Roy's knock key for Surrey in win over Glamorgan
Jason Roy has top-scored in both Surrey's opening T20 matches despite a difficult return to the first-class game
- Published
Vitality Blast, Cardiff
Surrey 149-8 (20 ov): Roy 69; Douthwaite 3-23
Glamorgan 142 (20 ov): Carlson 31; S Curran 3-18, Jordan 3-31
Jason Roy's 69 off 47 balls proved a match-winning innings as Surrey successfully defended a modest target of 150 in a seven-run victory over Glamorgan.
The home side started brightly with Kiran Carlson (31) and Will Smale (26) adding 58, but Surrey's bowlers squeezed expertly and Glamorgan fell away to 142 all out.
Sam Curran took 3-18 on his 27th birthday, expertly backed up by Kiwi Nathan Smith (2-21) and Chris Jordan (3-31) as Glamorgan provided a series of catches on the wide square boundaries.
Former England batter Roy played a lone hand for Surrey, striking four sixes in his key knock as they were kept down to 149-8.
Dan Douthwaite (3-23 in four) led a tidy Glamorgan bowling performance, while Andy Gorvin claimed two wickets, two catches and a runout.
Roy's colleagues could not match his strike-rate as Ollie Pope fell early to Douthwaite and Dom Sibley, opening out on 26 after a slow start, gave Gorvin another catch in the deep off Ben Kellaway.
The 12th over from Gorvin proved eventful as Roy hoisted the first ball over long-on into the river Taff, only for birthday boy Sam Curran and Laurie Evans to hole out to Asa Tribe at long-off trying to repeat the feat.
Despite the bowling of Gorvin, Douthwaite and Kellaway, Surrey always looked capable of posting a decent total as long as Roy was there, especially after his previous 92 against Somerset.
But he was caught on the ropes in the 18th over off Timm van der Gugten and Surrey looked a touch below par.
That looked even more the case as Carlson and Smale (26) posted an opening stand of 58 in seven overs, before sixth bowler Chris Jordan made the breakthrough as Carlson was caught behind.
Ben Kellaway (13) hit three fours off his first six balls before being caught on the boundary off Yousef Majid, and Glamorgan were exactly halfway to their target on 75-2 in 10 overs.
But Smith, one of eight internationals in the visitors' ranks, applied the brakes to Glamorgan's chase as Smale chipped a catch and Colin Ingram was caught at deep cover for 10.
Jordan bowled tightly before taking a key outfield catch as danger man Douthwaite (14) got under a slower ball from Sam Curran, with Glamorgan unable to find the shorter straight boundaries.
Wickets fell regularly through the second half as Surrey's hopes soared, and Glamorgan could not regain any momentum before being bowled out off the final ball of their innings, the result looking inevitable in the closing stages.