Twenty20 Cup: Gloucestershire Gladiators lost to Glamorgan Dragons by six wickets (From Gazette Series)

Twenty20 Cup: Gloucestershire Gladiators lost to Glamorgan Dragons by six wickets

6:46pm Sunday 28th June 2009 in

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GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S miserable 2009 Twenty20 Cup campaign ended with a six-wicket defeat at the hands of Glamorgan at Bristol today.

Ben Wright and Tom Maynard struck an unbeaten partnership of 96 to give the Dragons victory after the Gladiators scored a below-par 148-7.

After opting to bat first, Gloucestershire got off to a poor start as Hamish Marshall was caught by James Harris when trying to flick the ball over fine leg, and Kadeer Ali followed two balls later, presenting a simple chance to Maynard at mid wicket, both off the bowling of Ryan Watkins.

Alex Gidman was stumped by Mark Wallace off Dean Cosker’s first ball to leave them on 33-3 before James Franklin and David Brown stopped the rot, although the score limped to 51-3 off 11 overs.

Brown then opened his shoulders and hit three sixes in his 56 off 35 balls before skying one to Maynard off Jamie Dalrymple, having added 81 with Franklin, who was the steady accumulator of the partnership.

Steve Adshead was stumped for six off Watkins, Franklin was finally caught out by Gareth Rees for 44 off the bowling of Alex Wharf having been dropped moments earlier by Harris, and Richard Dawson (2) was comprehensively bowled by Harris as Gloucestershire finished their innings on 148-7.

Franklin then got in on the act with the ball as he trapped Rees lbw in the second ball of Glamorgan’s innings.

The Gladiators kept the pressure on with further wickets as Anthony Ireland had Wallace caught by Snell for 14 and made a catch himself to remove Dalrymple for 16 off the bowling of Saxelby, and when Michael Powell was caught by Marshall off Brown for 13, Glamorgan were 54-4.

The visitors resumed control though as Wright and Maynard built a match winning partnership to guide their side over the line with nine balls to spare.

Wright, who struck Gemaal Hussain for two huge sixes in successive balls, finished with 55 off 39 balls, while Maynard hit the winning runs with a four to finish one short of what would have been a well deserved 50 off 30 balls.