It was heartening today to see Somerset bounce back from their latest Cup Final heartbreak by beating nearest rivals Essex to top Group C in the last group matches of the CB 40 competition. However, my heart sank at the sight of those dreaded words: Marcus Trescothick retired hurt. Not what a Somerset fan wants to read as the county approached the business end of the season yet again with opportunities to win two trophies. However, his team managed to win match 12 with only 10 runs from the skip[er before he was carried off with an injured ankle. They also succeeded without the services of both wicketkeeper-batsmen Kieswetter and Buttler, called up for the England T20 squad, so maybe it's not all doom and gloom.
Somerset are the only county through to the 40-over semis who reached the same stage of the Friends T20 tournament last weekend. Let's face it, Leicestershire were expected to be the whipping boys of all three domestic events, yet produced the goods when it mattered at Edgbaston. While Somerset and Durham still have an outside chance of Championship glory, that is really between Lancashire and Warwickshire, last year's winners of the CB40. Neither side got close to reaching the last four in 2011, although the Lightning (can they really not think of a better name?!) did finish on a high, Tom Smith's all-round performance earning them a 2-run win over Notts, who nevertheless finished second behind Somerset.
Surrey had already booked their place, but suffered their only defeat of the campaign. At the Oval, Paul Collingwood top-scored as Durham racked up 325-9 but the home side fell 36 runs and more than three overs short. No big score for Jason Roy this week, but Matt Spriegel struck 86 in 57 balls. Surrey still look a good bet for the title and will avoid Somerset in the semis. Durham's win catapulted them into the 'highest loser' spot and will have to make the long drive down to Taunton. With no Trescothick opening the innings, they must be confident, especially with Mustard and Collingwood in fine form with the bat.
The other semi-finalists are Sussex, who pipped the side who beat them in the final game, Middlesex, on a superior net run rate. Before the start, the Londoners could not have overtaken the Sharks even had they scored 300-0 and bowled out the opposition for zero. However, they just had enough in the locker to win by seven wickets for pride, if nothing else. The South Coast side have a solid all-round look about them, but the bowling may let them down, with a reliance on spin from Panesar, Yardy, Nash and Gatting.
A final mention for the Unicorns who finally secured their first victory of the summer. Mind you, their opponents made it easy for them by fielding a very inexperienced Eleven. Only captain Alviro Petersen - carrying his bat for 91 - and Stewart Walters (60) scored more than 15. Still, a win is a win, and Messrs Querl and Beaven can look back fondly on a scorecard which shows them both taking three cheap wickets at the tail end of a disappointing summer. I now just hope that Somerset can at last turn incredible consistency into a trophy and avoid their own very different but oh-so-familiar brand of disappointment.
