Wessels secures quarter-final spot

Riki Wessels' 66 from 44 balls set up a comfortable victory over Glamorgan

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Riki Wessels clubbed a career-best 66 not out as Northamptonshire beat woeful Glamorgan by 20 runs to qualify for the Twenty20 Cup quarter-finals with a sixth win from nine group games.

Wessels helped Northants to a challenging 157 for seven from their 20 overs with James Harris recording 4-24.

Despite an encouraging start, Glamorgan could reach only 137 for nine, going down to their eighth defeat in nine games.

Glamorgan made three changes from their desperately embarrassing 101-run defeat by Worcestershire at New Road, with Gareth Rees, Ben Wright and Harris coming into the side.

They discarded the expensive David Harrison and Garnett Kruger, meaning that Harris and Ryan Watkins opened the bowling - and he made an immediate impact.

Within five overs Northamptonshire, who won the toss, were 24 for three. Watkins began the early collapse by bowling Rob White in the second over.

The slow nature of the wicket saw Harris claim two wickets in consecutive overs. He bowled Ian Harvey via an inside edge and then had Alex Wakely caught at mid-off.

That left Nicky Boje and Wessels with a rebuilding job to do but only three boundaries came in the first 10 overs.

And in trying to force the score, Boje was bowled by Jamie Dalrymple's first ball to leave the visitors 65 for four in the 12th over.

Andrew Hall hit the first six of the innings before becoming Dalrymple’s second victim.

But Wessels, whose innings occupied 44 balls and contained three fours and two sixes, picked up the baton and helped Northamptonshire add 66 in the last five overs.

In reply, Glamorgan got off to a solid start with 43 coming off the first five overs before Rees was bowled by Harvey.

The reply continued encouragingly until Boje took two wickets in the space of four balls. Mark Wallace was caught brilliantly at extra-cover by Hall and Wright was undone attempting to reverse-sweep as Glamorgan slipped from 67 for one to 67 for three.

Glamorgan’s collapse continued as they lost Dalrymple and Michael Powell in the 12th over.

Alex Wharf gave an easy return catch to Boje in the next over as the home side lost five wickets for just 17 runs and confirmed Northants' dominance.