Glamorgan edge to one-wicket win over Sussex

Timm van der Gugten bowled five maidens in a key spell for Glamorgan

Sussex 200 (47.2 ov): Haines 44; Douthwaite 4-44, Van der Gugten 3-23

Glamorgan 203-9 (48.3 ov): Byrom 51, Root 48; Lenham 3-29, Ibrahim 3-34

Glamorgan (2 pts) won by one wicket

Scorecard

Glamorgan edged to a thrilling one-wicket win over Sussex after last pair Andy Gorvin and Jamie McIlroy came together with 14 still needed.

Eddie Byrom (51) and Billy Root (48) were Glamorgan’s main scorers in their 203 for nine.

Archie Lenham and Danial Ibrahim claimed three wickets each in the Sussex fightback.

Earlier the visitors were bowled out for just 200, Timm van der Gugten (3-23) and Dan Douthwaite (4-44) doing the damage.

It was Glamorgan’s fourth win from four and Sussex’s fourth defeat, but the depleted and youthful Sussex line-up came close to snatching a shock victory.

Sussex started slowly but a second-wicket stand of 59 between Tom Haines (44) and 19-year-old Henry Rogers (35) took them to 95 before the second wicket fell.

Douthwaite dismissed Haines, one of four victims for wicket-keeper Will Smale, to spark off a collapse from the inexperienced Sussex batting line-up against the Glamorgan seamers as five wickets fell for just 15.

Van der Gugten bowled five maidens in his 10 but Sussex recovered well largely thanks to Bertie Foreman (32) and Archie Lenham, last out for 31.

Byrom got Glamorgan off to a flier, dominating a stand of 65 for the first wicket with Will Smale.

But Byrom was caught behind down leg-side off Tom Clark, having faced just 46 balls, and Ibrahim hit the stumps twice in his first three balls to leave Glamorgan wobbling at 82-4 in the 15th over.

Key man Colin Ingram (11) fell to young spinner Bertie Foreman to leave the game in the balance, leaving Lenham to chip away at the lower order with a superb spell as Root battled to hold them together.

When Van der Gugten was caught for 17 off Lenham at 187-9, Sussex were favourites but the last pair kept their heads and McIlroy square-drove a boundary through point to win the match with nine balls to spare.

Glamorgan’s Timm van der Gugten told BBC Sport Wales:

“There were a few nerves on the balcony but we’ve got a lot of faith in our lower order and I’m really glad that Macca (McIlroy) and Gorv got us over the line with all the hard work they’ve put in.

“We needed about 60 to win with three wickets left and you would have said they (Sussex) were ahead of the game, they bowled really well.

“I’ve been happy with how I’ve bowled in the last three games, as a unit we’ve been clear on our roles, when, where and how we’re going to bowl.

“There’s quite a lot to do in the group, we’ve got three tough away games but ideally winning becomes a habit.”