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Gloucestershire secure 'brilliant' victory to end One Day Cup on a high “This was an absolutely brilliant win. For us to play two and win two at a packed Cheltenham and finish the competition in the way we did, is very satisfying." Joe Eckland compiled a nerveless innings of 68 not out to carry Gloucestershire to a three-wicket victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks in a tense Metro Bank One Day Cup contest at Cheltenham. Pursuing 309 to win, Gloucestershire’s chase was set up by Cameron Bancroft and James Bracey, who posted 68 and 56, respectively. With the game in the balance, Eckland then staged a stand of 70 with Daz Ahmed (48, 38 balls) and saw the job through in partnership with Aman Rao as Gloucestershire scraped home with four balls to spare. Nathan McSweeney and George Bartlett had earlier scored 79 and 75, respectively, as Steelbacks posted 308 in 46.3 overs, with Ahmed returning career-best List-A figures of 4-56. All-rounder Ahmed said: “This was an absolutely brilliant win. For us to play two and win two at a packed Cheltenham and finish the competition in the way we did, is very satisfying. “I wasn’t at my best with the ball today and was pleased two take two wickets up top. To be able to come back later and tidy things up was really pleasing. Nathan McSweeney and George Bartlett batted with intent and put us under a lot of pressure, but we managed to get them out at a good time and then come back strongly in the last 10. We could have been chasing 360, so we were relieved at halfway. “I felt the chase was going quite well while Joe (Eckland) and I were together and I was frustrated not to be there at the end to finish the job. But Joe held his nerve superbly and played a great innings to get us over the line.” McSweeney and Miller added 73 in 13 overs to set things up for Steelbacks. Bartlett then joined McSweeney in a progressive fourth-wicket alliance, both registering their sixth One Day Cup half-centuries of the campaign. Driving fluently, McSweeney went to 50 from 43 balls with his ninth four, and the fourth-wicket pair raised 50 from six overs to assume the upper hand. Ahmed returned to take the key wicket of McSweeney, the Australian losing leg stump to an ugly swish. But Bartlett summoned the perfect response, going to a quickfire 50 via 39 balls, and the former Somerset man had struck 12 fours and a brace of sixes when he attempted to slog-sweep Price and found deep backward square. At 238-6 in the 36th, the innings was in the balance. Still in with an outside chance of qualifying for the knockout stages, Northants were intent upon improving their net run rate. But their aggressive approach meant wickets continued to fall and the visitors were indebted to Dom Leech and Liam Guthrie for scoring the runs which ensured they were at least able to satisfy the minimum requirement of passing 300. Gloucestershire openers Bracey and Bancroft accrued 17 boundaries in a lucrative stand of 99 in 14 overs to afford the chase crucial impetus. Bracey raced to a 37-ball 50 and was going supremely well when he pulled Miller to deep mid-wicket to afford the visitors relief. There ensued a spell of steady accumulation, Bancroft going to a 58-ball half-century with his eighth four, and Price adopting a supporting role in an alliance of 43. Steelbacks needed a wicket and Procter served up two, having Price caught behind and then inducing Bancroft to drive to mid-off. Joe Phillips was then run out by McSweeney with the score 180-4 in the 31st, at which point Northants were back in the game. Ahmed and Eckland then staged a sixth-wicket partnership to bring a sell-out festival audience to life. Having struck five fours and two sixes, Ahmed holed out to deep backward square off the bowling of Leech, who pinned Middleton lbw to tilt the contest back in Northants’ favour. Eckland went to 50 from 66 balls and he and Rao then held their nerve in a dramatic finale.