Gloucestershire 204 for 5 (Short 83, Gohar 3-54) beat Middlesex 195 for 7 (Eskinazi 75, Shaw 3-48) by nine runs
D'Arcy Short raised a thrilling half century as resurgent Gloucestershire beat Middlesex by nine runs at Bristol's Seat Unique Stadium to extend their winning run in the Vitality Blast to four games and keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages.
Making up for lost time following a slightly disappointing start to his Gloucestershire career, the left-hander clubbed a breathtaking 83 from 48 balls, hit 8 fours and five sixes and staged progressive stands of 100 and 52 with Miles Hammond and Cameron Bancroft for the first and second wickets respectively to propel Gloucestershire to 204 for 5 after they had lost the toss.
Hammond weighed in with a hard-hitting 48 from 33 balls, with 6 fours and 2 sixes, Bancroft contributed 30 not out from 19 deliveries and Ben Charlesworth smashed a nine-ball 22, while Middlesex spinner Zafar Gohar claimed 3 for 54.
Stephen Eskinazi made a game of it, scoring a superb 75 from 41 balls, striking 8 fours and 3 sixes and sharing in a high-octane opening stand of 87 in 7.5 overs with Kane Williamson, who made 34. But Gloucestershire's bowlers held their nerve, Josh Shaw claiming 3-48, including the crucial wicket of Eskinazi, and David Payne and Graeme van Buuren returning figures of 1-22 and 1-28 respectively as the visitors came up short on 195-7 in an entertaining South Group contest.
In destructive mood, Hammond twice drove Tom Helm through the covers for four in the opening over, before hoisting former teammate Ryan Higgins high over long-on and raising an imperious six as Gloucestershire came flying out of the blocks. Josh Little received similar treatment at the hands of Hammond, who drove him straight down the ground, while Short weighed in with five boundaries as the turbo-charged opening partnership advanced the score to 57 at the end of the powerplay.
Particularly strong off the back foot, overseas star Short cut and pulled with impunity, matching the more abrasive Hammond blow for blow as the Middlesex bowling struggled to exert even a semblance of control. Hollman conceded 19 runs off the ninth over, Hammond pulling him over deep backward square and Short taking him for a further two sixes to move to within sight of a half century.
Having played his part in a superb opening stand of 100 in 10.5 overs, Hammond fell two short of 50 when holing out in the deep off the bowling of former Gloucestershire spinner Gohar to afford Middlesex much-needed respite. But any let-up in Gloucestershire intensity was temporary, Short going to his maiden 50 for the county via 33 balls. Fellow Australian Bancroft came out swinging, issuing a statement of intent when harvesting a brace of fours at the expense of Hollman in a 12th over that yielded 14 runs.
Little and Higgins discovered a nagging length to briefly slow the scoring thereafter, but Short redressed the balance by pulling Zafar for back-to-back sixes and then straight-driving the spinner for four as the home side rediscovered their mojo to raise 150 in the 15th. No wonder Middlesex breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Australian hit a ball from Little straight up in the air and was held at extra cover with the score 152.
Pushed up the order, Charlesworth ensured there was no let-up for the visitors, smiting Hollman for three successive sixes as the 17th over yielded 20 runs. Helm bowled Charlesworth in the next over in an act of damage limitation, but lusty hitting from Jack Taylor and Ollie Price ensured Gloucestershire equaled their highest T20 total of the season on home soil.
Middlesex needed a fast start and their openers obliged. Eskinazi plundered 17 runs off the second over, bowled by Shaw, and Williamson drove Payne for six in the third to give the Middlesex reply early impetus. Returning paceman Ajeet Singh Dale fared little better as the openers adopted a high-risk strategy to race to 50 in 4.1 overs.
Williamson and Eskinazi mustered 12 boundaries between them in a powerplay that yielded an impressive 73 runs and served notice to Gloucestershire's under-pressure bowlers that they had a real fight on their hands.
Something special was required to break the partnership and Jack Taylor took a superb diving catch at extra cover to remove Williamson for a 23-ball 34 off the bowling of Singh Dale with the score 87-1 in the 8th over. Matt Taylor removed Max Holden two overs later, but Middlesex were still well-placed on 101-2 at the halfway stage of their innings.
Experienced campaigner Eskinazi represented the Londoners' best hope and he went to 50 from 28 balls, while new batsman Ben Geddes hit the ground running to keep the required rate at around 10 an over. Gloucestershire needed a wicket and Graeme van Buuren had Geddes held at long-on for 13 as Middlesex slipped to 123-3, their hitherto serene progress subsequently held up by three overs without a boundary as the home side fought back.
Eskinazi held the key and Gloucestershire supporters celebrated wildly when he was pinned lbw by Shaw in the 15th over, with 61 still needed from 5.2 overs. Gloucestershire's bowlers largely succeeded in cutting off the supply of boundaries thereafter, and Payne tricked Higgins into hitting his own wicket in the act of reverse sweeping, while Shaw had Leus Du Plooy caught in the deep in the 19th over as the home side finally regained a grip on proceedings. Joe Cracknell and Zafar raised three sixes between them in the final over, but it proved too little too late.
