Peter Trego’s fantastic century gave Somerset a six-wicket win in the Royal London One-Day Cup over Middlesex. Middlesex raced to 86 from 17 overs before Ryan Higgins was caught off Trego for 39, his highest List A score.
39 runs came off the next six overs before Trego got his second, Paul Stirling for 58. After a century two days earlier, England captain Eoin Morgan could only make 13 as he went to Lewis Gregory, caught by that man Trego.
Middlesex were in a strong position at 173-3 before Australian George Bailey was Jim Allenby’s second catch, but Nick Gubbins was frustrating Somerset’s bowlers at the other end.
Bailey went on to make 89 from 78 balls when he was the seventh man out, but not before he’d shared a 58-run partnership with John Simpson, who struck 27 from 25.
James Fuller hammered a late 42 from 26 balls, including two sixes, to take Middlesex’s total to a promising 296-9 from their 50 overs. Trego finished with 2-27, whilst Roelof van der Merwe also claimed two scalps.
Middlesex made a breakthrough in the second over, as Jim Allenby was caught off James Harris for a fourth-ball duck, but Somerset were well on top. Mahela Jayawardene and Trego shared a stand of 77 for the second wicket, after Johann Myburgh was forced to retire hurt with a back injury on 22.
Ollie Rayner took the crucial wicket of Jayawardene for 28 off 31 balls and, after a slow 9 from 17 balls, James Hildreth was Ryan Higgins’ first victim for 9. Trego was going well at the other end and found another partner in Lewis Gregory, who was to hit 69 of his own.
They put on 86 for the fourth wicket in just 15 overs, as Trego reached his seventh List A century before being bowled by Ollie Rayner for 104 with nine fours and a six. Gregory carried Somerset’s chase till he was the sixth man out for 69 from 77 balls.
That left Somerset 278-6 after van der Merwe had smashed 41 from 25, but Craig Overton and Josh Davey saw Somerset home with six balls to spare as they reached 297-6, Rayner the pick of Middlesex’s bowlers with 2-40 from ten overs.