Gloucestershire CCC

Glamorgan narrowly missed out on making history on the final day of a thrilling County Championship Second Division match against Gloucestershire which ended in a remarkable tie at Cheltenham.

Charged with the task of pursuing what would have been a world-record run-chase of 593, the Welsh county dramatically levelled the scores, leaving last man Jamie McIlroy requiring just a single off the final ball of the match to achieve an historic win.

But he edged Ajeet Singh Dale’s last delivery and was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper James Bracey, who claimed his tenth victim of a memorable contest, to spark scenes of mayhem among delighted home supporters at the famous old College Ground.

Before this week, Glammy’s record in red-ball cricket looked familiar: a single win and loss dotted between a string of draws where bat largely dominated ball.

But Glamorgan’s extraordinary tie with Gloucestershire this week proved Grant Bradburn’s assertion that this team will risk defeat in order to get a win.

The last two results, an exciting if unsuccessful chase against Northamptonshire and this tie with Gloucestershire, have shown that the Welsh county are serious about their message that they will risk a loss while chasing a win in every game.

Fast Start

At the close of play on day two, things did not look good for Glamorgan.

Having traded low first innings scores on day one, Gloucestershire skittled for 179, before Glammy’s reply of just 197, the pitch flattened out under Monday’s sun, allowing the West Country county to stamp their authority on the game.

After Timm van der Gugten took two new ball wickets, many thought this was a result wicket and the quality of the bowlers would decide the result.

Miles Hammond and Cameron Bancroft had other ideas, however. The two put together a partnership of 201, before Hammond was dismissed for 121 from just 110 balls.

Former England wicketkeeper James Bracey then came to the crease and put the game seemingly out of Glamorgan’s reach with another exceptional partnership with Bancroft, this time totalling 253.

A Big Chase Ahead

Bancroft, the former Australian opener, ended with 184 and Bracey 204 not out as Gloucestershire declared just after lunch on day three on 610-5, leaving Glamorgan a target of 593.

Impossible right? Well, with 152 overs to play with, and the pitch looking the best it had been all game, Grant Bradburn’s words came true.

Speaking in Sportin Wales May edition, the Glamorgan head coach stressed that the era of bore draws at Sophia Gardens is over.

“In the championship, it doesn’t matter how many games we lose this season, it’s how many we win that counts,” he said.

“We’re very confident in playing the game to win and sometimes that means risking losing.”

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Billy Root set the tone, hitting a sparky 46 from 57 balls to put a dent in the mammoth total. Marnus Labuschagne, world number 12 ranked batsman, joined Eddie Byrom.

Ajeet Singh Dale and Matt Taylor looked to have put an end to any Glammy victory hopes with the quick wickets of Byrom and Kiran Carlson, but a valiant 16-over stand of 76 between Labuschagne and captain Sam Northeast gave Glamorgan a decent base of 222-3 going into the final day.

Getting Closer…

The two stalwarts of Glamorgan’s batting efforts this season broke open the run chase with tenacious hundreds: 119 for Labuschagne and 187 for Northeast. By the time the skipper nicked Taylor through to Bracey behind the stumps, there were just 48 runs to get in 14 overs.

The problem was the wickets. Each time a partnership was building Gloucestershire would prise out a wicket. The partnerships after Labuschagne’s wicket read: 39, 56, 35, 17.

Andy Gorvin, star with the ball of Glamorgan’s last County Championship victory, joined Mason Crane at the crease and the two bowlers inched their way to 30 away, before Gorvin was bowled by the ferocious Marchant de Lange. Crane, though, was going well.

The on-loan leggie managed to marshal the strike while scoring runs in the way an experienced batter can only do. Suddenly, for the first time in over two days, Glamorgan were just the favourites.

Final Over Drama

Then came the final over: 2 runs needed from 6 balls, with a Gloucestershire a wicket away from a one run victory.

Four dots balls followed as Singh Dale bowled a miserly line and length: Crane got behind the first two and turned down singles on the third and fourth. The fifth ball brought the matching-tying single down to fine-leg.

So, here was the game: four days and 373 overs distilled into one ball: James McIlroy against Singh Dale.

The Gloucestershire opening bowler trundled in and reached his Jeff Thompson-like delivery stride at pace. With the field up, McIlroy took the aggressive option, and aimed a swipe through the off-side looking almost as much for the thick edge down to third man as he was the cover boundary.

Thick edge it he did, and Bracey, shorn of his right glove in preparation to throw the ball at the stumps in the event of a play-and-miss, flung himself to the right, against his initial sidesteps to the left, catching the ball in his glove-less hand and immediately wheeled away, celebrating the tie.

For McIlroy’s part, he stood at the crease, still processing the events in front of him as the umpire almost mockingly raised his finger, confirming the wicket, and the tie.

Legacy Of The Tightest Finish In History

It was an extraordinary end to perhaps the greatest County Championship match of all-time, played between two sides who have struggled to get results in recent years.

Draws have plagued both counties and the great irony here is that they depart the Bristol County Ground with the same number of points as they would have with a draw.

Yet there is a romance about this result. It will remembered for years to come thanks to Glamorgan’s mentality and batting technique, and Gloucestershire’s ability to take wickets at vital times.

Had Glamorgan dug in on the morning of day four, or Gloucestershire not scored at the rate they did on days two and three, this match would have taken its place amongst the bore draws of recent years. Instead, it will be cherished by those involved as the best match of their lives.