WIn sealed with 16 balls to spare as fifth-wicket pairing make hay at Bristol
Sussex 178 for 5 (Salt 77*, Garton 46) beat Gloucestershire 177 for 7 (Phillips 42, Garton 3-19) by five wickets with 16 balls remaining
3,600 were admitted into Nevil Road, with all tickets sold in advance, but the fans were sent home disappointed by a flat-out chase.
Salt, in his first appearance of the season for Sussex, made 77 not out from 49 balls and Garton, who had only made 103 runs in 23 T20s before this, made 46 from only 25 balls as Sussex waltzed home.
The chase was initially under pressure as David Payne held Travis Head, for 2, at short-third man before taking Ravi Bopara caught and bowled first ball. Josh Shaw then took out David Wiese’s off stump for only 11 and Delray Rawlings lazily clubbed Graeme van Buuren to long-on to leave Sussex 57 for 4 after the Powerplay.
But Sussex kept the pedal down. Salt lifted two sixes over long-on and whipped Matt Taylor behind square for four. He slapped Shaw for two further boundaries and with Garton slog-sweeping two sixes to the short side, the chase was in control at 102 for 4 by halfway and they never relinquished their position.
A legspinner who plays club cricket for Eastbourne, Lenham was handed the seventh over and bowled with confidence, using his change-ups, bowling quickly and flat with a large leg-side boundary for comfort. He conceded five from his first over and then forced Taylor to hole out to long-on, drawing a heart-warming joyful leap of celebration.
A third over saw him heaved twice over deep midwicket by Phillips but was trusted with a final over that conceded only seven.
Garton’s career-best effort with the bat followed a fine performance with the ball where he claimed 3 for 19, including just three from two overs in the Powerplay.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo