Cooke has a Blast as Glam rack up the runs in T20 victory
CHRIS Cooke’s maiden Vitality Blast century led the onslaught as Glamorgan beat Middlesex by 29 runs in a hitting-fest at Merchant Taylors’ School.
Cooke smashed 113 in 41 balls with seven sixes, moving from 50 to 100 in just 12 balls, as the Welsh visitors piled up 238-3.
The wicketkeeper-batter shared a stand of 187 with South African Colin Ingram, a record for any wicket for Glamorgan against the Seaxes in T20.
Ingram finished 92 not out having thrashed six sixes of his own with the duo hitting 103 off the last five overs and 72 from the final three.
Blake Cullen was the only bowler to escape the carnage, returning 2-23, but teammate Tom Helm was flayed to the tune of 0-69, the worst figures ever by a Middlesex bowler in the format.
To their great credit Middlesex made a valiant fist of the chase, Joe Cracknell (77) and skipper Stephen Eskinazi (59) re-writing the home side’s record books with an opening stand of 145, a record for any wicket against the Welshmen in the competition.
But Glamorgan’s spinners Peter Hatzoglou 2-28 and Prem Sisodya 2-34 bowled decisive spells to make sure the hosts came up short on 2095.
There was little sign of the carnage to come when the hosts struck two early blows after Glamorgan opted to bat first.
Sam Northeast drove Martin Andersson into the hands of Helm at mid-off and the successful bowler then produced a fine catch behind point to remove Eddie Byrom from the bowling of Cullen.
And though Kiran Carlson threatened briefly, when he top-edged Cullen to fine leg the visitors were 51-3.
It was though to prove Middlesex’s last hurrah as Ingram and Cooke regularly peppered the spectators with blows clearing the ropes.
Ingram was initially the greater aggressor, cracking Andersson over cow corner before twice despatching young left-arm spinner Nathan Fernandes into the crowd on his way to 50 in 33 balls.
Cooke caught the mood, striking the ball cleaning and went to his half century seven balls quicker with his eighth four.
As it turned out he was simply warming up, the six that followed raising the 100-partnership from 55 balls.
Six more sixes came from his blade with Helm’s last two overs going for 25 and 27 respectively.
Eskinazi and youngster Cracknell got the hosts off to a flyer in reply, the latter top-edging Jamie Mcllroy over square leg for a maximum and adding 10 further fours to race to 50 in 26 balls.
The Durham University graduate then muscled first Sisodya and then Hatzoglou beyond the ropes as his onslaught continued, yet remarkably Eskinazi reached 50 a ball quicker courtesy of 11 fours.
Such was the savagery, the stand realised 145 before Cracknell was stumped by Cooke off the last ball of the 12th over trying to reverse sweep Hatzoglou.
The same shot then saw the demise of Eskinazi for 59 in the following over as the rate required climbed.
Max Holden struck one towering six in a bid to take up the cause but perished to a stunning catch by Byrom on the mid-off boundary trying to repeat the shot and ultimately 58 off the last three overs proved too many.
“It’s the first time I’ve played here, so hopefully I can come back as it’s a great place to bat,” said Cooke.
“Colin and I enjoy batting together and we got into a good rhythm and it was one of those days I guess where everything you try comes off.
“We didn’t panic (at 51-3). We had 180 as a par score which wouldn’t have been enough. We knew if we were both set at the end anything would be possible.
“I’d like to think I’ve hit the ball close to as good as that, but I didn’t really have a T20 hundred in my career on my radar batting at five or six so it’s amazing to get it and a bit of a surreal moment.
“We knew we had to take wickets as that’s the only way to slow the runrate down and they were going like a train.
“Peter (Hatzoglou) and Prem (Sisodya) were really brave in the way they bowled, aggressive, trying to take wickets and spin the ball by giving it air which got us back in the game. Amazing from them really.”
Glamorgan now have two wins from their first three group games in the competition and return to action this evening against Kent Spitfires at Sophia Gardens (6.30pm start).