First-class county Gloucestershire beats Herefordshire 1st X1

13 Jun 2024   |   By Richard Prime

ALTHOUGH first-class county Gloucestershire twice beat National Counties Herefordshire in the T20 double-header ECB Showcase day at Eastnor, there was plenty for the home side to be optimistic about.

Gloucestershire won the two games by 48 and 52 runs respectively but two teenage Herefordshire batsmen, Daniyal Khan with 72 in the first match and Ollie Walker with 77 in the second, gave full rein to their talents.

Gloucestershire were invited to bat after losing the toss in the first match and quickly lost Miles Hammond to James Rudge (1-35).

But then former England Test player James Bracey (55) and Ollie Price (61) picked up the scoring rate before both fell to Herefordshire skipper Ben Chapman-Lilley (2-41).

The score continued to climb, however, despite good bowling by Walker (2-9), as the visiting middle order found and cleared the boundary with regularity to finish on 221-5.

Herefordshire quickly lost Walker in reply, but Khan found an excellent partner in Jujhar Johal as the pair added 84 for the second wicket.

Khan eventually fell after studding his 49-ball innings with seven fours and three sixes, but Herefordshire continued to battle to the end with Imaad Mahmood (30 not out) and Luke Tulacz (13) also contributing double-figure scores before the innings ended on 173-7.

Gloucestershire won the toss and chose to bat first in the second match with former Australia Test star Cameron Bancroft (37) and Tommy Boorman

(72) giving them an excellent platform by posting 92 for the first wicket.

Jack Taylor (35) and Ed Middleton (30 not out) also contributed well but Herefordshire persevered with the ball as Toby Cox (2-23), Mahmood

(1-10) and Charlie Williams (1-47) all collected wickets before the innings closed on 200-4.

Walker and Johal (16) got the Herefordshire innings under way with an opening stand of 44 with Harry Sockett (11) then helping Walker to add a further 36 before the second wicket fell.

Khan was again in good form in the second innings with an unbeaten 30 but even though Walker battered six sixes and five fours in his 62-ball innings, Herefordshire were never able to score sufficiently fast and finished on 148-3 after 20 overs.

On Sunday, Herefordshire travel to Whitchurch to take on Shropshire in their next NCCA 50-over competition group match, hoping to build on their impressive six-wicket win over Staffordshire at Eastnor last Sunday.

CAPTION: Herefordshire openers Jujhar Johal and Ollie Walker get the Herefordshire reply under way in the second match at Eastnor.