Mixed Start Continues For Somerset
A mixed start to the Vitality Blast season continued in the most recent round of fixtures for Somerset, who now have two wins and two defeats from the opening four games.
The defending champions had endured a disappointing loss to Surrey in game two, and made the trip to Canterbury to face Kent bidding to return to the kind of form that had seen Essex defeated in game one.
The home side won the toss and put Somerset in to bat first, with the Vertu Motors-backed side scoring well early on – most notably through Will Smeed as he smashed five sixes in a quickfire 68 from 30 balls.
Smeed put on 95 for the first wicket with Tom Banton before the pair were dismissed in quick succession, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore then stepping up to the plate with 42 as Somerset progressed to ultimately reach a total of 197-6 from their 20 overs.
Things couldn’t have started much better for the visitors when Kent then went in to chase the target, with the first ball from Craig Overton being hit straight into the hands of Roelof van der Merwe by Zak Crawley for a duck, before Overton then bowled Daniel Bell-Drummond in his second over.
Tawande Mueye and Marcus O’Riordan also feel cheaply as Somerset appeared to be taking control – but Sam Billings had other ideas.
Sharing a stand of 109 with Joe Denly, Billings smashed an impressive century and by the time he was out for 106 off just 58 balls, Kent needed just six to win off the final over – which were scored off two balls to complete an impressive four wicket win.
Welcoming Hampshire to Taunton for the next game, Somerset lost the toss and were put in to bat and lost Smeed, Banton and Kohler-Cadmore during the power play to sit on 54-3.
However, Tom Abell and Sean Dickson then produced a record-breaking fourth wicket partnership of 144 – with the pair bringing up a century in less than 50 balls.
When Dickson was out for 65, the score had moved on to 198-4 and Abell would ultimately end up on 96 not out from 47 balls as Somerset racked up 241-5.
Such a target was always going to be tough to reach for the visitors although James Vince and Ben McDermott made a solid start to bring up 50 in double quick time before the latter was bowled by Ben Green with the score on 77.
Green then had Vince caught by Abell two balls later and would go on to take an impressive 5-29 as Somerset took control – with Green taking the final wicket of Chris Wood to wrap up a 63 run victory.
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