Glamorgan hang on to keep last-eight hopes alive

Glamorgan 179 for 7 (Wagg 53*, Hunn 3-30) beat Kent 178 for 8 (Denly 70, Hogan 3-40) by one run
Scorecard

Glamorgan kept their slim NatWest T20 Blast qualification hopes alive with a nerve-jangling one run win over South Group leaders Kent Spitfires in Tunbridge Wells.

With the hosts needing 15 off the final over to secure their sixth successive short-form win, Michael Hogan held his nerve to dismiss dangerman Darren Stevens to a running catch at long-off. Then, with three required off the final delivery, Calum Haggett was run out risking a second run to deep point that would have tied the game, leaving Glamorgan's squad to dance a celebratory jig on the square after stealing their seventh win in 13 starts.

Toby Radford, the delighted Glamorgan coach, said "We've shown that bit of fight in our cricket this season, be it T20 or championship, where we've faced adversity but ended up winning. Tonight was a perfect example of that.

"It's a massive game for us next Friday now, at home against Gloucestershire, and we'll hope we can do well then and that the other results go our way. That would be massive for the club to get to the knockout stages. We've played in patches in this generally, but Hogan and Wagg were superb for us tonight."

A disappointed Stevens questioned his side's tactics, saying: "I thought we should have sent Alex Blake in earlier than we did. He's won two or three games for us when chasing of late and there was a chance to send him in with six overs to go. For whatever reason, we didn't.

"We know we're through to the quarter finals and, after five wins on the spin, have to look at this as a wake-up call."

In pursuit of 180, Kent made a stunning start through Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly who raced to 50 within five overs. Playing an array of straight back-foot and front foot drives, Denly cantered to a stylish 27-ball 50.

Bell-Drummond chipped a low full-toss to long on and, with his score on a season's best 70, Denly followed suit to long off and stormed off feeling he had tossed his wicket away. He was the first of many.

Sam Northeast skied to the keeper, Sam Billings top edged a sweep and Fabian Cowdrey waltzed across his stumps to go leg before to heap pressure on the home tail.

Stevens threatened to reverse the trend with a couple of mighty blows, but ultimately it was Glamorgan who secured their first ever Twenty20 win over Kent.

Batting first after winning the toss, Glamorgan lost Colin Ingram in the second over of the night from Mitch Claydon when the left-hander chipped a catch to Northeast diving to his right at extra cover.

Jacques Rudolph and Ben Wright went on to add 52 in the powerplay overs before Rudolph departed for 37 off 35 balls. Aiming a heave over midwicket against Matt Hunn - on his T20 debut - the South African dragged the ball onto his stumps.

Wright was next to go, for 20, when he slog swept a low full-toss from James Tredwell to Matt Hunn at deep square leg then Craig Meschede miscued when attempting to force across the line to Cowdrey to slice a simple catch to Claydon at short third man.

Mark Wallace was bamboozled by a Hunn slow yorker and, after getting off the mark with a huge six out of the ground, Chris Cooke holed out to cow corner of Hunn's next delivery.

Wagg upped the tempo in the 18th over with two consecutive sixes off Calum Haggett, who won hasty revenge by bowling David Lloyd in the final over, only to leak two more maximums in his final four deliveries as Wagg posted a 28-ball 50 as Glamorgan set Kent an asking rate of nine an over.