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Glamorgan Dragons win season finale against Gloucestershire Gladiators
David Piesing
The 2006 Guernsey season ended on Saturday 30th September with the annual Lord's Taverners Barclays Twenty20+ Challenge at KGV in front of an estimated total crowd of around 800 to 1,000 people. This year saw strong sides from Glamorgan and Gloucestershire play a two-innings Twenty20 game on the grass wicket and Glamorgan were the winners by 6 wickets with 5 balls to spare.
Gloucestershire Gladiators' skipper Alex Gidman won the toss and elected to bat first, and his side responded by making 167 for 5 in their first 20-over innings. Kiwi Craig Spearman top scored with 36, while Gidman (35) and beneficiary Matt Windows (34) also chipped in with useful scores. The best bowling performances came from David Harrison (1 for 22 off 4 overs), Dean Cosker (also 1 for 22 off 4 overs) and former England off-spinner Robert Croft (1 for 25 off 4 overs).
In reply, Glamorgan made 168 for 7 in their first innings. Michael Powell led the way with 39 while Richard Grant made 32. Carl Greenidge took 3 for 28 from his 4 overs and Vikram Banerjee took 2 for 29 from his 4 overs.
With a heavy shower half-way through the Glamorgan innings, the match rules dictated that if the second innings was not able to be completed then the team leading at the end of the first innings would win the trophy and come back next year to defend the trophy against Worcestershire. Glamorgan therefore held the edge going into the second innings, even if by only one run, but as it happened the sun shone for the rest of the afternoon.
In the second innings, Gloucestershire opener Greenidge made a quickfire 61 while Windows made 39 in his very last innings for Gloucestershire after a successful 14 years with the county. Off-spinner Mike O'Shea returned the impressive figures of 3 for 7 from 2 overs which threatened to derail the Gloucestershire innings before Will Rudge scored a quick unbeaten 19 to take the Gladiators to a final score of 162 for 8.
With Glamorgan needing exactly 162 to win, their openers Grant and Harrison got them off to a fine start with an opening stand of 93. Banerjee came on to remove Grant (48), Mark Wallace (0) and Wright (2) but man of the match Harrison took his side to the brink of victory with 61 before being bowled by Steve Kirby. Powell (32 not out) then saw his side home with 5 balls to spare.
More than £22,000 was raised in the tent by the Lord's Taverners for the activities of the local region, and two days earlier Matt Windows was the deserving beneficiary of a corporate 6-a-side cricket tournament and a very well-supported dinner, also run by the Lord's Taverners.
Next year, in keeping with tradition, the cricket beneficiary will be the yet-to-be-announced Glamorgan beneficiary for 2007. The attraction of coming back as the cricket beneficiary of the annual weekend's events makes winning the match all the more important to the players.
The KGV groundsman was very grateful for the dry weather. The end of season work on the square by local curator Alan Hamilton and UK pitch expert Simon Tremlin started even before the trophy presentation had been completed !
© Guernsey Cricket Board
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