Gidman stars in three-wicket win

Gloucestershire 198 for 7 (Gidman 63, Harris 3-39) beat Glamorgan 197 for 8 (Walters 79, Lewis 4-41) by three wickets
Scorecard

Skipper Alex Gidman led from the front as Gloucestershire made a successful start in the Clydesdale Bank 40 with a three-wicket win over Glamorgan at Bristol. The Dragons were able to post only 197 for 8 after winning the toss, Stewart Walters top-scoring with 79 off 98 balls and Jon Lewis taking four for 41.

Such a target never looked likely to trouble the Gladiators once Gidman (63) and Hamish Marshall (55) had shared a second-wicket stand of 117 and they got home with 15 balls to spare. James Harris took 3 for 39.

Glamorgan failed to gain any early momentum to their innings as the wily Lewis pinned opener Gareth Rees lbw with a ball that nipped back and then bowled Mike O'Shea for five in an opening four-over spell of 2 for 15. James Fuller had Alviro Petersen superbly caught at full stretch above his head by Ian Cockbain at second slip off a flashing drive and at 21 for 3 the visitors had to show caution.

Ben Wright (25) helped Walters take the score to 87 before being bowled giving left-arm spinner Ed Young the charge and it was 110 for 5 when Mark Wallace was unluckily run out at the non-striker's end as Young got a touch to a Walters straight drive.

Walters, who had reached his half-century off 77 balls, produced the first six of the innings with a pull off Fuller in the 32nd over before Graham Wagg was bowled by Lewis for 14. David Payne was slog-swept by Walters for a second six, before Glamorgan's top scorer got a thick edge to Lewis which sent the ball spiralling up to Young at short third-man.

Young conceded only 24 runs from his eight overs and was backed up by some excellent Gloucestershire ground fielding.

The home side suffered an early setback when Cockbain was adjudged lbw to Harris for four, despite the ball looking to strike him rather high. But Gidman and Marshall played with great fluency to both reach their half-centuries in the 18th over. Gidman's occupied 58 balls and featured five fours, while Marshall's came off 43 deliveries, with six boundaries.

There was a wobble from 122 for 1 to 146 for 5 as the pair perished and were joined back in the pavilion by Chris Taylor and Jon Batty, but Gloucestershire always had plenty of overs in hand. Young (32 not out) saw them safely to victory.