Thrilling Derby Win for Glamorgan in Metro Bank One Day Cup

Glamorgan claimed a thrilling victory over Gloucestershire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup, winning by 27 runs in a rain-shortened 33-over match. The game saw Glamorgan set a target of 187 for 8, thanks to a crucial unbeaten 65 from 20-year-old Ben Kellaway, rescuing the team from a precarious 27 for 3.

Dan Douthwaite excelled with the ball, taking four wickets for 25 runs, including the key dismissal of James Bracey, who had scored 86 off 79 balls in a lone effort to steer Gloucestershire to victory. The visitors appeared poised to win another Severnside derby until Douthwaite and Andy Gorvin sparked a collapse, reducing Gloucestershire from 157 for 5 to 160 all out.

Gloucestershire won the toss and put the hosts into bat after the near three-hour delay. The decision initially paid off, as openers Josh Shaw and Ajeet Singh Dale utilised early seam movement to trouble the Glamorgan batsmen. Will Smale, following a record-breaking performance in the Vitality Blast, was dismissed for a duck, and Eddie Byrom fell for 5 shortly after.

Captain Kiran Carlson and Billy Root provided some stability with a partnership of 49 from 41 balls, capitalising on loose deliveries from Goodman and Zaman Akhter. However, further wickets at crucial moments left Glamorgan struggling at 99 for 5, with debutant Asa Tribe and Kellaway forced to rebuild the innings.

Kellaway's innings featured a series of elegant drives through and over extra cover, crucially aiding partnerships with Tribe, Douthwaite, and Timm van der Gugten to ensure Glamorgan batted out their overs.

In response, Gloucestershire's chase mirrored Glamorgan's start, with van der Gugten and Jamie McIlroy exploiting early movement to reduce them to 44 for 3. Bracey's brilliance kept Gloucestershire in contention, similar to Kellaway's role for Glamorgan. However, despite a quickfire 41-run partnership between Bracey and Graeme van Buuren, the team fell short.

Glamorgan had a stroke of luck when a catch off Bracey narrowly evaded Tribe at deep square leg, but Gloucestershire's hopes faded as Douthwaite and Gorvin took key wickets, sealing a memorable win for the hosts. This match added to a series of close encounters in both the County Championship and Blast this season.