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Glamorgan Dragons v Gloucestershire Gladiators
04/06/2010
Friends Provident t20
South Division, Cardiff
By Mark Easterbrook
Gloucestershire Gladiators suffered a six-wicket defeat to Glamorgan Dragons in their opening Friends Provident t20 game of the season.
James Franklin, with 42 from 30 balls, top-scored in a Gladiators total of 148-6. James Allenby led the chase with 54 for the Dragons, but the decisive blows came from Gareth Rees, with an unbeaten 32, and former Gloucestershire all-rounder David Brown, who cracked 14 not out as the Dragons secured victory with five balls left.
A lovely, warm evening helped attract a crowd of 7,242 to the SWALEC Stadium, which was a Glamorgan record for a Twenty20 group match.
The home crowd had little to cheer in the first 11 overs as the Gladiators reached 94-2 and a position of considerable strength.
But Alex Gidman's men struggled thereafter and a return of 54 from the remaining nine overs, and no boundaries in the last six of those, was disappointing.
Credit, though, should also go to the Dragons' attack. Aussie speedster Shaun Tait proved difficult to get away - just 19 conceded in four overs - and James Allenby served up a good mix of slower balls and full-length deliveries on his way to a return of 3-23.
Will Porterfield was the first Gladiators batsman to be dismissed, caught at wide mid-off in the third over off Tait. But Franklin and Gidman batted well in the remaining power-play overs to ensure the Gladiators garnered a useful 50 runs from them.
Gidman skied a delivery from Robert Croft into the hands of Tom Maynard at long-off, having made 25 from 19 balls. Then Franklin, having been dropped on 24 at backward point, upped the tempo by twice driving Dean Cosker for six over long-on in the space of three balls.
The innings, however, began to lose momentum once Allenby had accounted for Franklin and Ian Butler in the 12th over. Franklin was caught behind down the legside off a short ball, while Butler played over the top of a full-length delivery and was bowled.
Chris Taylor was caught at long leg for seven and Hamish Marshall, who had looked in good form while making 27 from 19 balls, holed out to long-on.
Abdul-Kadeer Ali and Steve Snell could muster only 25 from the last four overs, and that proved crucial in the final analysis.
The Dragons, like the Gladiators, made good use of the six power-play overs in advancing to 46-1. Dangerous Aussie batsman Mark Cosgrove was the man to depart, bowled by Butler for 11 in the second over.
Four tight overs from Vikram Banerjee and Franklin increased the pressure on the Dragons, who reached 82-1 with eight overs left.
Jamie Dalrymple survived a chance to Porterfield in the deep when on 18, but had added just three more when he was caught by Ali on the midwicket boundary off Jon Lewis.
It became 89-3 in the 14th over when Tom Maynard was taken by Ali at point off Gidman, and then 114-4 in the 16th when Allenby was bowled attempting a reverse sweep at the excellent Banerjee.
With 35 required off the last four overs, it was anybody's game. But Rees managed to thick-edged Butler for successive boundaries to third man in the 17th over and the win was all but sealed in the New Zealander's next over, which went for 14 and included a straight-driven six by Brown.
The winning runs came from the first ball of the last over when Rees on-drove a boundary off Ireland.
The Gladiators will hope for better luck when they go to The Oval on Tuesday for a floodlit t20 game with Surrey.
