Vitality Blast
Fri 6 September, 19:00

Edgbaston

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Bears

Bears

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Bears

Gloucestershire

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Report: Birmingham Bears vs Gloucestershire

Birmingham Bears fell short in their pursuit of a first Finals Day appearance since 2017 as Gloucestershire stunned the North Group winners with a 14-run victory in a tense, low-scoring contest at Edgbaston.

The west country side scraped into the last eight only on net run rate, finishing fourth in the South Group, but will now face Sussex in the semi-final back on this ground on Saturday week.

Gloucestershire had looked well under par, racing to 51 without loss from five overs after being put in only to be bowled out for just 138.

But as left-arm quick David Payne took four for 23, including two as he defended 18 but conceded just three in the final over, and spinner Ollie Price three for 32, the Bears could muster only 124 for nine in reply, Chris Benjamin’s 33 the top score.

Cameron Bancroft had top-scored for Gloucestershire with 43 in 35 balls and opening partner Miles Hammond 30 from 24 but no one else bettering Jack Taylor’s 19.

The Bears’ New Zealand seamer Zak Foulkes took three for 22, spinners Danny Briggs and Dan Mousley picked up two wickets each and George Garton executed two magnificent run-outs with direct hits.

Needing to score at just under seven-an-over, the Bears were 37 for two in the powerplay, 17 behind their opponents at the corresponding point and with one fewer wickets in hand. 

Payne, who opened with a maiden, had Alex Davies caught on the square leg boundary and struck a major blow to the home side when Moeen Ali was out for 27. Payne had conceded 16 of those himself as the England man hit him for six, four and six but the next ball found the outside edge and James Bracey took the catch.

Like their counterparts in the first innings, the Bears struggled to regain their momentum, losing Mousley leg before in an attempted pull and Jacob Bethell caught at extra cover, both wickets falling to Ollie Price, leaving them 59 for four in the ninth. That became 74 for five in the 13th as Price’s off-spin claimed its third victim, Sam Hain unleashing a towering hit on the leg side but failing to clear Hammond on the mid-wicket boundary.

Chris Benjamin hammered six off Tom Smith and Garton took two fours off Price to ease the pressure but then Josh Shaw ramped it up again with two wickets in two balls as Garton holed out to long off and Foulkes perished leg before.

It all came down to 18 required off the last six balls, with Gloucestershire paceman and leading wicket-taker Payne coming out on top, conceding just three and adding the wickets of Benjamin and Jake Lintott for good measure as Price and Bancroft held catches in the deep.

Gloucestershire fans must have been anticipating a big score when Hammond and Bancroft helped them put 54 on the board from six.

Bancroft’s scoop brought him two of three fours in Foulkes’s opening over and Hammond pulled Mousley for six but the off-spinner had revenge when Hammond was caught by a tumbling Jake Lintott at mid-off.

The Bears spinners then wrestled back control, Briggs beating James Bracey’s swing across the line for a leg before, Ollie Price top-edging the same bowler to short fine leg. A chance was missed when Bancroft was dropped on 30, but the return of pace saw Jack Taylor’s attempted pull go vertical, dropping into the gloves of keeper Davies.

Ben Charlesworth clobbered Moeen Ali over the midwicket boundary but perished looking for a repeat next ball and then Bancroft, for whom something substantial now looked vital, was brilliantly run out by Garton’s direct hit from long-on.

Panic now set in. Matt Taylor and Josh Shaw were caught off consecutive balls from Foulkes, another precision throw by Garton ran out Matt Taylor from mid-on and Payne sliced Mousley in the air to backward point, leaving Gloucestershire all out for what looked like a seriously under-par 138, but turned out to be enough.

Bears captain Alex Davies said: “It is tough to take. I stood here last year with the same result but you have to take what positives you can. We’ve just had two guys selected for England on the back of their Blast form and we’ve finished top of the group three years running, so we must be doing something right. We’ve just got to keep building.

“We didn’t have the start we would have hoped for with the ball but Danny Briggs did what Danny Briggs has been doing for what feels like 20-odd years and it was a real good performance in the field. At halfway, we were happy with that score.

“It wasn’t quite the pitch we thought it was. It was quite slow, turgid and attritional at times but we said if one guy bats through and gets 50 off 40 balls we’ll be fine but that didn’t happen.

“It was the job of Moeen and myself to break the back of it and put Gloucestershire on the back foot. If we had batted for 10 overs the rate would have dropped significantly, but that didn’t quite pan out, they just kept taking wickets, and that’s credit to them.

“I thought Jack Taylor captained brilliantly, gambled by bowling David Payne for a third over and got Mo out, so he deserved credit for that. We wish Gloucestershire all the best and hope they get it done next week.”

Enter the Ballot for our 2025 Major Matches

It’s going to be another blockbuster summer of Men’s and Women’s international cricket as India and West Indies return to Edgbaston, plus Finals Day and Blast Off.

Demand will be high once again, so enter the Ballot for your best chance to get tickets. Or you can beat the Ballot with Priority ClubVIP Experiences or Premium Tickets.

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Preview: Bears v Gloucestershire, Vitality Blast Quarter final

Bears have a clean bill of health as they prepare for their fourth Vitality Blast Quarter Final in as many years – and eye a first Finals Day at Edgbaston since 2017.

England quick Richard Gleeson has recovered from the back injury that forced him to miss the latter stages of qualification, while Sam Hain came through last weekend’s County Championship game against Kent unscathed following a hamstring strain.

Gleeson has been one of the competition’s standout bowlers so far, taking nine wickets in six North Group games and is the most economical with his overs costing just 4.70 runs apiece.

Hain is the Blast’s second leading run scorer this year with 554 (ave 69.25) and has hit more 50s (six) than anyone else in the competition.

New Zealand seamer Zak Foulkes, who took five wickets in six Blast North Group outings, also returns and is included in a 14-player squad.

First Team Coach Mark Robinson praised his side’s progress after winning 10 of 14 group games but said the Quarter Final is just the latest step in their quest to win the T20 trophy.

He said: “The spirit in the camp is good. The message is it’s just another step of the journey. Our goal isn’t to get to Finals Day, it’s to win the trophy.

“This is another game on that path. It’s bigger than a group game, obviously, as you don’t have that second chance. But this isn’t our final, we’re not building it up like that in players’ heads.

“We have to do the things we’ve done on a regular basis in the group to get us to this point. Trust in our skills that we will out match the opponent on the night.

“Players have come back fit and raring to go. I’m pleased with our preparation. The win against Kent set up the week nicely and to win with a day to spare allowed us to get some extra recovery time and to start preparing early.

“We’ve done well to secure a home Quarter. It means we have the familiarity of Edgbaston and the backing of a home crowd, supporting us in a way that makes Edgbaston such a special place.”

Gloucestershire sneaked into the fourth qualification spot in the South Group on run rate after winning their final two games.

They boast two of the top five wicket takers in the competition in quicks David Payne (25) and Matt Taylor (23), while Aussie batter Cameron Bancroft is their leading Blast run scorer with 399.

Robinson added: “We have to be very wary of Gloucestershire. They probably didn’t expect to be here: they had a late run and qualified on the last day. We’ve lost in the Quarter Final here against sides that have had a late surge, Hampshire and Essex.

“They are a dangerous side, we know how dominant the South Group has been in recent years – any team that gets out of the South Group will be strong opponents.

“But it’s not about the opposition, it’s about us. It will be a test to see how much we’ve improved with our recruitment and our skill development over last four years and we’ll get another sign of our progress tomorrow.”

Squad

Davies
Moeen Ali
Mousley
Hain
Bedthell
Benjamin
Garton
Foulkes
Briggs
Lintott
Gleeson
Barnard
Miles
Yates

How to follow

Match updates will be available across the Club’s social media accounts, simply search for @WarwickshireCCC.

Supporters can get involved by sending their match-day comments and thoughts on Twitter via @WarwickshireCCC and we’ll publish the best ones on our live text commentary in the Match Centre.

Supporters can get instant push notifications of all wickets, innings and match results via the Edgbaston app, which is free to download on iOS and Android.

Over 13,500 tickets sold for T20 quarter-final

For a third year in a row, Bears have secured a home Vitality Blast quarter-final against Gloucestershire on Friday 6 September. And tickets are going fast!

Over 13,500 tickets have already been sold. Adults tickets are available for only £20, if purchased in advance, while U16s are £5.

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