Sharks get the job done in a hurry as they make it two from two in Blast
Sussex claimed a swift and comfortable T20 Vitality Blast home victory over last year's champions Gloucestershire, winning by 80 runs as Tom Alsop and James Coles set up a commanding total, with skipper Tymal Mills claiming three wickets.
After being put in to bat, Sussex started brightly, with opener Daniel Hughes twice finding the boundary in the first over.
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Fellow opener Harrison Ward fell for one in the second over, clean bowled by the off-spin of Ollie Price after going back and trying to cut a straight delivery which wasn't that short.
Hughes kept his foot on the gas, hitting powerfully down the ground and square of the wicket, before tamely chipping a short delivery from Price into the hands of James Taylor at mid-off for 35 from 19.
Hammond took a wonderful diving catch in the sixth over to dismiss John Simpson for eight off the bowling of Taylor, and the Sharks finished the powerplay on 53-3.
James Coles started slowly, but Alsop hit both of his first two balls for four and didn't look back, thumping Tom Smith back over his head for the first six of the innings in the 11th over, and managing to hit the clock face above the scoreboard with another huge blow shortly after.
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Coles got in on the act too, twice hitting Taylor over the square leg boundary in the 13th, almost striking the clock himself.
Alsop reached his 50 from 30 in the 14th over, and the pair brought up their 100 partnership in the 15th.
Sussex were well on top by this point, but David Payne seemed to have swung momentum back in Gloucestershire's favour when he dismissed Alsop (58 off 35) and then Coles (43 off 27) in the 16th over - Alsop stretching for a wide slower ball and looping it to short third man, Coles pulling a shortish delivery straight to mid wicket, leaving the Sharks 149-5.
No subsequent batter could add more than ten runs to the total in the remaining four overs.
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Smith took an amazing caught and bowled after Tom Clark smashed one back towards his face for two, and Jack Carson holed out at long on off Aman Rao's bowling, just after hitting an impressive pull shot over square leg for six.
Nathan McAndrew was also caught on the boundary, becoming Payne's third wicket in an outstanding spell of 4-24 in his four overs.
Tom Alsop adds to his tally (Image: Simon Dack) Ollie Robinson tried a few scoops, but eventually lobbed one straight to the keeper for six, and skipper Tymal Mills was out off the final ball of the innings, caught for one off the bowling of Taylor, with Sussex setting Gloucestershire a target of 174 to win.
That seemed at the halfway point just above a par score, on a good wicket with a lightning outfield.
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However, it became apparent quite quickly that Sussex's total would be far out of Gloucestershire's reach.
Robinson showed his class with a high quality opening spell, clean bowling Australian opener Bancroft for seven in the third over with a world class delivery that kissed the top of off stump.
He was very unfortunate not to have Price in the third over with lbw and, by the time Robinson had completed his third over, Gloucestershire were 29-2, with Currie having removed D'arcy Short for a duck.
Hammond looked good for 24, but when he fell to Mills in the final over of the powerplay, Gloucestershire looked in trouble at 34-3.
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Bracey looked in decent nick but also couldn't get past 24, joint top-scoring with Hammond.
Mills bamboozled the lower order with his slower deliveries, finishing with 3-13, but everyone chipped in with Coles and Carson picking up two wickets each, and McAndrew claiming another.
Gloucestershire were dismissed for 93 in the 14th over, with Sussex winning by a huge 80 runs.
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