Gloucestershire beat Hampshire to reach Royal London semis

Gloucestershire are through to the semi-finals of the Royal London One-Day Cup after a four-wicket win over Hampshire in a hard-fought last-eight clash at Bristol.

Rain reduced the match to 34 overs a side and, having been put in to bat, Hampshire made 217-7, thanks to 97 from opener Jimmy Adams.

But Gloucestershire skipper and opener Michael Klinger made a fine 87 and the hosts eventually got home with an over to spare after a crucial sixth-wicket stand of 44 from just 22 balls between Geraint Jones (39 not out) and Jack Taylor (34).

The win put Gloucestershire through to their first one-day semi-final for 11 years and they will next face either Essex or Yorkshire, who play on Thursday.

Hampshire made a dreadful start, losing Michael Carberry for a duck to the third ball of the innings, caught by Chris Dent off James Fuller, and then slipping to 1-2 when David Payne removed Adam Wheater (1) with the second ball of the following over.

But Adams salvaged the situation, sharing partnerships of 68 with James Vince (31) and 50 with Liam Dawson (21).

However, Adams failed to complete a deserved century when he was run out in the 32nd over by Fuller's throw to the wicket-keeper from long-on, as the batsmen looked for a second run.

But Will Smith was going very well at the other end and made a brilliant 50 from 25 balls as Hampshire ended up scoring 77 runs from their final six overs.

Smith hit seven fours and a six before Hamish Marshall, who dropped him twice towards the latter stages of his innings, caught him at long-on from the final ball of the innings.

When Gloucestershire replied, Adams almost capped a great match by catching Klinger for a duck but he could not quite hold on to a tough chance off Fidel Edwards as he dived to his left at point.

Klinger went on to make 87 off 81 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes, but the rest of the top order failed to provide much support and it was 104-4 when Benny Howell (9) went in the 21st over.

Jones then helped his skipper add 59 in 8.1 overs but Yasir Arafat (3-56) struck a huge blow in the 29th over when Klinger skied a catch to Adams at cover.

That made it 167-5 but Edwards (1-50 from 6 overs) conceded 19 from the next over and Taylor smashed Arafat over long-on for two sixes and then a four from three successive balls in over 31.

Arafat eventually had a measure of revenge when Taylor, whose 34 came off just 17 balls, was caught off the first ball of the 33rd over.

But 11 were needed from 11 balls at that point and Jones finished the match from the final ball of the over with a six over long-on.