REPORT BY: ROB COLE

GLAMORGAN safely booked a home semi-final slot in the Metro Bank One Day Cup as they made it six wins out of eight to top Group B with a 62-run victory over the Yorkshire Vikings on Wednesday evening.

The champions in 2021, Glamorgan had already booked a play-off spot before the final round of games but now happily miss out on a quarter-final game on Friday.

A solid 66 from former Yorkshire player Billy Root against his brother Joe’s county was the centre piece in the Welsh side’s total of 230/9 in a game reduced to 47 overs after early rain.

His 56 run partnership with Timm van der Gougten for the ninth wicket proved crucial in hauling the home side through the 200 run mark.

The Yorkshire spin attack of Dom Bess and Dan Moriarty tied down the Glamorgan batters with a spell of 20 overs between them that cost only 94 runs. Moriarty ended up with 3-47 from his 10 overs.

Van der Gougten ended on an unbeaten 34, which included a six and three fours, and then gave Glamorgan the perfect start with a wicket with the first ball of the Yorkshire reply, trapping Harry Duke lbw. He ended with 2/32 from his 10 overs to complete a good all round day.

The Vikings then lurched to 11/3 in seven overs as Noah Kelly and William Luxton were both clean bowled. Skipper Jonathan Tattersall provided some much needed stability with his 51, enjoying profitable stands of 46 with Yash Vagadia and 59 with Matt Revis as the Vikings improved to 116/5.

Then a burst of three wickets in 12 balls by Andy Gorvin in the 27th and 29th overs saw Revis (28), Tattersall (51) and George Hill (2) all depart to turn the game even more in favour of the Welsh county.

With the run rate rising to more than six per over, Bess hit out before he was caught by Dan Douthwaite for an enterprising 22. That gave spinner Ben Kellaway his second wicket - one with his left arm and the next with his right.

At 152/8 the Vikings were still 78 short of their total and needing to score at more than seven an over. Kellaway and Gorvin mopped up the tail as Yorkshire were all out for 168.

Tattersall won the toss and had no hesitation in asking Glamorgan to bat on an overcast morning. The start was delayed to 11.30am due to light rain and the match reduced to 47 overs.

Will Smale and Asa Tribe got off to a flying start for the home side with Smale taking 10 off Dom Leech’s first over. Tribe then sent Ben Cliff’s first ball crashing to the boundary at the other end.

But Cliff got his revenge in the sixth over when he removed both openers with his first and last balls. Smale was caught at mid on trying to hit him over the top for 16 and then Tribe was trapped lbw for nine.

That made it 28-2 and in his next over Cliff captured the dangerous Sam Northeast for seven as he was brilliantly caught one handed at slip by George Hill. That made it 40-3 and put the Group B table-toppers under considerable pressure.

Skipper Kiran Carlson and Colin Ingram brought up the 50 in the last over of the first power play with two coverside boundaries from Ingram. Hill struck in the next over to remove Ingram, caught behind by Tattersall for 18.

The partnership between Carlson and Ingram was worth 44 and his departure left Glamorgan on 84-4. Carlson was trapped lbw on 31 by Leech just after the 100 came up.

Root’s half century (56 balls, 3 4s) came up in the 41st over and he joined Timm van der Gugten in taking the score through 200 (43rd over).