Former Somerset, Taunton St Andrew’s and Kings College, left hander Byrom struck a third consecutive One-Day Cup 50 and some as Glamorgan chased down Somerset’s below-par 298-7 with eventually just 2.5 overs and two wickets remaining.
Ben Kellaway with another Metrobank One-Day Cup three-fer, backed up by 74* from Billy Root, after skipper Kiran Carlson’s 75 off 57 balls should have ensured his side returned home over the Severn Bridge as comfortable winners.
But it got ridiculously close after Byrom fell on 249-5, Glammy losing five wickets for 37 runs, Andy Umeed, after his first innings 116, taking three of them!
Gorvin atoned for his failed last ball assault for six here in 2021, hitting the winning runs come 6pm tonight!
George Thomas got Somerset off to the cracking start that he is picked for. 41 off 28 balls, 60-1 when he was out in the ninth over, read on though, despite this Somerset still lost the battle of the first power plays.
Glamorgan’s best bowler Timm van der Gugten, with all his international experience for the Netherlands, had him caught at close mid on for his first of 2-41 including two early maidens.
Two balls in the 17th over, captain Kiran Carlson’s first, gripped, spat and turned ferociously. Carlson’s alright balls going for singles and his rank balls being got away with for dots or singles too.
Having failed in the two warm up fixtures and the first match in this competition, Umeed was shown all of Paul Tweddle’s faith, and boy has he since repaid him. The 34 v Worcestershire seemed a wasted start, but since then he’s scored 77, 119, 55, 36 and…today.
Umeed reached 50 off 66 deliveries in the 20th over.
19-year-old Kellaway, with three 3-fers in this competition, came on from the Trescothick Pavilion end for the 27th over.
Somerset’s one and three put on 113 before Goldsworthy attempted to up the rate aerially, pulling Zain-ul-Hassan to former Somerset man Eddie Byrom in the deep. With arguably Somerset’s best three batters here today, James Rew, George Bartlett and Sean Dickson all still in the shed and all having batted across the top six, with less than 20 overs to go, this was an understandable risk taken by the Cornishman who had struck just one boundary in his 36 off 54 balls.
Within his first 10 balls, Rew reverse swept Kellaway, ran down and bopped Hasan for four over mid on dismissively, and as if saying ‘you’re not good enough to bowl at me,’ then attempted a paddle sweep off the seamer from outside off stump. He then hit him one yard from the rope for a one bounce four.
Vice captain Rew’s aggression almost motivating Umeed to his century, he went down town from 91-97 in one blow, but then ran out his vice-skipper just as we were looking forward to 15 overs of all Rew’s finest stroke play. If he had run straight away Rew would have made it, but was wary if Carlson had picked up cleanly, in the end he was just out at the striker’s end even with the Glammy captain’s fumble.
Dickson oddly pushed himself ahead of Bartlett, but his proactivity cost him, bowled advancing to Kellaway for 5, and with two quick wickets Somerset were 207-4.
Umeed went back into his shell, never taking Kellaway over mid off, until first ball of the third powerplay, the first that saw mid off back to long off, decided to attempt to clear Gorvin, and did not. Three shy of his Somerset best scored v Sussex just last week.
Josh Thomas fell early for Kellaway’s third, but George Bartlett and Danny Lamb did eventually provide an exciting finish to keep the ‘family fun day’ audience from the petting zoo/face painting/other entertainment around the ground.
They put on 59, Lamb out in the last for 41 off 27 balls, Bartlett finishing 35* off 28 balls.
Jack Brooks started with a wide long hop crashed through the covers four four, but he bowled Sam Northeast with the third delivery.
Ingram also struck a four early, but, the penultimate ball of the second over saw a diving Rew take the best catch I can remember him taking in a Somerset shirt. 13-2 and the returning Byrom had only faced one ball-off which he was lucky to not chop on from Leonard.
Byrom twice cover drove Brooks for four in the third, as Brooks was only given three overs (1-25) before JT Langridge was brought on-he went for 14 as Carlson unleashed two scoop shots and cut for six in the seventh over of the innings!
The eleventh boundary from these two brought up the 50 partnership, going at over eight an over, 67-2 after eight.
Somerset have not tended to bowl many maiden overs this tournament, and Timm van der Gugten did manage two at Mr Umeed in (the third and 11th) Somerset’s innings, these margins perhaps the difference stopping Somerset winning more games of cricket in this competition.
Langridge’s second over went for 14. Glammy dominating the powerplay to the tune of 88-2 after 10.
Carlson barely faced a dot ball, running down to third if he could not hammer boundaries, three sixes helped him to 50 in just the 12th over, and he did not come in until number four remember-the Glammy captain!
Byrom reached 50 in the 14th over thanks to generous fielding from Langridge and Goldsworthy, Brooks the unpleased bowler.
Having been crying out for spin all innings, Lewis Goldsworthy was not given the chance until the 15th over. Lo and behold he bowled the most economical over of the innings so far-just the two off it!
G.Thomas then backed it up with an over for just three, at last Somerset had a string of balls without a boundary-20 balls before Carlson plinked Goldsworthy over midwicket, last ball of the 18th, ruining an otherwise maiden.
Oddly when these two were clawing the game back for Somerset ,Thomas G was taken off having again been one of Somerset’s most economical bowlers this tournament, Lamb going for eight, more than the previous two overs combined.
Carlson timed the pants off a backfoot punch straight to Goldsworthy at point to depart for 75 off 57 balls. An innocuous short ball, the wicket coming out of nowhere, 155-3 after 20.3.
Josh Thomas, who took 3-40 from 10 at Gosforth on Thursday, was not allowed to bowl until the 25th.
Billy Root manipulated the field nicely, but the two spinners now in tandem slowing Glamorgan down.
Rain paused play briefly for afternoon tea. Dickson saw this as a reason to return to Langridge. It did not work, he went for 10 off the over, Byrom into the 90s.
Byrom got to his maiden List-A 100 with a deliberate edge for four in the 32nd over off Leonard. 95 balls with 16 fours.
The ball after Byrom’s 50, Umeed came onto bowl, not with his legbreaks but offbreaks to the two lefthanders. He caused Byrom to run down and miss one, similar to how Dickson did in the first dig.
249-5, six shy of the 100-run partnership between Byrom and Root. Having bigged up former Clifton College schoolboy star Kellaway all day, he inside edged a pull shot, officially bowled by Leonard for 0.
Three wickets in four balls. Suddenly 250-5 with still 49 runs needed and a teenager averaging seven after four innings in this format walking to the middle.
Billy Root, now 31-years-old whilst still looking a young pup, inside edged Leonard also, but for four to reach 50 off 44 balls.
Root survived a direct hit from Leonard when he did not slide his bat in. Next over Horton slapped a Goldsworthy long hop to Bartlett at close cover for nine. 273-6, surely Glammy could not lose this?!
Ul-Hasan kept him company for three, but an Umeed full toss was too tempting, chipping to G.Thomas on the legside boundary. 286-7. Another bizarre, ridiculous dismissal.
AND ANOTHER! Van der Gugten gave Umeed two lbw appeals in two balls…the second was given as the experienced Dutchman tried to mow Umeed over the Ondaatje Pavilion.
10 overs for just 38 from Goldsworthy-well bowled!
Gorvin has history of being on strike at Taunton right at the death, back in 2021 here he needed six off the last ball to win the game-he managed four.
Gorvin the victor this time around as he flicked Leonard through fine leg for four with just 17 balls remaining.
