Sussex Sharks 173 (20 overs)
Gloucestershire 93 (13.3 overs)
Sussex Sharks won by 80 runs
Sussex Sharks made it two wins out of two in the Vitality Blast when they marked their first home fixture with victory over Gloucestershire by 80 runs.
But after their success last season it has been a disappointing start to the new campaign by Gloucestershire who were beaten by just four runs in their high-scoring opener against Kent.
They needed 174 for victory here but were bundled out for 93, with only three batsmen making double figures.
After making a bright start to their chase, Gloucestershire soon ran into trouble. Ollie Robinson sent Cameron Bancroft’s off-stump cartwheeling to make it 19-1 and when D’Arcy Short was caught on the deep backward-square boundary they had lost both their Australian overseas players inside the first four overs.
Miles Hammond then pulled a short ball from Tymal Mills to mid-wicket and one run later Jack Taylor had his off-stump pegged back by the first delivery of the match from James Coles.
It was 49-5 when Ben Charlesworth lofted Jack Carson to long-on. Carson had been brought into the team to counter the high number of left-handers in the Gloucestershire team.
The dangerous James Bracey was still there but he couldn’t find anyone to hang around with him. It was 50-6 when Ollie Price, reverse sweeping, was caught behind off Carson and then Matt Taylor was stumped as he went down the wicket to Coles.
David Payne had his middle stump plucked out by Mills to make it 88-8, Aman Rao was caught at mid-on to give Nathan McAndrew a wicket and finally Tom Smith was caught at midwicket to give Mills his third.
Earlier, the Sussex innings had been built around a fine fourth-wicket stand of 105 in 10 overs by Tom Alsop and the in-form Coles before a collapse saw them lose their last seven wickets for 25 runs.
Daniel Hughes looked in prime form on a true pitch, with a rapid outfield, and muscled six fours in his 19-ball 34 to give the home side some early impetus.
But he was caught in two minds over his shot selection and tamely lofted Price – who had already bowled Harrison Ward – to mid-off.
Gloucestershire made it two wickets in two balls when John Simpson sliced his lofted drive against Matt Taylor and watched in horror as Hammond pulled off a sensational one-handed diving catch to make Sussex 43-3 in the sixth over.
But then Alsop (58 off 35, with six fours and two sixes) and Coles (43 off 27, with four sixes) pulled the match towards their side.
They set their tone when they each hit a six off the 11th over bowled by Tom Smith, which cost 17 runs.
The 100 partnership came up in the 15th over. But from 148-3 at 15.1, when Sussex fancied a total in excess of 200, their innings perished before steady Gloucestershire bowling backed up by an outstanding fielding outfit.
David Payne and Matt Taylor took three wickets apiece. But Sussex had already made enough.
Sussex top scorer Tom Alsop said: “It was a good performance. We used the momentum from Lord’s.
“We were going to bat before we lost the toss. We didn’t get off to the best of starts. And we felt we may have been a few short.
“But that almost helped our bowlers. We knew we had to be brave with the ball and execute – and that’s what we did.
“Both me and James (Coles) thought it was a good pitch but a few of the others thought there was a bit in it. But the bowlers did an outstanding job.”
Gloucestershire bowler David Payne, who took three for 24 in four overs, said: “We were pretty pleased at the halfway stage because it looked at one stage as if they would get 200 or 220.
“We dragged it back pretty well and we thought 170 was pretty gettable, pretty par on that pitch, with that outfield.
“But we didn’t quite get it right. We weren’t quite as sharp with the bat as we could have been. There was some swing and possibly our slower balls held a bit with the old ball.
“Generally, we thought it was a good pitch with a fast outfield. But we couldn’t afford to sit in because we needed nine an over. But we lost a few early games last season.”
Earlier, the women’s side also beat Gloucetsershire – by a margin of 27 runs, having made 148-2 in 20 overs. The visitors manage 121-4 in reply from their 20 overs.
Sussex opener Rachel King hit an unbeaten 68 off 54 balls, including nine fours, supported by fellow opener Izzy Collis as well as Nancy Harman and skipper Chiara Green.
Kali-Ann Docherty dispatched Prarthana Reddy for one in the second over and Becca Halliday was caught for three by Collis off the bowling of Green in the fifth over.
Gloucestershire staged a mini-recovery from 28-2 but any realistic hope of overhauling their target was dented in the 12th and 13th overs.
Sussex wicketkeeper Mollie Adams stumped Izzy Patel off the bowling of Ava Lee. With 31 (24 balls including four fours), only Jess Hazell scored more.
The visitors were 66-3 and in the next over they were 68-4 as Emily Geach went for a duck, clean bowled by Green.
Despite the best efforts of Melissa Story, who hit an unbeaten 27 off 24 balls, including three fours, in 25 minutes, in a partnership of 53 with Hazell, they couldn’t make the run rate.
The Sussex bowlers mostly kept it tight, with Green taking two for 19 in her four overs, on top of her unbeaten 25 with the bat.
