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Glamorgan Hold Off Spitfires Fightback To Earn A Sensational Last-Ball Draw

Posted by Tom W from Cardiff - Published on 15/06/2014 at 17:40
0 comments » - Tagged as Culture, Sport & Leisure, Topical, Volunteering

  • Kent's Hero, Stevens
  • NatWest T20 Blast
A review by you. #youcreatethenews

Headlines:
  • Glam 177/7 (20.0 ovs) – Kent 177/9 (20.0 ovs).
  • Kent needed 1 run off the last ball to win but were run out. 
  • Glamorgan now sit 3rd in the T20 table (South Group).
  • Kent are below them in the table by a point.
  • Glamorgan’s second of seven home Natwest T20 Blast fixtures.

In a thrilling finale at a chock-full SWALEC stadium last night, Kent were held to a sensational draw by Glamorgan on the last ball of the match, having needed only 3 runs off the last over to win [scorecard here]. 

Glamorgan set only a mild score of a 177 to beat during their innings at the crease and there was an audible sense of unease amongst their fans, as many feared this wouldn’t be enough to earn Glamorgan their fourth victory of the season

However, it was a match where the advantage changed hands rapidly and often, and at the halfway point of Kent’s innings, they had only managed 76 runs (for 4).

‘A brilliant blitz’

A breath-taking 71 runs off 39 balls from Kent’s 38-year-old Darren Stevens helped bring Kent back into the game and ensured a highly competitive climax, to the thrill of the thousands of cricket fans in the stadium. 

Kent needed just 3 runs off the final over to claim victory - which would have been their fourth of the season, too – but a brilliant blitz of bowling by Michael Hogan ensured the visitors didn’t creep away with the spoils all to themselves. 

‘A formidable partnership’

Kent won the toss and chose to field, a decision that soon bore fruit when our Man of the Match, Darren Stevens took Jacques Rudolph in the first over. However, fellow lead, Jim Allenby, did shine more brightly and earned himself a healthy, respectable 54 (from 37). He has been the cornerstone of Glamorgan’s offensive this season so far.

Allenby set up a formidable partnership with teammate Mark Wallace, running 76 in just 7 overs, to keep Glamorgan’s runs:balls ratio riding high. 

Six of Glamorgan’s seven fallen wickets were from catches, but Kent also dropped a few easy catches, which may have ended the contest earlier. On the plus side, the crowd thoroughly enjoyed exercising their vocal chords with choruses of “way”s.

Wallace and Cooke went out for 33 and 34, respectively, and new boy on the block, West Indies captain, Darren Sammy - who won the game for Glamorgan on his debut two weeks ago – ended the game with 19 runs to his name, not out. Glamorgan’s Goodwin could manage no more than opener, Rudolph: 1 run. At least they avoided the dreaded duck. 

‘Kent’s early batsmen were defined by non-performances’

Despite going into their innings with a sure sense of superiority, Kent’s early batsmen were defined by non-performances – some very indifferent displays.  

Some very sharp fielding by Glamorgan kept Kent’s scoring subdued. Every player in the field was on top of every ball as soon as it left the batsmen’s bat and all throw-ins were with pin-point precision. The Glamorgan men chased every ball that headed towards the boundary and, on many occasions, stopped 4’s from being added to the scoreboard. In hindsight, this dedication saved them the match. 

‘The proverbial and literal back foot’

Sammy further proved his stock by taking both openers, Bell-Drummond and Key, in the fourth over, for 18 and 15, respectively. 

Some excellent Glamorgan bowling in the middle of Kent’s innings kept Kent on the proverbial and literal back foot and seemed to sway the balance back towards Glamorgan’s favour. 

Whilst Glamorgan started strongly, achieving an average of 10 per over, before petering out, Kent did the opposite; they started poorly and had to chase about 10 per over for most of their innings. This was a challenging target; the pressure was on Kent. 

Thanks to a 73-run partnership between Stevens and Sam Billings, Kent were kept within reach of victory. They needed 27 runs from the last 3 overs. It was clear that Glammy fans were beginning to sense victory. 

‘A game of a big hits and tight margins’

The remarkable 18th and 19th overs of Kent’s innings saw 24 runs being made, including, at one point, a hatrick of boundaries from their batsmen. However, it also saw Stevens and Billings both caught out (off Salter and Wagg, respectively). Would these mini-victories for Glamorgan be too late with Kent only needing 3 runs off the last 6 balls? 

Not if Hogan had anything to do with it. His exceptional last over saw him claim two Kent scalps in a row - off his second and third balls. Claydon went out for a Golden Duck.

Bollinger had the challenging – albeit potentially glory-full - task of coming in in the last over to score the winning runs. It became all about the 3’s, as on the hatrick ball, Kent needed 3 runs from 3 balls. Could it be any tenser? 

Although the English Club matched the total on the penultimate ball and their two batsmen took several minutes to plan where their final run(s) would come from, Bollinger was run out on the last ball. Although Glamorgan were out for 2 fewer wickets, the game ended a draw. 

T20 is a game of a big hits and tight margins. Glamorgan almost ended up yesterday empty-handed but earned a point, which Allenby thinks will be "valuable" for the rest of the season. In the tight T20 (South) table, who’s going to disagree? 

In fact, only a point separates Kent and Glamorgan in the table as it stands.

Kent and Glamorgan’s battle looks set to continue long after the dust of yesterday’s cricket has settled. 

Glamorgan’s next home match is on Friday 20th June against Surrey, and tickets can be obtained here. I’d thoroughly recommend it. 

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*ArticlesGlamorgan Beat Sussex In Last Ball T20 Thriller (31/05/2014), Glamorgan Vs Kent Scorecard (13/06/2014)

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*Events Â» June 2014: Sprout Editorial Group Meeting

*TheSproutDirect.co.uk Â» Sport Cardiff

Images Credits: Panoramic - Joshua Thomas, 'Kent's Hero, Stevens' - Sarah Ansell Photography via Kent website

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