg to reduce Glamorgan to 74 for seven in the 16th over.

James hit his first boundary from his 31st ball as he struck a six over mid-wicket. It was the first boundary for 11 overs and the only six of the innings.

Payne bowled James with the penultimate delivery of the innings, before Michael Hogan was run out from the final ball.

The terror track the Glamorgan batsman had appeared to be batting on turned into a batters paradise for the Gloucestershire openers after the heavy roller had been put on during the interval.

Dent, who had scored a brilliant hundred against Glamorgan in 40-over cricket earlier in the summer, dispatched James over mid-wicket for six in the third over as he set the tone

The pair slayed the Glamorgan bowlers to all parts of the historic venue with 14 boundaries in their innings.

Scorecard

Glamorgan Innings

Wallace c Christian b Payne3

Allenby c Christian b Smith1

Cooke c Klinger b Young3

North c Gidman b Young35

Goodwin c Cockbain b Christian5

McCullum c b Payne0

James b Payne27

Wagg c Roderick b Young3

Cosker not out 10