Clydesdale Bank 40: Alex Gidman leads Gloucestershire to 9-wicket win
Gloucestershire’s skipper Ales Gidman struck his maiden ton of the season in the Clydesdale Bank 40 tournament. Moreover, the captain kept his teams’ hopes alive of making it to the semi-final of the tournament with an impressive 9-wicket win over Netherlands at County Ground, Bristol on Monday.
A competitive yet gettable Dutch total of 191 runs amassed from the allotted 40 overs was easily chased by Gloucestershire with the loss of only one wicket in the 37th over. The target was chased down after a second wicket partnership shared between skipper Alex Gidman and James Franklin. The only wicket lost by Gloucestershire was of William Porterfield who scored a first ball duck on the opening delivery of the run chase.
Netherlands, indebted to Michael Dighton’s half century, mustered 191 runs before their last man was also sent back to the pavilion on the penultimate ball of the Dutch innings. Michael Dighton’s 51 runs from 55 deliveries was followed by wicketkeeper batsman Wesley Barresi’s 39 off 55 including two boundaries as well. The remaining team succumbed for scores below 25 and five of the players fell for single digit scores. David Payne claimed three scalps while http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Steve-Kirby-c2577, Ed Young and Alex Gidman shared two wickets each.
Dutch skipper Peter Borren opted to bat first after winning the toss. Borren’s decision was well supported by the top order as the first five wickets earned Netherlands 145 runs from 34 overs while the side lost its last five wickets in almost six overs for only 45 runs. The opening pair of Eric Szwarczynski and Wilfred Diepeveen laid down a dawdling but respectable foundation of 41 runs from 12 overs. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/David-Payne-c1336 halted the 41-run opening stand on the last ball of the 12th over when he bowled Szwarczynski. The departing opener scored 18 runs from 38 balls hitting three boundaries as well. Two overs later, Diepeveen followed his opening partner, leaving the side at 47 for 2 on the board. Wilfred Diepeveen was bowled by Ed Young after scoring 23 runs from 45 balls.
Diepeveen’s departure took wicketkeeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wesley-Barresi-c96487 to the crease and in partnership with Michael Dighton; the pair played a flurry of beautiful shots to drag the side towards a respectable score. The pair scripted the most productive stand of the match, one that put Netherlands firmly on course to a competitive score. In the meanwhile, Michael Dighton brought up his fifty but failed to capitalize on it. Gloucestershire’s bowlers had to wait for 16 overs for the next success.
The three digit stand reached an end when Michael Dighton squandered his wicket carelessly. Fluent Dighton, after scoring 51 runs off 55 balls, was run out on skipper Gidman’s throw, leaving Netherlands at 132 for 3 on the board and the downhill started from there. Netherlands lost its four wickets in just four overs for 23 runs. Skipper Alex Gidman bowled keeper Barresi in the 33rd over, Bas Zuiderent was trapped leg before by Young in the 34th over while de Grooth was bowled by Gidman in the 35th over as the Dutch were reeling at 155 for 6 in the 35th over after they were 131 for 2 in the 31st over. The whole team of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Netherlands-c753 was bowled out on the second last ball of the allotted 40 overs after scoring 191 runs.
In reply, Gloucestershire, despite losing opener William Porterfield on the opening ball of the innings for a duck, found match winners in the form of Alex Gidman and James Franklin. Both the partners shared a match winning 192-run stand for the second wicket partnership as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Alex-Gidman-c984 followed his 2 for 23 with his first century of the season while James Franklin scored 77 runs from 103 balls. The only wicket to fall was that of Irish skipper William Porterfield which was picked by Berend Westdijk.
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