Lancs edge thriller to progress to Finals Day.

Lancashire defeated Glamorgan by one run at Emirates Old Trafford thanks to Jordan Clark, who claimed 4-22 including a triple wicket maiden to send the hosts through to the semi finals.

In what proved to be a tense run-chase, Jacques Rudolph hit an unbeaten 67 from 49 deliveries, but he could only look on as Andrew Salter hit the final ball of the game for four, falling one short of Lancashire’s score.

Clark claimed four wickets for as many runs in the first two overs of his spell to swing the momentum in Lancashire’s favour and delivered the final ball of the match, where a four was not enough to prevent Lancashire from reaching their fifth Finals Day.

The hosts were, understandably, put in to bat first when Glamorgan won the toss and posted 137/8 in tough batting conditions, a score which seemed unrealistic had it not been for Usman Khawaja, who also scored 67.

After rain had washed-out the entirety of Friday, there were doubts about whether or not the match would go ahead, leading to the suggestion of a dreaded bowl-out. But play was able to start at 2.30 and a full game allowed the winners of the North Group to prove their credentials.

It was not the start that Lancashire would have wanted, losing Tom Smith (5) and Ashwell Prince (7) as they stumbled to 19/2. Khawaja and Karl Brown put Lancashire back on the right track to help them post a respectable powerplay score of 45/2.

The pair added 40 runs before Brown was stumped off Salter (2-19) for 15 and captain, Paul Horton, could only add three before he also fell to Salter, reverse-sweeping to Murray Goodwin.

Having been restricted to 67/4, Lancashire fought back with a 50 partnership between Khawaja and Steven Croft (16) but Glamorgan continued to apply pressure, claiming four wickets for 14 runs at the death.

Khawaja reached a pivotal fifty in 42 deliveries and continued to excel after reaching his half-century before he was removed by Michael Hogan (3-33). A score of 137 always seemed under par, especially without Junaid Khan or Kabir Ali to call upon, but Clark became a hero at Old Trafford, claiming three wickets in six balls.

Glamorgan faced just seven balls before the familiar sight of rain hit Manchester with the visitors on 4/0. Shortly after play resumed, Mark Wallace fell to Smith (1-10) for 2 with just one run added to the total, but this brought Rudolph to the crease and the South-African soon made his intentions clear.

He and Jim Allenby (38) added 59 for the second-wicket, a partnership which threatened to take the game away from Lancashire. Allenby was particularly brutal, striking six fours to help Glamorgan reach 38/1 at the end of their powerplay.

Rudolph brought up the 50 for Glamorgan with a six that forced Prince over the rope after he had caught the ball on the boundary and Lancashire claimed a much-needed breakthrough when Allenby was removed at 64/2.

The visitors always seemed to be on top of the run-chase with plenty of wickets in the locker and Goodwin assisted Rudolph well with a useful contribution of 14 in a 28-run partnership before Clark performed magic for Lancashire.

Goodwin was the first of three batsmen to be bowled by the 23-year-old all-rounder in six deliveries in an over which gave Lancashire the edge before another rain delay hit Old Trafford.

Glamorgan had stumbled from 92/3 to 110/5 and were now behind Duckworth/Lewis after being ahead for the whole of their innings. Clark’s maiden over also meant that the visitors needed 38 runs from four overs, a feat which remained possible with Rudolph at the crease.

Rudolph hit the first ball after the rain delay for four and soon reached fifty in 39 balls, but was understandably mute in his celebrations, knowing that their was a much greater task ahead of him.

Clark continued to be economical, affording five runs from his third over to take his figures to 4 for 9 and Lancashire claimed another wicket when Graham Wagg (3) skied the ball to Wayne White off Kyle Jarvis (1-25).

Heading into the final over, Glamorgan required 15 runs to win, but they were unable to edge over the line despite a boundary from the final ball of the innings, much to the delight of a jubilant Lancashire squad.