Kent Spitfires Remain Unbeaten
Glamorgan (209 all out after 46.4 overs), lost to Kent (210 for four after 43.4 overs), by six wickets.
Ebullient Australian paceman Doug Bollinger equalled his career-best List A figures of five for 35 to ease Kent two points clear at the top of the Royal London One-Day Cup’s Group B with a comfortable six-wicket win over Glamorgan.
Bollinger’s bubbly bowling display helped dismiss Glamorgan for 209, after which the 33-year-old left-armer sat with his feet up on the players’ balcony at Canterbury to watch a successful Spitfires’ pursuit inspired by an unbeaten 62 from Darren Stevens that ensured a third win in four starts with 38 balls in hand.
Chasing 210 at an asking rate of 4.2 an over, Kent were handed an early slice of luck when Daniel Bell-Drummond edged to second slip where Jacques Rudolph dropped a sitter off Michael Hogan.
Bell-Drummond failed to capitalise, however, and edged low to first slip in Hogan’s next over to depart following a third umpire video replay decision.
Ben Harmison, a late selection after Brendan Nash suffered a side strain, and acting Kent skipper Sam Northeast took the safety first approach and had reached only 25 for one after the powerplay.
Harmison upped the tempo with a flurry of six boundaries that raised Kent’s 50 in the 15th over but, with his score on 43, he reached to sweep against Dean Cosker and toe-ended high to mid-wicket to make it 72 for two.
Northeast and Fabian Cowdrey hoisted Kent’s 100 after 23 overs but, with his score on 33, Northeast lost his off stump when making room to square cut against Cosker.
Stevens came in and made light of the pressure by taking a six and four in a wayward over of spin from Jacques Rudolph as the fourth-wicket reached their 50 stand in 9.5 overs.
On his way to a 47-ball 50, Stevens clubbed one from David Lloyd clean over long on to punch a hole in an advertising hording but, with the winning line in sight, Cowdrey (42) gifted Cosker a third wicket when he slogged to mid on.
Having elected to bat first on a slow pitch, Glamorgan made a slipshod start in stumbling to 40 for two by the end of the powerplay.
South Africa Test bat Rudolph (5) ran himself out attempting a single to Calum Haggett at mid-on, then Lloyd (7) pushed outside the line of a Mitchell Claydon off-cutter to depart lbw.
Will Bragg (30) drove on the up to offer a sharp return catch and a 100th List A career wicket to Stevens, then, in the next over, Jim Allenby (17) was superbly caught down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Sam Billings, stood-up to the stumps.
The Welsh re-grouped through veteran Murray Goodwin and Chris Cooke, who added 77 inside 18 overs, sparking Glamorgan’s decision to take their batting powerplay.
Two deliveries later, however, Goodwin (40) chopped on when trying to cut one too close against Bollinger, who, in his next over, ran one up the St Lawrence slope to peg back the middle stump of Mark Wallace (4) via an inside edge.
Cooke posted a sedate 50 from 80 balls with only one boundary, but celebrated with a hooked six that only served to rile Bollinger. The bowler made his feelings plain when Billings downed a diving catch off Graham Wagg, but collected a third scalp with his next delivery as Cooke holed out to long-on to exit for 73 from100 balls.
Stevens snared Andrew Salter (3) lbw leaving Bollinger to polish the innings off with 20 balls to spare by clipping Graham Wagg’s middle stump and then trimming Cosker’s off stump with a leg-cutter. Bollinger walked off waving the match ball to acknowledge the ovation for his five-wicket haul.
Afterwards, Kent's man-of-the-match Bollinger said: “It was a great night. The wicket was really good and I just came out, tried to bowl fast as I could and hit the wicket as hard as I could.
“The other guys bowled well around me and we fielded well, which kind of made it all up. With one-day cricket width is the key for batters, so I tried to bowl as straight as I could, restrict them to ones and keep the fours and sixes minimal. It’s a simple game made difficult by me!”
Bollinger added: “I’m really enjoying it here. The club’s great, the ground’s great and I’m having a lot of fun. It’d be nice to qualify for the quarter finals, well just try and get a couple more wins and see how we go from there.”
Disappointed Glamorgan skipper, Wallace, whose side have now lost two and won two from four starts, conceded his side were out-gunned on the day.
“We were pretty poor today. Kent played very well, Doug bowled outstandingly and we didn’t get enough runs.
“When you’re defending a low total you need to take early wickets and we couldn’t get them. We were well beaten in the end.”
Photograph by Sarah Ansell Photography