Can’t believe I am saying this but Somerset are actually getting me quite excited about the Blast. Three more wins this week extended their 100% record to six. Of course, it could all still go horribly wrong and even if we make the knockouts, a quarter-final defeat by then wickets is a strong possibility. The batters didn’t see much action, and it was the bowling which inflicted the greatest damage upon Kent, Middlesex and Essex. In particular, the 25-year-old Devonian seamer, Ben Green, mopped up ten wickets, including 4-20 against Middlesex who have been as abject as Somerset have been supreme.
Surrey stand second in the South table, but it took a last-ball single from Jamie Smith to clinch the points in Canterbury on Sunday. Glamorgan supporters enjoyed plenty of runs this week, twice passing 200. It was the old double-act of Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke who were in superb form, especially in harness. Each of them amassed 200 runs from the three fixtures, Cooke’s unbeaten 113 off just 51 balls against Middlesex the highlight. In that game, the pair plundered 187 in a 79-ball partnership, with Helm and Higgins consistently conceding boundaries.
Hampshire picked up two resounding victories, against Essex and
Sussex. In the latter, opposing skipper Ravi Bopara arrived at the Ageas Bowl
too late to play but unfortunately home captain James Vince was present, correct
and able to extend his week’s run tally beyond 260. He now has more than 20,000
runs for his county, a record he shares with Derbyshire’s Wayne Madsen, whose
dismissal for ‘only’ 44 against Yorkshire was the first time he had failed to
make 50 in this year’s competition.
In the North division, Worcestershire’s perfect start to the Blast was ruined by Northamptonshire, who pipped them at New Road by six wickets with only two balls remaining. That result notwithstanding, Brett D’Oliveira and Pat Brown were in good form this week. Whilst mediocre in the Championship, Yorkshire claimed three successive T20 wins, Dawid Malan exceeding 80 on each occasion. He top-scored in the Roses clash with Lancashire at Headingley, despite the arrival from India of Jos Buttler. The England star, one of many in the Lancs line-up, failed to arrest a decline in fortunes.
Another former T20 icon, Alex Hales, achieved just one half-century for Nottinghamshire, easily outscored by fellow opener Joe Clarke and Colin Munro. The latter pair were instrumental in the crucial triumph over former leaders the Birmingham Bears, firing fifteen sixes between them.
In the next few days, Worcestershire travel to both Yorkshire and Lancashire while Somerset’s winning streak will be sorely tested at Hampshire and local rivals Gloucestershire.
Team of the Week:- Clarke (Not), Vince (Ham), D Malan (Yor), Madsen (Der), Ingram (Gla), Cooke (Gla), Dawson (Ham), Narine (Sur), Payne (Glo), Sama (Ess), Green (Som)
