By David Williams

Glamorgan hero Dan Douthwaite can’t wait for the Metro Bank One Day Cup Final at Trent Bridge next month, having missed out on the 2021 tournament victory.

Douthwaite turned into a matchwinner with both bat and ball as he guided Glamorgan towards a 39-run victory over Warwickshire at Sophia Gardens.

He scored 55 with the bat and then impressed with figures of two for 37, whilst also taking the catch that dismissed top scorer Michael Burgess.

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It was his lusty batting that first caught the eye as he hauled the home side through to a 50 over total of 247 for nine after they had earlier been floundering at 44 for four in the 15th over.

Douthwaite hit four sixes – one out of the ground and into the River Taff – in his sparkling 55, hitting 16 off the final over from Oliver Hannon-Dalby.

“Wickets aside, keeping them at bay throughout the middle of the game, when their run rate rose above eight per over, meant it was a matter of time before they chanced their arm,” said Douthwaite.

“Michael Burgess had us second guessing our tactics for a while, but we finished it off in the end. If you are going to be harsh on us then the challenge going into next month’s final will be can we clean sides up quicker, like we’ve seen sides do to us.

“We know how to play and win games here at Sophia Gardens. We know what a good score is and we thought we were there or thereabouts, and we know how to defend it.

“It was nice to turn up to play in a semi-final in front of a big crowd. Looking back to 2021, I was in The Hundred that year and I was only there watching my best mates.

“Even though this semi-final was probably my best memory in cricket, now I want to go one better and emulate what we did in 2021 by playing in the game. We’ve got nothing to lose.”

One-handed sixes, diving catches and big celebrations. Dan Douthwaite's got the lot.

55* off 35 balls with the bat, two crucial wickets and two crucial catches.

His performance led Glamorgan to the Metro Bank final! pic.twitter.com/n8ivJtLyhB

— Metro Bank One Day Cup (@onedaycup) August 18, 2024

Warwickshire skipper Ed Barnard – who took four for 34 with the ball – was naturally disappointed with the 39 run loss and missing out on a trip to Trent Bridge for the final.

“It did a little bit with the new ball and both teams lost a few early wickets, which makes the game tough,” said Barnard.

“Chasing a score like that never helps and we just didn’t play good enough cricket.

“It was a decent pitch and both teams bowled well early. To be 50 for four meant we were scrapping to chase that score.

“It’s disappointing not to get through to the final. We probably took our foot off the gas toward the back end of their innings and Dan Douthwaite hit the ball better than anyone on the day.

“We hoped to get them for around 200, but they got up to nearly 250 in the end, which was tough to chase.”

They'll miss 'em off me, and nick 'em off you.

Check out this perfect bowling from Warwickshire's Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Ed Barnard to leave Glamorgan 28-3 after the powerplay.

Barnard got all three. With Hannon-Dalby somehow going wicketless. pic.twitter.com/4wA7pgDuRq

— Metro Bank One Day Cup (@onedaycup) August 18, 2024

Prior to Douthwaite, Colin Ingram (47) and Billy Root (46) had steadied the innings.

Then, Douthwaite got into his bowling rhythm and removed Chris Benjamin and Kai Smith to catches at the wicket by Will Smaile as he reduced the visitors to 62 for six in reply in the 21st over.

They were eventually all out for 208.

Timm van der Gugten, who had earlier scored 26 with the bat, picked up the wickets of Rob Yates (4) and Will Rhodes (4), while fellow paceman Jamie McIlroy got rid of the dangerous Ed Barnard (14) and Hamza Shaikh (8).

Tight bowling and energetic fielding by the home side turned the screw on Warwickshire as the run rate climbed to more than seven per over in the 26th over.

The 100 came up in the 32nd over as the rate rose to more than eight per over.

Mike Burgess was the only batter to provide some solid resistance in the middle order and he reached his half-century with a six off the spin of Ingram.

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He obviously enjoyed the experience as he hit the next two over the boundary for maximums.

His seventh wicket stand with Jake Lintott reaped 87 runs and his 85 contained four sixes and six fours.

His departure, caught at mid-off by Douthwaite off the bowling of the returning McIlroy, left Warwickshire at 149 for seven – still 99 short of their target with 11 overs to go.

When Lintott was caught off a reverse sweep of the bowling of Ben Kellaway for 26 the game was up.

There were a few big hits in defiance at the death – Michael Booth hit three sixes – but Warwickshire ended 40 runs short of the victory target.

Warwickshire captain Barnard had no hesitation in asking Glamorgan to bat when he won the toss.

Playing on the same Sophia Gardens wicket as used for the home side’s win last week over Yorkshire that earned them a straight semi-final tie, Barnard had obviously taken note of the help the pitch had given the seam bowlers in that match.

It proved to be a good choice for the seam attack that he led. Opening the bowling and running straight through his allotted 10 overs, the visiting skipper ripped through Glamorgan’s top order with figures of four for 34 in his top class spell.

Three of his victims were caught in the slips by Rob Yates – Asa Tribe (13), Kiran Carlson (2) and Will Smale (13) – and he trapped Sam Northeast (8) lbw.

That reduced the home side to 44 for four in the 15th over and he could have had a fifth wicket had Yates not put down an easy chance Colin Ingram in the 17th over.

At that stage, Ingram had only scored 18 and he went on to notch 47 before he was fifth out, trapped lbw by Michael Rae.

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Ingram steadied what looked like being a sinking ship in tandem with Billy Root as they put on 46 for the fifth wicket.

Building on his midweek half-century in the win over Yorkshire Vikings, Root hit five fours in his 46, sharing in invaluable stands of 55 with Ben Kellaway and then 22 with Douthwaite before his departure in the 40th over made it for 167 for seven.

At that stage, Warwickshire must have been hoping to mop up the tail quite quickly, but Dothwaite, Van der Gugten, and Andy Gorvin had other ideas.

Between them they conjured up 92 runs as they plundered 79 off the last 10 overs to set the visitors a target of 248.

Douthwaite ended on 55 and thumped four enormous sixes and four fours as he took 15 and then 17 off the final two overs.

That meant the Welsh side at least had some sort of total to defend – which they managed to do with a few overs to spare..

https://twitter.com/WarwickshireCCC/status/1825164934008725636