The star again as county make it six in a row
“We rested Benny Howell because we didn’t want him playing back-toback games after such a long injury layoff and Jack Taylor’s hand should be fine, so both should be available for the next game.”
It was the home side’s sixth successive group win and they are now assured of a place in the last eight.
Dent wasted no time signalling Gloucestershire’s intentions, with two fours off the opening over, bowled by Tim Bresnan.
Hammond was quickly into his stride too, a couple of reverse sweeps to the boundary off Jeetan Patel taking his side’s score to 21 off two overs.
The two left-handers continued to score freely and by the end of the sixover power-play Gloucestershire’s total was a healthy 49 without loss.
That became 86 for none after 11 overs. But Dent was then caught and bowled off a skyer by Patel, having hit 5 fours in his 34-ball innings.
Hammond went in the following over, well caught on the run at deep mid-wicket by Dominic Sibley off Stone. He had faced 41 balls and notched seven boundaries.
The Bears began to put a brake on the scoring rate and the 16th over was reached without a six in the Gloucestershire innings.
Cockbain put that right with two in succession off Patel and was looking in prime form when caught on the deep cover boundary off Henry Brookes, having hit four sixes and three fours.
From 144 for two, Gloucestershire lost four wickets for 28 runs, but their score still looked more than competitive. Ryan Higgins was unbeaten on 21 at the end.
The Bears made a poor start to their chase, losing Dom Sibley lbw in the first over, sent down by van Buuren. Soon it was 24 for two as Robyates cut a catch to point off David Payne.
Adam Hose hit the first six of the innings off Matt Taylor in the fifth over, but perished tamely two balls later, pulling a catch straight to Higgins at mid-wicket.
The next over saw Rhodes bowled trying to drive van Buuren and the Bears were in disarray at 37 for four.
Gloucestershire lost skipper Jack Taylor to a hand injury when he tried to catch a fierce drive from Sam Hain in the eighth over, Cockbain taking over the captaincy.
Michael Burgess holed out to longoff as Tom Smith began to weave his customary spell at the Ashley Down Road End. His first three overs cost only 11 runs.
Smith, bowling in tandem with fellow left-arm spinner van Buuren, has been one of Gloucestershire’s strengths in the competition and when the latter bowled Tim Bresnan to make it 83 for six the outcome was beyond doubt.
Hain did his best, with little support, but it was another impressive success for a Gloucestershire side, who will be no one’s pushovers as the tournament moves to its climax.
What we want now is to earn a home quarter-final because we know the conditions here and play them well Ian Cockbain