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Sussex Sharks v Gloucestershire Gladiators
16/06/2010
Friends Provident t20 South Division
At Hove
By Richard Latham
Gloucestershire produced their best Friends Provident t20 performance of the season to upset the odds at Hove and inflict a first defeat on the Sharks.
Jon Lewis set the ball rolling, with 3 fours in his new position as opening batsman, but it was partner James Franklin who went on to play the key innings as the Gladiators hit 178-4 from their 20 overs.
The Kiwi all-rounder produced the major innings his coach and captain had been calling for by making 90 off 50 balls, with 11 fours and 3 sixes, and stayed in until the scoreboard read 163.
Hamish Marshall contributed a valuable 37 and Steve Snell smacked ten off four balls at the end of the innings to ensure Sussex faced a testing target.
The home side attacked it with gusto and looked in control as they moved to 83-1. But then Vikram Banerjee claimed the key wicket of Brendan McCullum for 46.
Despite Murray Goodwin's 31, the Sharks never looked happy from that point and Anthony Ireland responded to some heavy flak in his opening overs by returning to the attack in devastating style.
He ran out Chris Nash for a single and had Andrew Hodd caught behind by Jonathan Batty in the same over to reduce Sussex to 113-6.
The required run rate began to soar and when Banerjee removed Robin Martin-Jenkins for 11 to make it 142-7 the Gladiators were within sight of a surprise win.
Sharp fielding kept the Sharks under pressure. Ireland made sure of victory by dismissing Chad Keegan and Will Beer at the death and Sussex could do nothing to prevent their first defeat in six games.
Lewis conceded only 26 from his four overs and picked up the vital wicket of Goodwin, but it was Banerjee who had done most to change the course of the contest, matching his best t20 figures of 2-30.
