Carlson ton in vain for Glamorgan as youthful Hants dominate
Kiran Carlson's brilliant 135 for Glamorgan was a career-best
- Published
Metro Bank One Day Cup Men, The Gnoll, Neath
Hampshire Hawks 324-6 (50 overs): Gubbins 144*, Mayes 74; Leonard 3-54
Glamorgan 252 (39.5 overs): Carlson 135; Lumsden 3-64
Hampshire beat Glamorgan by 72 runs
One Day Cup holders Glamorgan crashed to an opening 72-run defeat against Hampshire as the visitors' teenage stars shone.
Chasing 325 to win, Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson hit a brilliant career-best 135 but Glamorgan were bowled out for 252 in the 40th over.
Hampshire's 17-year-old debutant Ben Mayes blasted 74 off 55 balls while captain Nick Gubbins spearheaded his side's batting efforts with a well-paced innings of 144 not out off 147 balls in their 324-6.
The visitors smashed 129 off the final 10 overs to set a testing target, Ned Leonard the most successful bowler with 3-54.
Hampshire's three teenage pace bowlers, including 16-year-old Manny Lumsden, took four wickets in the first 12 overs to leave Glamorgan on the back foot and the champions never recovered despite Carlson's spectacular efforts.
Glamorgan, making six changes from the Championship, gave a debut to 18-year-old spinner Romano Franco, while experienced seamer James Harris played his first senior limited-overs game in three years.
Hampshire, with more extensive Hundred calls, had wicket-keeper Mayes, spinner Andrew Neal and seamer Lumsden making their first senior appearances.
Ali Orr and Gubbins gave Hampshire a useful start with 68 inside 14 overs despite a tight spell from Harris, who had Gubbins dropped at slip by Carlson early on.
Orr (45 off 44) hit Ned Leonard's first ball for six but then drove him to Carlson at cover, and Indian international Tilak Varma lasted just three balls before edging Leonard to slip.
Gubbins held the innings together and found a willing fifth-wicket partner in England Under-19 star Mayes who played a wide range of shots from the off.
He cleared the ropes four times in a remarkably confident debut before holing out off Leonard, but Gubbins accelerated in the closing stages, also finishing with four sixes in his career-best score.
Felix Organ swung hard in a cameo of 32 off 14 balls as all Glamorgan's bowlers suffered in the closing stages, Harris the pick with 1-51 while Kiran Carlson took 1-22 off six.
Mayes, who bowled seam for England Under-19s a month before, was quickly in action with the wicket-keeping gloves as Asa Tribe (14) edged Eddie Jack behind, while Will Smale lobbed Dom Kelly to cover in the next over.
Pacy Basingstoke-born Lumsden conceded 23 in an erratic first over as Carlson hit three sixes, but he had Eddie Byrom caught at square leg for 29 off the ninth and last ball, and then saw Billy Root chipping the first ball of his next over to mid-wicket.
Alex Horton hit 35 off 26 balls before falling to Varma, leaving everything dependent on Carlson.
He responded with some huge blows to all parts of the Gnoll, finishing with 10 sixes and nine fours, but 19-year-olds Kelly and Jack returned to take wickets and Carlson eventually fell to Lumsden to make the visitors' victory secure.
Glamorgan host Derbyshire, also at Neath, on Thursday 7 August when Hampshire at home to Essex.
Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson told BBC Sport Wales:
"it's more bitter (than sweet) because I never like losing, nice to score some runs but unfortunately I couldn't get us over the line.
"I got one (six) away early and from there it was trying to see the ball and hit it, I chanced my arm a bit but hopefully it's a sign of things to come for the tournament.
"Chasing over 300, if you lose wickets throughout it's really hard to drag it back and they bowled nicely to put pressure on.
"Our bowling was very good in patches, and not quite there in patches, in the field as well with myself and a couple of others dropping catches. It's the first game of the competition and we're not far off, so I back the boys to do a job Thursday."
Hampshire captain Nick Gubbins told BBC Sport Wales:
"It was a really good game of cricket, the crowd got their money's worth with close to 600 runs and lots of sixes, and nice for us to get the points on the board.
"With a bit of rain yesterday and being a club ground, there was a bit of nip early and they bowled well, Ali Orr got us going but the innings really changed when Ben Mayes came out, he played beautifully with some special shots for a 17 year old on debut.
"I managed to slog a few away at the end, if one of the top five can bat through then it helps you set up a big score so I was looking to build partnerships and tap a few myself at the end.
"(Our young seamers) ran in and bowled their hearts out, Manny Lumsden has seriously exciting pace at 16 though Kiran Carlson played a ridiculous innings.
"Hampshire have a rich history of producing cricketers and this is the next crop coming through."