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Taylor stars as Gloucs ease home

Gloucestershire moved level on points with tonight's opponents Glamorgan at the top of the Midlands, West and Wales group with a seven-wicket Twenty20 Cup win at Bristol.

Glamorgan's first defeat in this season's competition came after they had set what looked a testing target, making 162 for five in a match reduced to 17 overs a side by rain. David Hemp top-scored with 42.

In reply, Gloucestershire raced to 61 without loss off five overs thanks to Ian Harvey (48 off 21 balls) and Craig Spearman (31 off 22).

After three wickets had put Glamorgan back in the game, Chris Taylor finished things off with a brilliant unbeaten 55 - guiding the home team to victory with 10 balls to spare.

Taylor hit seven fours and two sixes, one of them to win the match, in his 24-ball innings which earned the man-of-the-match award. Alex Gidman kept him company with 18 not out, and the unbroken stand was worth 68 off just 28 balls.

Harvey had set the tone for Gloucestershire's batting, hitting four consecutive boundaries off Andrew Davies who conceded 44 off his three overs.

Dean Cosker was the pick of the Glamorgan bowlers, conceding 28 from his four overs - but captain Robert Croft strangely held himself back and bowled only one over for 14 runs.

After the start was delayed for half-an-hour, Glamorgan's innings got off to a flying start as Jon Lewis sent down a no-ball with the opening delivery - and then Richard Grant smashed the resulting free hit for four.

It proved a disappointed night with the ball for Lewis, who had won the toss.

He was easily his side's most expensive bowler with one for 50 off three overs.

The opening partnership between Grant (26) and Mike Powell (25) was worth 46 when the former fell in only the fourth over.

Because of the delayed start, the fielding restrictions applied only for the first five overs - which Glamorgan completed on 59 for one.

But the introduction of spinners Martyn Ball and Ian Fisher put a brake on the scoring rate, and only 31 runs were added in the second five overs.

Hemp hit sixes off Carl Greenidge and Harvey in consecutive overs, and Alex Wharf also hit two sixes in the closing overs to ensure a competitive total.

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