Glamorgan beat the weather and Somerset to take the Metro Bank One Day Cup
It was a shame that what turned out to be a fiercely contested One Day Cup final, was played in front of just a handful of loyal spectators. As it was, the target of 187 from 20 overs set by Glamorgan always looked a tough ask for a Somerset batting line up with just two of their regular T20 side. Despite 44 from 20 balls from their skipper Sean Dickson, coming in at six, his dismissal in the 18th over brought an end to Somerset’s challenge. For Glamorgan, it was their red ball captain Sam Northeast who held their innings together, making an unbeaten 63 from 49 balls and he was rightfully given the Man of the Match award.
It was huge credit to the Trent Bridge ground staff that they were able to start pretty well on time on the reserve day, as most people had looked at the forecast and thought it a forlorn enterprise. Sensibly the officials and teams had agreed to a 20-over-a-side game, given the likelihood of further rain and this would be in Glamorgan’s favour. The make up of the Glamorgan squad means that all their players have been involved in their 20 over side, while Somerset’s One Day cup side have little experience of the format. Somerset should be applauded for using the same players that have taken them to the final, but were doubly penalised by the shortened game.
Unsurprisingly Sean Dickson put Glamorgan into bat when he won the toss and Glamorgan brought in Tom Bevan for Asa Tribe with Kiran Carlson moving up to open. Riley Meredith was replaced by left arm seamer Alfie Ogborne in the Somerset side and it was he that struck first under distinctly misty conditions, taking the wickets of Carlson and Bevan in the second over. However Will Smale rode his luck and struck some lusty blows over his favoured leg side, to see Glamorgan to 39/2 at the end of the four over powerplay.
He fell to an excellent diving catch by Dickson off the bowling of Kasey Aldridge for 28 off 14 balls and the Glamorgan 50 came up off 37 balls. Colin Ingram (11) went to George Thomas’ third ball and Glamorgan were 65/4 after 8.3 overs with it looking tough to get the ball away against some accurate bowling.
At the halfway stage Glamorgan had reached 71/4 with Billy Root having joined Sam Northeast. Root added some impetus to the innings and 100 came up at the end of the 13th over, Root having made 25 from 17 balls. Northeast then joined the party as the 15th over, bowled by Aldridge, went for 29. Northeast’s 50 came off 39 balls.
Root was dismissed by Thomas in the 17th over for 39 from 28 balls, having put on 78 for the fifth wicket with Northeast. Douthwaite then followed, run out after a high full toss had been called as a no ball. Timm van der Gugten played a crucial cameo of an innings, making 26 from just nine balls and Glamorgan would have been satisfied with their final total of 186/7. Despite the presence of Jack Leach in their eleven, Somerset had stuck with seam, Thomas the pick of the bowlers with two for 23 from his four overs.
Glamorgan’s bowlers have been the most miserly in this competition and it was going to need a big effort from Somerset to overhaul the target set. After a tight opening two overs, Thomas (13) struck two boundaries in the third, before attempting a quick single off the last ball and, once sent back by Andrew Umeed, was stranded. Somerset were falling behind at 19/1 from the first four overs, but the introduction of spin in the form of Ben Kellaway in the seventh over allowed them to pick up 11 runs and Umeed was up and running. 13 from the next over, bowled by Andy Gorvin, meant Somerset were back in the game. Glamorgan only had four seam options and Umeed picked up another 11 runs from Kellaway’s next over, although the bowler gained some respite when Lewis Goldsworty skied a ball to Jamie McIlroy at mid on for 11.
After 10 overs Somerset had reached 68/2, compared to Glamorgan’s 71/4 and the question was whether Somerset could match Glmaorgan’s acceleration. James Rew, who had been the saviour of Somerset in the Blast semi final, had joined Umeed and was straight into his work, but the required rate was over 12 an over. Gorvin picked up the vital wicket of Umeed (45), Smale taking an excellent catch standing up and Somerset were 85/3 after 12 overs, needing 102 from 48 balls. Rew was playing some classic drives and Somerset were going to need him to go big if they were to get home, but Kellaway held his nerve and Rew (19) top edged a sweep, Smale taking the catch.
The lack of T20 batters in the Somerset line up was showing, but Vaughan then struck Gorvin for back to back sixes in the 14th over and Somerset needed 84 from 36 balls. Glamorgan’s leading bowler, Van der Gugten returned to bowl his last over in the 15th and Dickson promptly hoisted the first ball over the mid wicket boundary. Another six meant 17 came from the over and the equation was 67 from 30 balls. DIckson then dispatched McIlroy’s first ball of the next over for six and Dickson had scored 23 off 9 balls and the question was why had he not come in earlier?
Dickson and Vaughan kept plundering the bowling and the requirement was brought down to 32 from 15 balls. They had put on 66 from 30 balls, but some clever bowling from Gorvin followed Dickson as he attempted a reverse sweep and Ingram took the catch at short third man. Dickson had scored 44 from 20 balls and his departure looked to be the wicket Glamorgan needed. There was then a poor piece of cricket as a skied shot from Green into the off side was dropped by Carlson and then with Vaughan stranded half way down the pitch the run out opportunity was squandered. After 18 overs the scores were level, with 29 required. McIlroy completed an excellent spell of bowling, conceding just six from the 19th over and Douthwaite completed the bowling responsibilities to finish with one for 30 from his four overs. Vaughan ended on 32 not out and Somerset on 171/6, falling 15 runs short.
As the players left the field, the rain started falling and the powers that be should be congratulated for some common sense decisions being made.
It has been a tough nine days for Somerset, falling just short in three competitions, but on reflection they have had an excellent season and cannot be far away from silverware. Meanwhile Glamorgan will be celebrating a second success in this competition in the space of four years, but they sit a good way below Somerset in the overall quality of their squad and cannot allow this victory to divert them from the need for improvement.
