Glam-busters get the Bears up and running
BIRMINGHAM Bears won their first Vitality Blast game of the summer by six wickets with seven balls to spare – but Glamorgan will rue the fact noone supported captain Chris Cooke (72) in their disappointing total of 140 for nine at Sophia Gardens.
The Bears showed a more disciplined approach, with all their batsmen playing useful innings, after their five-man bowling attack had restricted the home batsmen to a below-par score.
Chasing a modest 141 to win in Cardiff, the Bears lost an early wicket when Prem Sisodyia, Glamorgan’s left-arm spinner, dismissed Ed Pollock with his second ball, but Adam Hose soon made his intentions clear, by striking Andrew Salter for four then lofting the off-spinner over long-on for six.
After he was dropped in the gully on 14, Hose continued to play freely on both sides of the wicket, and with 38-year-old Ian Bell in sublime form, the second-wicket pair continued to dominate.
They put on 64 in 8.2 overs before Glamorgan made the next breakthrough, Marchant De Lange bowling Hose, then in the following over, Bell was mortified to see a long hop from Salter end up in deep midwicket’s hands.
The Bears were well placed at the halfway stage and, with five overs remaining, needed a further 35 to win, but after losing Will Rhodes for 16, the runrate increased and 18 was required from the final two overs.
Tim Van Der Gugten delivered the penultimate over and was plundered for 22 by Sam Hain and Michael Burgess, including a six from a no-ball to end the game.
Glamorgan, who elected to bat, were soon in trouble, losing their first wicket to Olly Stone’s first ball and the seventh of the innings, and at the end of the power play were 45 for three. Stone, in only his second competitive game of the season, bowled within himself, and claimed two wickets in the innings.
Much depended on Cooke if
Glamorgan were to set a challenging total. While his team-mates found ways of getting themselves out – two were caught on the mid-wicket boundary – the skipper was diligent in his shot selection.
Jake Lintott, the 27-year-old leftarm spinner who was making his Bears’ debut, made the most of a slow pitch with some turn, and ended with excellent figures of 4-013-1.
Jeetan Patel, the veteran off-spinner who is in his final season, wasn’t so effective, conceding 36 runs, including two sixes, but the other Bears bowlers stuck to their task, while their fielders gave little away.
Cooke continued to plunder the attack and when he was out in the final over, he had struck 72 from 56 balls, which included three sixes and five fours. Such was his dominance, no other Glamorgan batsman, apart from Dan Douthwaite, with 15, reached double figures.
Lintott said: “I am very pleased how things went today, especially after coming through a long winter and spending time in the second XI.
“I’ve had to work hard, but I’ve loved it, and especially the result today.
“There was some turn in the pitch – it was a little tacky and I concentrated on bowling into the pitch.’’
A disappointed Cooke added: “We were 20 runs short and should have done better. Then to almost win, with a bowler short, was a good effort.
“We must be more disciplined with our batting, whenever we began to build a partnership we lost a wicket, and we must improve on that.’’
I am very pleased how things went today, especially after coming through a long winter and spending time in the second XI. Jake Lintott