Somerset Hit Top Spot
Somerset’s quest to defend the Vitality Blast title was given a boost in the most recent round of fixtures in the southern half of the draw, with three wins moving the reigning champions into top spot.
A triple-header week of fixtures for the Vertu Motors-backed side kicked off with a trip to Lord’s to face off against Middlesex, who were put in to bat first by Lewis Gregory when the Somerset skipper won the toss.
Riley Meredith picked up the first wicket when he had Martin Andersson caught by Craig Overton in the second over and from that point onwards, it was the visiting side who were on top as wickets tumbled at regular intervals and Middlesex struggled with the bat.
Overton and Josh Davey both bowled a maiden over whilst Meredith would take 4-12 from his four overs as Middlesex were dismissed for just 78 – their lowest ever score in the competition.
That could have been even worse, with two wickets in two balls from Ben Green when he came in to bowl having left the home side on 50-9 before a last wicket stand of 28 from Tom Helm and Noah Cornwell.
Whilst Will Smeed was caught for just one in the first over, Tom Banton and Tom Kohler-Cadmore reached the target with ease, securing a nine wicket win with more than 40 balls to spare.
Somerset returned to Taunton for the next game against Kent and were put in bat first, although only one over was possible before rain forced the players from the field.
Once play resumed, the game had been reduced to five overs a side – the lowest number possible for a result – and Kent immediately grabbed a wicket as Smeed was caught off the bowling of Charlie Stobo.
That brought Kohler-Cadmore to the crease however and he went on the attack, smashing two sixes in a quickfire 24 from just nine balls.
Kent refused to roll over however and Xavier Bartlett conceded just six off the final over – in which Green and Tom Abell were both run out – as Somerset posted 55-6.
Under the Duckworth-Lewis method, Kent needed to reach 61 to win but saw Zak Crawley run out before Daniel Bell-Drummond was caught off the bowling of Meredith in the first over.
Marcus O’Riordan then fell cheaply for two and some tight bowling by the home side meant that victory was well within reach when Kent needed 26 off the final over to win, managing just twelve as Somerset took the points.
Two days later, Somerset welcomed Glamorgan to Trent Bridge and saw Smeed – who smashed five sixes in a 48-ball innings of 86 – go on the attack when put in to bat.
Only Banton reached double figures alongside him at the other end however, and when Smeed was dismissed with the score on 123-7 shortly after Dan Douthwaite had grabbed three wickets in an over, there was a risk that his efforts would be in vain. However, Overton and Roelof van der Merwe battled back to help Somerset reach 193-8 by the close.
Kiran Carlson and Eddie Byrom were both caught with the score in single figures as Somerset went on the attack with the ball but before Marnus Labuschagne and Sam Northeast launched a brief fightback.
In truth however, Glamorgan were never truly at the races and when van der Merwe took two wickets with his only two balls, the visitors were dismissed for just 85 as Somerset won by more than 100 runs – with Gregory the pick of the bowlers with 3-11 from three overs.
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