T20 Blast: Glamorgan edge to two-wicket win over Gloucestershire

Glamorgan's Timm van der Gugten took a wicket as well as hitting the winning six runs against Gloucestershire

Glamorgan squeezed home to their target of 162 with five balls and two wickets in hand despite a late collapse in their T20 Blast opener against Gloucestershire at Bristol.

Colin Ingram's 47 was the key knock, but David Payne (3-17) led the home fightback.

Gloucestershire's 161-9 owed much to T20 debutant Ben Charlesworth's 56.

Jamie McIlroy (3-30) and Dan Douthwaite (4-23) pegged them back at either end of the innings with career-bests.

It was a winning start for Glamorgan's new white-ball coach Mark Alleyne, a successful former captain and coach with Gloucestershire, with Alleyne handing a debut to 19 year old ex-Academy all-rounder Ben Kellaway.

After being put in, Gloucestershire lost three wickets with the score on 18, but recovered well in the middle of the innings with Charlesworth's runs coming off just 39 balls.

There was support from Oli Price (37) and Graeme van Buuren (32 not out off 19), but Douthwaite took three wickets in four balls in the 19th over.

Like Gloucestershire, Glamorgan lost a couple of cheap early wickets before Kiran Carlson (35 off 20) and Ingram got them motoring to 61-2 in the powerplay overs as the home side looked short on seam options.

The game looked in the bag for Glamorgan at 121-3, but a series of brilliant catches and batting nerves saw them slip to 149-8 as Jack Taylor mixed his two experienced seamers, Payne and Matt Taylor (2-21) with a range of spinners.

After Zafar Gohar's fine catch to get rid of Carlson, Oli Price took a remarkable return catch to dismiss Chris Cooke (25), Charlesworth took a difficult one over his shoulder as Ingram top-edged a sweep, and Chris Dent claimed the wicket of Dan Douthwaite with a stunning full-length effort at long-off.

But number 10 Ruaidhri Smith, who had just re-signed for the county after being released following a series of injuries, hammered a six off the last ball of the 19th over, the ball after a marginal wide.

Then Timm van der Gugten (21 off 12) picked up the first ball of the 20th over mid-wicket to win the game back again for the visitors, despite Gloucestershire's fighting effort in the closing stages.

Glamorgan are away to Somerset on Sunday 28 May, with Gloucestershire away to Middlesex the following day.

Glamorgan batter Colin Ingram told BBC Sport Wales:

"It was great to spend some time in the middle, I'd like to have been out there near the end, but Timm and Ruaidhri played some big shots under pressure and we've come away with the win.

"I was pretty nervous (watching the end), we were shaking the rust off in our first outing and there were clearly a few mistakes but there was some really exciting stuff as well so hopefully we'll be more polished in our next game."

Glamorgan all-rounder Dan Douthwaite:

"Just about avoided a heart attack, but we were incredibly set up by Colin, Kiran and Chris in the middle overs which should have made things easier at the back end, hopefully we can put that right in chases like that.

"I'll take the career-best and say it was my blueprint although I just missed my yorker on each occasion!

"Whatever contribution I can have at the back end of the innings towards keeping the total down, I'll take. Bowling at the death is new to me but something I enjoyed tonight."

Gloucestershire fast bowler David Payne:

"Loads of positives, Ben Charlesworth and Oli Price's partnership, for two quite young, inexperienced guys in T20 cricket to put us in a position to fight like we did was really pleasing.

"Then from a position where they needed six an over, to take it down to the last over shows the character of the dressing-room.

"The boys are disappointed but when you reflect on it, they're going to be proud of a lot of that performance.

"It was nice to get my first wicket, it drops the nerves and you roll back into old surroundings and get used to it, so nice to put in a performance."