FRIENDS PROVIDENT t20, Swalec Stadium:
Glamorgan 151-4 (19.1 ovs) beat Gloucestershire 148-6 (20 ovs) by six wickets
Match scorecard

Allenby joined Glamorgan from Leicestershire in 2009

Jim Allenby starred with bat and ball to help Glamorgan to a six-wicket Friends Provident t20 win over Gloucestershire in Cardiff.

After winning the toss the visitors were restricted to 148-6 with Allenby picking up 3-23.

Glamorgan looked to be coasting when Allenby (54) and Jamie Dalrymple (21)took the score to 85-1.

Dalrymple and Tom Maynard fell in quick succession, but Gareth Rees (32 not out) helped steer the hosts home.

Gloucestershire got off to an encouraging start in front of a crowd of 7,424 and reached 50 for one in the first six overs.

They had only lost Will Porterfield to Shaun Tait, the Australian paceman celebrating his Glamorgan debut with a wicket from his fourth ball.

But the home side fought back impressively through veteran Robert Croft, who proved he had lost none of his guile as a one-day off-spinner, and Allenby.

Croft disposed of the Gladiators captain Alex Gidman, who had struck James Harris for two fours in an over.

James Franklin looked dangerous as he drove slow left-armer Dean Cosker for two sixes over long-on in the space of three balls, but his innings of 42 from 30 balls was ended by Allenby.

Allenby had him caught sharply down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Mark Wallace standing up, and three balls later Allenby bowled Ian Butler.

Two overs later Allenby had Chris Taylor caught at deep backward square by Tait as the Gladiators' runs started to dry up.

Hamish Marshall was the visitors' last chance of posting a really competitive, score but he was out in the 16th over, holing out to Croft on the long-off boundary.

David Brown and Gareth Res celebrate the winning runs

In reply Glamorgan lost dangerman Mark Cosgrove in only the second over, but Allenby nursed captain Dalrymple, who could only score 21 from 32 balls, through a second-wicket partnership worth 66 in 11 overs.

Maynard only lasted an over and Allenby was out two overs later, attempting a reverse sweep to Vikram Banerjee.

It was left to Gareth Rees and David Brown, the former Gloucestershire all-rounder, with 35 needed from the final four overs.

Brown survived a dropped catch by Chris Taylor to hit Butler over long-on for six to leave Glamorgan needing just two from the final over, which they achieved with ease.

Glamorgan captain Jamie Dalrymple:
"It came and went a little bit, they got a good start on the best of the wicket and we dragged it back very well.

"Crofty bowled well, Taity bowled well and Allenby was excellent.

"[When we batted] I tried my best to block it out in Championship style and the other guys bailed me out nicely - it was difficult to get away, but a lot of it was just bad batting [from me].

"Gareth Rees and David Brown closed it out nicely, so all's well in the end - their unorthodoxy mixed with power hitting was excellent.

"Most pleasing for me was the composure shown by the guys - that's an area we've struggled in before so it bodes very well for us.

"The atmosphere was fantastic, it was great to see so many in and we gave them a performance they could get behind."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version