Big-hitting batsmen put on a show at the KGV

CLEAN hitting was the order of the day as Glamorgan Dragons defeated Gloucestershire Gladiators in the Lord's Taverners Barclays Twenty20+ Challenge. Sixes were smashed to all parts of the KGV as spectators were regularly watching the white leather ball flying over their heads, giving local umpires Andy Bisson and Martin Gray plenty of arm-raising exercise.

'You found out today that a lot of players strike the ball well,' said Glamorgan captain David Hemp.

'You did not necessarily see both sides' top batsmen in full flow, but the usual tail-enders showed that they too are good strikers of a cricket ball.'

Hemp lost the toss at the start of the day and his Gladiators counterpart, Alex Gidman, decided to bat.

With threatening clouds hovering around the KGV, the teams were told that should prolonged rain set in, the result of the morning's Twenty20 would stand.

However, despite one heavy downpour during the Glamorgan first innings, both Twenty20s were completed and the outcome decided on run aggregate.

Ian Fisher and Craig Spearman started out as everyone meant to go on, with some crisp strokeplay as the ball was crashed to the boundary time after time.

Spearman, the former New Zealand Test opener, finished as his side's top scorer in their first innings of 167 with 36, although there were similarly entertaining contributions from Matt Windows and Gidman.

At the start of the Glamorgan reply, Carl Greenidge claimed a couple of early wickets but the Welsh side stabilised through Richard Grant and the impressive Michael Powell, who was once called up to the England one-day squad as cover for an injured Marcus Trescothick.

With others chipping in down the order, including Hemp who dispatched a couple of large sixes of his own, Glamorgan surpassed their opponents' total with a single on the final ball of their first 20 overs.

Greenidge, son of West Indies legend Gordon, then got Gloucestershire off to a flyer in their second innings after lunch with a quickfire 61.

Windows contributed once more with 39 in a partnership of 93 with the opener but when they fell in quick succession, the innings stuttered badly as the Gladiators went from 125 for one to 131 for seven. Mike O'Shea collected day-best figures of three for seven with his off-spin.

Will Rudge got Gloucestershire up to a competitive score with a useful 19 as Glamorgan were set 162 for victory.

Richard Grant and man-of-the-match David Harrison got them off to the ideal start with an opening stand of 93 and although Vikram Banerjee - no relation of Guernsey star Ami - struck three times late on, Powell saw his side home.

'It's been a couple of difficult seasons for us so it is nice to come here on a very socialable trip, have a bit of fun and play some enjoyable cricket,' Hemp said.

'It's so fast, the batters have to be aggressive, the bowlers need to be tight and the fielding skills have to be sharp.

'One over can cost you the game and you can find out about certain players very quickly - it is a great indicator.'