Watch the semi-final highlights as Glamorgan win to progress to Lord's
By Rob Barnett
Glamorgan roared into their maiden Lord’s final for 13 years with a 31-run defeat of holders Hampshire Royals in the first Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-final.
The Welsh county, who qualified for the last four as the best runners-up from the three groups, comfortably dispatched the Ageas Bowl hosts, who last month also lost their Friends Life t20 title at the semi-final stage.
The victors owed much to man of the match Jim Allenby, whose accelerating 74 from 71 balls lifted Glamorgan to 234 for four on a slow surface.
Immediately bowling through his quota of overs for figures of 8-1-18-2, the Australian seamer took the first two Hampshire wickets to leave the Royals with too much to do in the closing overs.
It signalled the end of the line for Dimitri Mascarenhas, who is retiring this month and is unlikely to feature in the rest of Hampshire’s LV= County Championship season.
Reaching Lord’s will perhaps mean most to Simon Jones, who helped Glamorgan get to the 2000 Benson and Hedges Cup final but did not feature as Gloucestershire prevailed.
As a team, Glamorgan can draw confidence from showing they can perform on the big stage, whether they face Notts Outlaws or Somerset in the showpiece.
Hampshire, having won the toss, contained the visitors effectively in the first three quarters of their innings, Liam Dawson and Mascarenhas proving economical despite being the only two wicketless bowlers.
Glamorgan captain Mark Wallace fell to Sohail Tanvir for 18 via a leading edge towards the end of the compulsory powerplay and fellow opener Gareth Rees was caught behind for 25 off Chris Wood.
Chris Cooke was fairly fluent yet, having hit Danny Briggs for the game’s first six, was trapped in front for 37 next ball. Allenby and Murray Goodwin then prospered in a stand of 51 until the latter was deceived by Tanvir’s slower delivery on 27.
Allenby and Ben Wright responded strongly and, after Wright twice should have been run out by Jimmy Adams from close in on the off-side en route to a 28-ball 47, shared an unbroken 84-run stand including 57 from the batting powerplay in the last four overs.
Allenby remained at the heart of the action early in the reply, knocking back James Vince’s middle stump and having Michael Roberts held in the deep.
While spinner Dean Cosker kept up the pressure, which told when Neil McKenzie was run out, Adams overcame a slow start and some close lbw shouts to reach a 73-delivery fifty.
Michael Hogan, who started the day as the competition’s joint leading-wicket-taker with 22 scalps, crucially had Adams caught and bowled for 59 from a slower ball to end a stand of 86 in 15 overs with Sean Ervine.
Soon after Ervine launched Cosker for six over long-on to herald a half-century from 49 deliveries but, attempting to repeat the maximum, fell for 54 to Hogan who added Dawson and Wood to his victims for figures of 4-51.
Hampshire Innings
6:15pm - GLAMORGAN WIN BY 31 RUNS TO REACH THE YORKSHIRE BANK 40 FINAL!! Hampshire 203/8; Mascarenhas 8 - Chris Wood is bowled from the game’s last ball as Hogan returns 4-51 to seal victory in style. Glamorgan are in their first Lord’s final for 13 years and the Royals’ reign is over!
6:12pm - The hosts want 35 from the last over with Mascarenhas on strike. He misses Hogan’s first ball so Glamorgan are all but on their way to Lord’s.
6:08pm - CHANCE! - Mascarenhas has a swing at Wagg and gets right underneath it, but Allenby cannot hold on in the covers. It matters little though.
6:06pm - WICKET! Dawson c Wright b Hogan 17; 195/7 - Dawson, having hit a four earlier in the over, chips towards deep midwicket and Ben Wright runs round to hold on. The Royals require 40 from 12 deliveries.
6:02pm - An over into the batting powerplay, Glamorgan have almost done it with Hampshire needing 46 from 18 balls.
5:57pm - WICKET! Wheater c Cosker b Wagg 1; Hants 183/6 - After Liam Dawson hits his first ball for four, Wheater meekly outside-edges Wagg to backward point. Dimitri Mascarenhas is the new batsman and receives another warm ovation in his last appearance at the Ageas Bowl.
5:53pm - WICKET! Ervine c Wagg b Hogan 54; Hants 177/5 - The left-hander attempts to repeat his maximum but picks out Wagg several yards in from the long-on rope. Glamorgan are a step closer to Lord’s.
5:50pm - FIFTY! Ervine (49b 7x4 1x6) - Ervine launches Cosker for six over long-on to herald a half-century that is keeping the holders in it. Hampshire want 61 from five overs.
5:43pm - WICKET! Adams c & b Hogan 59; Hants 159/4 - Adams is deceived by Hogan’s slower ball and skies a leading edge. It seems to hang up there for an eternity, but the bowler barely has to move from his follow through before showing safe hands to end a stand of 86 in 15 overs. Could that tilt the game Glamorgan’s way?
5:38pm - Adams gets a fifth four, off Hogan, but 88 are required from eight overs. Ervine responds with two back-to-back fours off Cosker.
5:31pm - FIFTY! Adams (73b 4x4 1x6) - The home skipper is keeping his side in with a shout of returning to Lord’s.
5:28pm - With 10 overs to go, Hampshire need 103 to win with seven wickets left.
5:23pm - On the back of two more quiet overs, Adams smashes Salter for four through midwicket and a straight six. But he survives another leg-before appeal on 46 that hit him on the front pad and should have been given out.
5:14pm - 2005 Ashes winner Simon Jones takes over from Salter and backs up Cosker in maintaining the pressure. In the next over Adams, sweeping, survives a strong lbw shout from Cosker.
5:06pm - Having reverse swept Salter for four to end his previous over, Ervine pulls a rare loose ball for another to move Hampshire into three figures.
4:55pm - Salter keeps runs at a premium against Adams and Sean Ervine. Half way through the reply Hampshire are 80 for three.
4:48pm - WICKET! McKenzie run out 7; Hants 73/3 - There is spin at both ends as Andrew Salter is introduced, only to be slog-swept for four by Adams. But in the next over McKenzie departs when Cosker smartly gathers and breaks the non-striker’s stumps. Adams cuts the next ball for four.
4:43pm - CHANCE! - Cosker draws McKenzie out of his crease and Wallace appeals for a stumping. Following several TV replays, which show how close the decision is, the batsman is given not-out having moved his trailing foot back.
4:39pm - Adams clips Allenby over midwicket for four, but the wily seamer returns outstanding and possibly match-winning figures of 8-1-18-2.
4:32pm - Jimmy Adams is struggling to beat the infield on this slow surface, denying Neil McKenzie the strike. Spinner Dean Cosker is introduced and finds some sharp turn.
4:21pm - WICKET! Roberts c Cooke b Allenby 23; Hants 49/2 - The visitors continue to keep it tight and Roberts holes out to deep midwicket, Chris Cooke coming in from the rope to take the catch. Allenby completes a wicket-maiden and has figures of 6-1-12-2.
4:13pm - WICKET! Vince b Allenby 20; Hants 46/1 - Glamorgan are rewarded for a period of pressure when Vince plays an ugly shot across the line and has his middle stump knocked back.
4:03pm - Graham Wagg replaces Hogan but concedes two fours to the powerful Vince in his first over. After the next set of six the Royals are 41 for none from the compulsory powerplay.
3:55pm - Roberts, opening the batting in the absence of Michael Carberry, repeats his cover drive from Hogan’s previous over to collect another four.
3:50pm - CHANCE! - After Michael Roberts hits Hogan for four either side of the wicket, Vince is almost stumped by Mark Wallace off Allenby’s leg-side wide, but grounds a foot behind the line in the nick of time as he switches his feet over.
3:42pm - James Vince strikes Michael Hogan, the joint leading wicket-taker in the competition, for four to leg in the reply’s first over. Jim Allenby is tighter from the other end.
Glamorgan Innings
3:13pm - END OF INNINGS! Glamorgan 234/4; Allenby 74, Wright 47 - Tanvir comes in for punishment during the last over as the fifth-wicket alliance extends to 84 and the powerplay yields 57. Hampshire will have to bat well to chase 235.
3:08pm - Wood, looking rattled in the penultimate over, again concedes several consecutive boundaries, this time three fours from Allenby.
3:02pm - FIFTY! Allenby (61b 4x4 0x6) - The Australian all-rounder registers an important half-century with a single off Tanvir. Later in the over he collects a further four to square-leg.
3pm - Wood, a death overs specialist, concedes four, six, four and four to Wright from the first balls of the powerplay. The over costs 20, just what Glamorgan need.
2:56pm - CHANCE! - Wright clouts Briggs over long-on for a maximum and in a tight next over, bowled by Tanvir, survives an almost identical run-out chance with Adams this time having plenty of time to hit the stumps but still misses. At the end of the over the batting powerplay is forced with Glamorgan 177 for four.
2:47pm - CHANCES! - After Allenby smacks Briggs for another four to square-leg, Wheater’s stumping appeal off Wood is referred. Allenby survives on 45 with his back foot grounded just behind a hardly-visible line. Next ball Ben Wright survives being run out when he changes his mind over a quick single to cover but Adams misses the striker’s stumps.
2:37pm - WICKET! Goodwin c Dawson b Tanvir 27; Glam 150/4 - Goodwin is deceived by a Tanvir slower ball and chips a dolly catch to midwicket, ending a stand of 51. Will Glamorgan regret not taking the batting powerplay with two batsmen set?
2:34pm - Mascarenhas returns and, after Allenby lofts Briggs to square-leg for four, gets a standing ovation before his last over at the Ageas Bowl. It features another four to square-leg, this time from Goodwin, that raises a valuable fifty partnership. Mascarenhas ends with figures of 0-39 and enjoys further warm applause.
2:23pm - With Goodwin having again struck Briggs to square-leg for four, Dawson completes a tidy allocation of 8-0-35-0.
2:16pm - Glamorgan pick up two fours in as many deliveries, Allenby outside-edging Briggs to the boundary and Murray Goodwin sweeping Dawson with the spin on the ball beating the deep square-leg fielder.
2:12pm - Dawson sends down two cheap overs aside of one from Briggs that yields six singles. The spin duo are racing through the middle overs.
2:02pm - WICKET! Cooke lbw b Briggs 37; Glam 99/3 - Cooke lifts Briggs for six over midwicket but next ball, attempting to play to leg, is trapped in front to a leg-stump delivery.
1:57pm - With Dawson continuing, there is spin at both ends as Danny Briggs is introduced. Allenby advances to hit the latter through midwicket for four. At the end of the next over the Welsh county are 92 for two from half their allocation.
1:49pm - Allenby’s leading edge off Wood falls to ground on its way to mid-off, from where Jimmy Adams throws down the non-striker’s stumps. Cooke has his bat grounded and Glamorgan get an overthrow.
1:40pm - WICKET! Rees c Wheater b Wood 25; Glam 60/2 - The left-hander attempts to guide to third man but succeeds only in edging behind to wicketkeeper Adam Wheater, who is standing up to the stumps. With Jim Allenby off the mark first ball, Cooke elegantly guides Wood through midwicket for four.
1:39pm - Wood concedes five singles in his next before spinner Liam Dawson is introduced with a similar result.
1:30pm - Following Wood’s set of six to Rees that costs just one, the opener drives Mascarenhas down the ground for four. Later in the over Chris Cooke gets two to leg, moving Glamorgan to 50.
1:23pm - Wood replaces Tanvir and starts with an economical over but Mascarenhas continues and keeps the visitors in check.
1:15pm - The compulsory powerplay ends with Glamorgan 33 for one, which Hampshire will be happy with.
1:09pm - WICKET! Wallace c Wood b Tanvir 18; Glam 30/1 - Wallace is not so lucky when he plays aerially to leg off Tanvir a second time, looping a high but simple leading edge to Chris Wood at mid-on.
1:04pm - Wallace escapes when he chips Tanvir to midwicket and the ball falls to ground out of mid-on’s reach. He takes advantage with four off Mascarenhas through the covers.
12:55pm - Tanvir bowls a maiden to Wallace, who looks uncertain outside off stump. The Glamorgan skipper ends the next over by taking Mascarenhas for four to fine-leg.
12:47pm - Having been troubled by Sohail Tanvir’s early balls, Gareth Rees cover-drives for four later in the over. Mark Wallace then gets off the mark at the start of a tight over from Dimitri Mascarenhas.
Pre-Play News
12:40pm - While waiting for the action to start in five minutes, why not read our exclusive interview with Graham Wagg?
12:35am - This is certainly the last Ageas Bowl appearance and could be a final Hampshire game altogether for former England all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas. Another former England man, Glamorgan seamer Simon Jones, is also targeting a Lord’s final towards the end of his career.
12:30pm - As expected, Hampshire welcome back Pakistan left-armer Sohail Tanvir and England spinner Danny Briggs, while James Vince and Chris Wood also return having been rested for this week’s LV= County Championship draw with Northamptonshire. Michael Carberry, the Royals’ leading scorer in 40-over cricket this term, remains on international duty as part of England’s NatWest Series squad.
Mark Wallace, Graham Wagg, Chris Cooke, Murray Goodwin, Jim Allenby and Dean Cosker continue to play in each of Glamorgan’s YB40 matches this season. Michael Hogan, who yesterday extended his contract until the end of the 2016 season, is the joint leading wicket-taker in the competition with 22 scalps.
12:25pm - Here are the teams...
Hampshire: Jimmy Adams (capt), James Vince, Mike Roberts, Neil McKenzie, Sean Ervine, Liam Dawson, Adam Wheater (wk), Dimitri Mascarenhas, Chris Wood, Sohail Tanvir, Danny Briggs.
Glamorgan: Mark Wallace (capt & wk), Gareth Rees, Chris Cooke, Murray Goodwin, Jim Allenby, Ben Wright, Graham Wagg, Andrew Salter, Dean Cosker, Michael Hogan, Simon Jones.
News from the toss is that Hampshire have won it and elected to bowl first.
— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) September 7, 2013
12:10pm - Hello and welcome to ecb.co.uk’s live text commentary on this year’s first Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-final between holders Hampshire Royals and Glamorgan at the Ageas Bowl. The game is due to start at 12:45pm. News of the toss follows shortly.