Glamorgan chalk up another win after beating Essex

Glamorgan made it back-to-back Vitality Blast wins with a 26-run victory over Essex in Cardiff.

Having been put in to bat, Glamorgan made 182 for eight as Colin Ingram top-scored with 47, with Marnus Labuschagne and Chris Cooke providing support to set Essex a stiff target.

An excellent 83-run stand between Adam Rossington and Paul Walter looked to be taking Essex to victory before Labuschagne and Mason Crane choked the life out of the chase to give Glamorgan the win.

The visitors were dismissed for 156 with Walter making 53 off 33 deliveries.

Openers

Both Glamorgan openers fell early with Will Smale top-edging a sweep off Simon Harmer and Kiran Carlson was dismissed when he edged a ball from Ben Allison.

A stand of 49 between Tom Bevan and Labuschagne helped Glamorgan recover but the former departed when he nicked Matt Critchley to Rossington for 23.

Labuschagne made 30 from 26 balls before he missed a sweep and was bowled by Critchley.

Ingram and Cooke combined for the highest stand of the Glamorgan innings, scoring 67 for the fourth wicket.

Ingram was the highest scorer but Cooke was the most destructive, scoring 38 from just 18 balls, with both falling in the pursuit of quick runs at the death.

The Essex innings started with Timm van der Gugten claiming three early wickets to leave the visitors 27 for three, trapping Dean Elgar lbw, bowling Michael Pepper and having Robin Das caught behind.

The target seemed a long way away at that point but a brilliant partnership between Rossington and Walter brought Essex back into the game.

Walter was dismissed by Dan Douthwaite and Rossington fell in the next over, skying an attempted sweep off Labuschagne’s leg-spin and caught by the bowler for 41 to leave Essex 113 for five.

From there Crane and Labuschagne strangled the Essex middle order, combining for eight overs for 48 runs and claiming five wickets between them.