Parfitt and Gammon shine as Glamorgan beat Glos

MetroBank One Day Cup, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Gloucestershire 185-8 (38 overs): Halliday 49, Start 49; Walker 3-29, Shearn 3-38

Glamorgan 188-4 (35.2 overs): Parfitt 56, Gammon 49*, Sturge 41*; Daniels 2-40

Glamorgan won by 6 wickets

Scorecard

Glamorgan recovered from a shaky start to beat Gloucestershire by six wickets in the opening round of the women's League 2 One Day Cup.

The Welsh side chased down a target of 186 in 38 overs with 16 balls to spare, thanks to 56 from captain Lauren Parfitt, 49 not out from Bethan Gammon and 41 not out from loanee Megan Sturge.

2025 runners up Glamorgan looked under pressure for much of the game, after Gloucestershire's total of 185-8 was built round 49 apiece from opener Becca Halliday and Georgina Start.

Teenage spinner Poppy Walker (3-29) dismissed both to slow the visitors, while seamer Anna-Mae Shearn also claimed three wickets.

Glamorgan, fielding loanees Sturge behind the stumps and spinner Jas Westley, chose to bowl first after nearly two hours of rain delays.

Gloucestershire gave debuts to opener Laila Moledina (Somerset) and Maddie White as they sought revenge for three losses to Glamorgan in 2025.

After early strokes for Shearn and Westley, a third-wicket stand of 63 between Halliday and Start got the visitors' innings going.

Halliday hit the only six of the innings off Westley while Start's runs came off just 54 balls, backing up her form as 2025 player of the year in the competition.

Walker's wickets and the usual economic spells from Gemma Porter prevented Gloucestershire from a further charge.

Early wickets for Emily Geach, captain Liv Daniels and Charlie Phillips had Glamorgan on the back foot at 59 for three in the 16th over after some astute bowling changes.

Glamorgan's hopes now rested on the experienced Welsh duo of Parfitt and the busy Gammon, with Parfitt surviving early pressure and a dropped boundary chance to reach her 50 off 63 balls.

The partnership was worth 54 off 52 balls when Parfitt chipped Daniels (2-40) to cover, throwing the match back into the balance with 55 needed off the last 10.

Hampshire's Sturge, with her experience of Tier One cricket, proved a useful partner for the aggressive Gammon as they made light of the target, Sturge cracking her sixth boundary to seal victory.

Glamorgan's Bethan Gammon told BBC Sport Wales:

"It's really pleasing to get over the line in the first game of the season, we went through some difficult periods but sometimes being able to come through those shows the fighting character we have in this team and hopefully that'll set us up well for the rest of the season.

"The important thing was not letting it get over a run a ball, so we were trying to rotate the strike, keeping active and building partnerships.

"I've played some T10 cricket with Meg so to play with her again was really enjoyable, she was a fantastic addition to the squad today."