Jack Taylor leads Gloucestershire to record win over Glamorgan

Jack Taylor smashed a brilliant unbeaten 80 as Gloucestershire beat Glamorgan by 121 runs in a one-sided Vitality Blast encounter at Cheltenham.

Leading by example, the captain’s 35-ball onslaught featured seven sixes and four fours to lift his side to 206 for six before they bowled Glamorgan out for 85 for their record T20 winning margin.

Glamorgan’s Timm van der Gugten opened up with a wicket maiden, Miles Hammond driving the fourth delivery straight to mid-on, but James Bracey and Cameron Bancroft wasted no time in changing the mood with a stand of 64 in six overs.

Bancroft took Jamie McIlroy for 23 runs in an over and Bracey hoisted Van der Gugten high over cow corner for six before Andy Gorvin afforded the visitors much-needed relief, having Bracey held at long-on in the seventh for 31 and then removing Bancroft for 44 as Gloucestershire reached halfway on 92 for three.

Taylor hit the ground running with two boundaries off Mason Crane and smashed Gorvin for six over mid-wicket. Beau Webster accelerated at the other end with three fours off Van der Gugten and Taylor hit Crane down the ground for six to bring up the 50 partnership in 31 balls.

Dan Douthwaite had Webster caught behind for 33, Marnus Labuschagne accounted for Ben Charlesworth and Ollie Price fell to Gorvin, who finished with three for 26.

Exhilarating

But Taylor kept his foot to the floor, raising an exhilarating 24-ball 50 by smiting McIlroy for six over long-off and taking 19 off the final over to further spoil Douthwaite’s figures.

David Payne dismissed Will Smale and Kiran Carlson in the space of three deliveries to reduce Glamorgan to nine for two. Josh Shaw then had Tom Bevan held at short third man and Matt Taylor took a return catch to send back Labuschagne as they slipped to 18 for four.

Slow left-armer Tom Smith removed Chris Cooke and Colin Ingram in quick succession and Van der Gugten fell lbw to Webster as the visitors lurched to 48 for seven.

Douthwaite became the seventh batsman to be out in single figures when he hoisted Shaw (two for seven) to deep mid-wicket, Payne returned to remove Gorvin and finish with three for seven, and Smith (three for 33) wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Crane.