MATCH RESULT - GLAMORGAN WON BY SEVEN WICKETS
MIDDLESEX 99/8
GLAMORGAN 100/3
MATCH REPORT PROVIDED BY ECB INDEPENDENT REPORTER NETWORK
Glamorgan will play Leicestershire in Cardiff next Wednesday in the quarter-final of the T20 Blast after topping the South Group and beating Middlesex tonight by seven wickets.
Michael Hogan and Marchant de Lange took three wickets apiece as Glamorgan reduced Middlesex to 99-8 in 14 overs in a rain-affected contest, despite a knock of 58 not out from Adam Voges.
Glamorgan won with an over to spare after Aneurin Donald set up the win with 33 from 22 balls. A partnership of 46 between Jacques Rudolph (22 not out) and Chris Cooke (25 not out) saw the Welshmen through to the win.
Play eventually got underway at the apt time of 20:20 (8.20pm) after a lengthy rain delay at Cardiff. Glamorgan would have been satisfied with the point to secure a home tie in the quarter final, but Middlesex, starting the evening in fifth place a point behind Kent, would have had an anxious wait.
It took just four balls for Glamorgan to claim their first scalp, as Paul Stirling found Michael Hogan at third man off Marchant de Lange for 1. Just five balls later, John Simpson was well caught at mid-on by Jacques Rudolph, who peddled backwards to claim the catch.
Colin Ingram claimed an impressive catch at slip to remove Eoin Morgan from the first delivery of the third over, off de Lange, leaving them 7-3. Michael Hogan clean bowled Sean Eskinazi in the fourth over, the visitors in serious trouble at 17-4.
After a brief delay, former Glamorgan all-rounder James Franklin was bowled by de Lange in the fifth over, as Middlesex were reduced to 24-5. Marchant de Lange took an impressive catch on the mid-wicket boundary from Craig Meschede's bowling, only to have to throw the ball in-field as he avoided overstepping the boundary.
It wasn't long before Ryan Higgins was finally on his way, when he drove to Aneurin Donald at long-on from Graham Wagg's bowling for 16 in the 11th over. Middlesex, by then, were 68-6. Adam Voges, Middlesex's only saving grace, brought up his half-century in the 12th over from 24 balls, having struck seven fours.
Tim Southee struck the biggest six of the innings when he dispatched Graham Wagg to the mid-wicket boundary in the penultimate over, the visitors having recovered to 93-6. However, Hogan found the batsman's leading edge in the final over, and Wagg duly took the catch.
Former Glamorgan loanee Tom Helm was lucky to survive when Aneurin Donald dropped him three balls later, but he was run out from the final delivery, as Middlesex ended on 99-8.
Glamorgan started strongly, as Aneurin Donald struck a couple of boundaries off Tom Helm, and the Welshmen were already more than a quarter of the way to the target after four overs at 28-0. The blows kept coming as Donald drove spinner Nathan Sowter through the off-side for four as Glamorgan reached 49-0 after six overs.
Aneurin Donald was caught by Eoin Morgan off Ryan Higgins for 33 before Sowter caught Nick Selman for 16 in the same over.
At the halfway stage, Glamorgan were 52-2 before Sowter caught Colin Ingram off Paul Stirling for three.
The flurry of wickets appeared to slow Glamorgan's scoring, as they still required 31 to win from the final 24 deliveries. Jacques Rudolph glanced a Tom Helm delivery down the leg side for four as Glamorgan reached 78-3 after the 11th over, requiring 22 runs from 18 balls. 12 runs came off the 12th over from Steven Finn, reducing Glamorgan's target to 10 from 12 balls.
They reached the target with an over to spare as Jacques Rudolph (22 not out) and Chris Cooke (25 not out) added 46 for the fourth wicket to see them through.
