Glamorgan vs Sussex Sharks

By Blake Bint, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

Glamorgan’s youthful pair of Jack Hope-Bell and Alex Horton produced match-winning centuries in their opening game of the Metro Bank One-Day cup men’s competition over Sussex Sharks at Neath.

Nineteen-year-old Hope-Bell on professional debut, and 22-year-old Alex Horton, with a previous best of 44 not out recovered from 54 for 5 to give Glamorgan a 12-run win with a 240-run record-breaking stand.

Dan Douthwaite followed up with 4 for 54 to negate Jack Carson and Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s fighting century partnership in pursuit of Glamorgan’s 295 for 8 and the latter’s 5 for 62 in an excellent showing of experience.

With 11 missing to The Hundred combined between the two sides, four debutants were handed out including to Ollie Kirtley, son of former England and Sussex bowler James.

It was the Sharks’ most senior bowler – Hudson-Prentice – who did the early damage with two wickets leaving the young debutants to wait their turn. Callum Nicholls’ sprightly start to a Glamorgan career ended on 13, edging behind the experienced seamer after getting off the mark with a cover drive and pulling a four pleasantly in front of square a sign of a sluggish pitch early on.

The pitch bettered as the innings went on; once Hope-Bell had reached 30, he showed the rewards that could be reaped by sticking around and weathering the storm. He found gaps simplistically, backfoot punches and leg-glances through mid-wicket the nucleus of his century knock.

Horton was unfamiliar, spending the first 70 balls of his innings scoring at a sub-50 strike rate showing maturity previously unbeknownst to the 22-year-old T20 prospect.

Despite pressure added with Tom Price at the other end withholding Glamorgan to 16 runs from five overs at a settled period, Horton and Hope-Bell showed experience beyond their years to occupy the crease.

Horton dropped by Dom Goodman on 63 at long-off would be rued as the pair never let up until the final over. The stand coming to an end but not before adding 106 in the final 10 overs.

Timm van der Gugten was instantly able to take the momentum from the backend of Glamorgan’s innings into the bowling display; Charlie Tear edged to second slip for six, including a freakish five scored via overthrows.

George Thomas was able to occupy the crease but struggled to score as Price was much more fluid in his new role at number three for a first half-century in the List A cricket.

Hudson-Prentice and Carson, coming together at 106 for 5 requiring eight-an-over, kept the run chase alive with an all-important partnership – the pair took young spinner Romano Franco for two sixes each to force Glamorgan bowling rotations before the teenager would later remove Hudson-Prentice.

The hosts would be grateful not to live to regret three dropped catches and once Carson was removed in the penultimate over, Andy Gorvin was left with 20 to defend bowling the final over in his first game as captain.