With a 62-run victory over Yorkshire on Wednesday, Glamorgan secured a coveted place in the semi-finals of the 2024 One-Day Cup, having topped Group B.

With six wins and a no result in eight games, Glammy topped Group B, which has earnt them a home semi-final at Sophia Gardens on Sunday against the winners of Worcestershire v Warwickshire in the quarter-finals.

After their successful 2021 campaign, which brought a first piece of silverware to the Welsh county since 2004, Glamorgan will be targeting yet another white ball trophy in head coach Grant Bradburn’s first season in charge.

How did they do it though? And can this success bring more consistency to Glamorgan in other formats?

Miserly Opening Attack

With the poor weather at the start of the season, the traditional run-fest months of July and August have become distinctly trickier for batting in this tournament.

This has played into the hands of Glamorgan’s two opening bowlers in this season’s One-Day Cup: Timm van der Gugten and Jamie McIlroy. Both are adept at swinging the new, white ball and have brought an excellent level of control to Glamorgan’s bowling efforts this campaign.

Both have taken wickets while keeping the runs down – van der Gugten with 12 wickets @ an economy rate of 3.36 and McIlroy with 11 @ 3.97.

The most obvious illustration of their skill this season was the final One-Day Cup group stage game against Yorkshire. The early wickets of Harry Duke, Noah Kelly, and William Luxton had left the Vikings reeling at 11-3 from 6.2 overs.

Having scored a slightly below-par 230-9 in the first innings, a good start was required to set Glammy on their way to victory, something that captain Kiran Carlson has come to expect from his opening bowlers.

The best One-Day batter in the country

It’s a bold statement, but the numbers back it up: Colin Ingram is the best One-Day Cup batter in the country right now.

With nine hundreds in 44 games at an average of 65.91 before this season, remarkably Ingram has improved on that record. In five matches, the South African overseas is averaging 79.66 with his unbeaten 103 against a strong Nottinghamshire side proving to be a clear signal of Glamorgan’s strength.

The 39-year-old will be key in the knockout stages of the One-Day Cup, as experience comes to the fore in pressure situations.

Read More:

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A Not-So-Secret Weapon

Ben Kellaway is a unique bowler in English cricket.

His ability to bowl with both his stronger right and weaker left arm has brought him firmly into the spotlight this past week.

In a sport now dominated by ‘match-ups’ and data-driven selections, Kellaway’s ambidextrous ability is a potent weapon for his club Glamorgan, as was seen in their recent win over Surrey.

With Glamorgan firmly on top, reducing Surrey to 106-8, captain Kiran Carlson brought Kellaway on to bowl. The 20-year-old all-rounder then took the final two wickets.

The first was with his left arm, his low action skidding through the defences of Conor McKerr and hitting leg stump. The second and final wicket of the innings was performed with his right arm, a classic delivery round the wicket to the left-handed Matt Dunn, thumping his front pad in front the of stumps.

In five games this campaign, Kellaway has taken 7 wickets – five with his right arm and two with his left – while also showing his batting ability with a key 65* in the victory over Gloucestershire.

Support Cast Taking the Headlines

Part of Glamorgan’s success has been their clarity in team selections. While other teams have had to deal with late call-ups to The Hundred, or the arrival of overseas players, Glammy have kept it consistent, and no pair of players have benefitted more than Andy Gorvin and Dan Douthwaite.

Often on the fringes of the red-ball and T20 sides, Gorvin and Douthwaite have both appeared in every One-Day Cup game so far this season, and are thriving from the run of games.

With 16 wickets apiece, they are joint-second in the top wicket-taking charts and are taking their wickets at a lower strike rate than any of those ahead of them.

Gorvin’s best performance came against Notts, taking 5-56, including the key wickets of Haseeb Hameed, Tom Moores, and Liam Patterson-White. With bat in hand, the 27-year-old also took his side over the line against Sussex in a one wicket win at Neath.

Douthwaite, more of an all-rounder, has an important role at eight in the batting order for Glammy, scoring an eye-catching 61 from 40 balls against Leicestershire, followed by 3-41 and 34 at Chelmsford against Essex, and 4-44 to skittle Sussex.

Cardiff and potentially Trent Bridge Await

Glamorgan’s semi-final on Sunday looks to be a mouth-watering affair to rival The Hundred final. If they triumph in that game, a second final in four years at Trent Bridge awaits on September 22nd.

The winner of the quarter-final fixture between Worcestershire and Warwickshire await, so be sure to get down to Sophia Gardens for Glammy’s biggest match of the season so far!

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