Somerset Storm into the Final

Please forgive me but I am typing this with a stupid smile on my face. I feared the worst but Somerset rediscovered their early season form to propel them into a first List A cup final in nine years where they’ll face defending champions and Lord’s season ticket-holders Hampshire.

It feels like longer but it was only five days ago when a five-wicket victory over bottom club Surrey secured Somerset’s passage from the South division to the quarter-finals on net run rate ahead of Gloucestershire. On the same day, Middlesex also joined Hampshire in the knockouts breaking records in the process. Their 380-5 was their highest ever one-day score and Matt Holden’s 166 was another best for the county. 

The day previously, Nottinghamshire left it late to top the North table. Needing 326 to beat Northamptonshire, they were running out of time and wickets until in the last over centurion Samit Patel struck Sanderson’s opening three deliveries for 6-4-4. Worcestershire’s target was an even more challenging 351 but, with new boy Riki Wessels in typical aggressive mode – eleven sixes in an innings of 130 – they came through wit ten balls to spare. Poor Durham endured disappointment as the Headingley weather frustrated their efforts and allowed non-playing Lancashire to qualify instead.

A few days later Worcestershire found Somerset’s attack a tougher proposition altogether. 20 year-old wicketkeeper Tom Banton’s second ton of the tournament set up a formidable total of 337-8 and, with Azhar Ali’s leg-spin an unexpected weapon of mass destruction, the home side was bowled out twelve overs and 147 runs short. Middlesex also collapsed on home territory. Batting second, they tumbled to 24-5 before James Harris (117) and John Simpson (74) got them back on track against Lancashire. However, once they were dismissed in the same over, Saqib Mahmood took his fourth wicket and Graeme Onions finished things off.

This afternoon, Lancashire’s unwanted reputation as serial semi-final losers was maintained. Mahmood was again amongst the wickets but Hampshire’s experienced all-rounder Gareth Berg had earlier claimed 5-24 ripping out the Red Rose tail and was in the middle when team-mate Fuller struck the winning boundary.

At Trent Bridge, the other semi-final had long since finished. The highly-fancied Notts went the same way as Worcestershire as Somerset enjoyed a near-repeat of their quarter-final victory. Their 337 total was identical, Banton again passed 50 and Azhar Ali made a crucial contribution, this time with the bat. The press were ready with their Alex Hales headlines but his 54 runs were insufficient to prevent the Overtons and van der Merwe destroying them. As at Worcester, it was done and dusted after around 38 overs.

The final takes place in a few weeks’ time and I for one will be happy to see them take a little longer as long as Tom Abell holds the trophy aloft at close of play. Sadly he, or James Vince, will be the last to do so, as in 2020 proper cricket gets trampled underfoot by the hateful Hundred. As for May 2019, the ‘Years of Hurt’ tally has risen to eighteen but could cricket finally be coming home to Somerset?!  I hope so.

Team of the Week: Wessels (Wor), Banton (Som +), Chopra (Ess), Azhar Ali (Som), Holden (Mid), S Patel (Not), Berg (Ham), Harris (Mid), C Overton (Som), T Taylor (Lei), Mahmood (Lan)

Notts Cruising, Somerset ship water

After week two of the Royal London Cup, Nottinghamshire are the only county with a 100% record. They don’t seem to be missing Alex Hales, suspended  and sitting at home wiping the white powder from his nostrils. In racking up 433-7 against Leicestershire, each of the top six passed fifty, and they polished off Yorkshire with more than 15 overs remaining. Leicestershire slumped to bottom of the North division after Lancashire also thrashed them by nine wickets in double-quick time.

Durham’s challenge faltered against Worcestershire in one of many rain-affected matches this week. Messrs Duckworth and Lewis featured prominently on the results pages, including Friday’s fxture between Yorkshre and Derbyshire. Thanks to Billy Godleman’s third century of the competition, Derbyshire were up with the required ten an over but missed out by one. The resulting tie was Yorkshire’s second in seven days.

Alex Lees of Durham was probably the most consistent batsman in the group, but Sam Hain’s unbeaten 161 in Warwickshire’s triumph at neighbours Worcestershire was the highest score. His skipper Jeetan Patel was in the wickets but nobody could hold a candle to Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood. He followed an impressive 6-37 against Northamptonshire with a match-winning 5-14 in that brief encounter with Leicestershire at Old Trafford.

In the South, Somerset’s perfect start to the season in red and white-ball cricket came to a surprising end at Bristol on Sunday. Gloucestershire nicked it by four wickets in the final over. Two days earlier, Peter Trego and Azhar Ali had each reached three figures in a double-century stand against Essex, who also inflicted Hampshire’s only defeat of the campaign. Captain James Vince powered his way back into the England one-day set-up with 190 against Gloucestershire, ably assisted by Liam Dawson who enjoyed a strong week with both bat and ball.

In the absence of the apparently over-worked Buttler and Bairstow and injured Billings and Pope, Surrey ‘keeper Ben Foakes made himself indispensible to the national selectors. Despite his 187 runs and Morne Morkel’s nine wickets, Surrey still boast just a single victory so far, against the inconsistent Essex outfit. However, they sit above Kent who have yet to register any success at all. Glamorgan had Billy Root’s 111 not out largely to thank for their maiden success of the summer, the hapless Surrey their victims.

Sussex may not be at the top but I can’t ignore Luke Wright. Thrashing 166 in 142 balls, he took Middlesex apart in what proved to be not only his own best-ever one-day innings but also topped Chris Adams’ twenty-year List A record for the county.

Next week’s highlights include current table-toppers in battle. At the weekend, Nottinghamshire meet Durham at Grantham and Somerset welcome Hampshire to Taunton.  On Sunday, Glamorgan will travel to Middlesex, leaving Sophia Gardens free for England and Pakistan to contest a T20 international – and I’ll be there!

Team of the Week: Rutherford (Wor), Godleman (Der), Wright (Sus), Vince (Ham), Hain (War), Foakes (Sur +), Dawson (Ham), Patel (War), Sowter (Mid), Morkel (Sur), Saqib Mahmood (Lan)