Gul and Goodwin slay Dragons at Hove

Friends Life T20, Hove
Sussex Sharks 134-6 beat Glamorgan Dragons 132-8 by four wickets

The Sussex Sharks edged closer to a T20 quarter-final place with a four-wicket win completed with four balls to spare.

A brooding sky and just the faintest spots of rain set the scene for what proved to be mostly damp batting performances.

A rainbow could be seen briefly though as Murray Goodwin guided Sussex towards the modest target of 133, avenging the defeat of a fortnight ago.

The Glamorgan Dragons skipper Alviro Petersen won the toss, chose to bat and seven runs later found himself clean bowled by Chris Liddle.

He was swiftly followed by fellow opener Mark Cosgrove for 11, caught by Ollie Rayner to Chris Nash’s bowling.

Gareth Rees and Nick James weren’t too far behind, Matt Prior stumping the latter off a delivery from skipper Michael Yardy on his return to action.

Stewart Walters and Chris Cooke settled in for a partnership of 64 runs before Liddle again struck the wicket to remove Walters at 111 for 5.

Eight runs later Cooke – who struck five sixes – was also out, with Nash taking the catch from Umar Gul. Cooke’s 42 proved to be the evening’s top score.

Gul grabbed two more wickets as the Dragons’ wings were clipped, their tally limited to 132 for 8. Gul’s figures were 3-24 from three overs.

The Sharks’ reply started with a stutter as Ben Brown went for a duck and former New Zealand opener Lou Vincent managed just four runs.

Adam Jones’s next delivery claimed Prior’s wicket and one run later his replacement, Yardy, became the second Sussex batsman of the evening to be dispatched for a duck.

The outlook may have seemed gloomy at 32 for 4 but Goodwin and Nash added 58 with Joe Gatting putting on 20 more.

Then Rayner, who took the first catch of the match, struck a boundary to bring proceedings to a triumphant close for the Sharks.

Tomorrow (Friday 8 July) the Sharks face the Kent Spitfires in Canterbury.