Cricket Bracey delighted by Gloucestershire's great cup form

GLOUCESTERSHIRE confirmed their qualification for the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup on Friday, making it six wins from six matches after James Bracey pummelled Notts Outlaws with a magnificent 186, the highest individual score of the 2025 competition to date.

- By JOHN CULLEY

The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter - dropped on 58 - struck six sixes and 20 fours in an exhilarating 150-ball innings and though no other Gloucestershire batter made fifty, with skipper Cameron Bancroft’s 46 the next highest score, the Group A leaders still piled up 343-7 in their 50 overs.

It was 52 too many for the Outlaws, bowled out for 291 in the 48th over, their qualification chance hanging by the thinnest of threads, if not mathematically dead. Matt Taylor, Jack Taylor and Craig Miles took two wickets each.

Rob Lord (2-60) was the pick of the home attack but it was with the bat that the Outlaws needed to shine. Skipper Haseeb Hameed made 80 from 88 balls and Jack Haynes continued a good run of form with 57 from 66, but a relatively inexperienced batting lineup needed more from both.

Bracey’s score was the second highest in his county's List A cricket history - bettered only by his own unbeaten 224 against Somerset two years ago. He led partnerships of 121 for the first wicket with Bancroft and 101 with Ollie Price for the second.