Glamorgan beat Gloucestershire by 192 runs after captains’ deal

Andy Gorvin took three top-order wickets to set up Glamorgan’s victory bid

Vitality County Championship Division Two, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (day three)

Glamorgan 381-4 dec: Cooke 101*, Ingram 84, Tribe 70, Northeast 64*; M Taylor 3-71 & innings forfeited

Gloucestershire innings forfeited & 189: Phillips 64; Gorvin 3-22, Kellaway 3-24

Glamorgan (19 pts) beat Gloucestershire (1 pt) by 192 runs

Match scorecard

Glamorgan won only their second Championship match of the season, beating Gloucestershire by 192 runs after a rare double forfeiture of innings.

Chasing 382 to win, the visitors were bowled out for 189 with Andy Gorvin taking 3-22 and Ben Kellaway 3-24.

Opener Joe Phillips hit 64 and James Bracey was last out for 49, but Glamorgan sealed the win with 18.1 overs to spare.

The result takes Glamorgan above Gloucestershire to finish sixth in division two, but reflected well on both teams’ desire to avoid a bore-draw.

The captains’ agreement to pursue a positive result came with day one washed out and a poor weather forecast for day four, with Gloucestershire left a possible 82 overs to face on day three.

Chris Cooke hit an unbeaten century and Sam Northeast passed 1,000 Championship runs for the season as Glamorgan declared on 381-4 early on the third day.

Resuming on 283-4, the overnight pair accumulated gently as Zafar Gohar bowled 31 overs unchanged.

Northeast reached a careful first 50 of the four-day season on home territory, then passed 1,000 runs for a campaign which he began with a ground record 335 not out at Lord’s.

Cooke smashed successive sixes off Ollie Price to reach three figures off 121 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes, and the Glamorgan pair promptly marched off in mid-over.

The target of 382 required the visitors to score at 4.65 an over if they were to win on the day, but Somerset loanee Ned Leonard had Chris Dent caught at slip and Phillips dropped at slip early on, while Gorvin bowled Ollie Price for an obdurate 13.

Phillips made the most of his reprieve with his second Championship half-century, and Miles Hammond made a sparky start, but mis-hooked Leonard to deep square leg for 20.

Gorvin got Phillips with a ball that nipped back and kept low, and although James Bracey was dropped before scoring off Leonard, Glamorgan kept on chipping away with Gorvin inducing Graeme van Buuren (9) to play on.

Gloucestershire could not get a lengthy partnership together to take play into the final day as Timm van der Gugten (2-44) and Kellaway finished off the lower order, Kellaway bowling Bracey to seal the result in the evening sunshine.

Glamorgan were without captain Sam Northeast for the final stages as he went to hospital for treatment on a hand injury, with vice-captain Kiran Carlson taking over the reins.

Glamorgan coach Grant Bradburn told BBC Sport Wales:

“It was obvious what the game was demanding, we lost a lot of time in the first two days and we had two teams eager to play some cricket, so I’m pleased to finish the season on a high.

“I’m very happy for Chris Cooke who’s had a tough year, up and down, he’s had a big year with his testimonial and it was so nice to see him playing with freedom, and also Sam passing 1,000 runs was a significant milestone in a monumental season.

“We bowled with a lot of discipline and it was nice to finish in a way that we want to take this format forward. We know we’ve got the skills to compete in this competition and to win it, so we’ll reflect on the things we need to sharpen.

”I’m very pleased with the final week (winning the One Day Cup), for everyone at the club to have something to be proud of and to aspire to greater things.”

Gloucestershire coach Mark Alleyne told BBC Sport Wales:

“We lost by (nearly) 200 runs so it wasn’t that great a contest for us, we were hoping to be more entertaining and make more of a competitive game of it, but we fell well short.

“It was a whole game problem, we didn’t bowl that well, we didn’t catch well, it wasn’t just a batting problem because all three skillsets were lacking in this game and we were quite comfortably second.

“Overall there’ve been a lot of gains made, not reflected in the position in the championship table, but a lot of individuals have had their best seasons so a lot of things are moving in the right direction. I felt we were good enough to be in the top two so I’m disappointed we didn’t challenge in the last three games.

“I’m particularly pleased with the T20 trophy, to be the best in that is a special feeling and I mentioned to the players that moment can never be taken away, they must enjoy it.”