Vitality Blast

Kent 231-5 beat Somerset 226-5 by 5 runs

SOMERSET fell just short of completing the highest ever domestic T20 run chase in a thriller against Kent at Canterbury – and must now wait to discover if they will play a home quarter-final.

The visitors took their pursuit of a mammoth 232 to the very last ball but, in the end, six ‘time’ penalty runs awarded to the hosts proved the difference as Somerset came up five runs shy.

Home skipper Sam Billings (57*) top scored as his side racked up 231-5, with wayward bowling, extras and those aforementioned penalty runs all conspiring to punish the visitors.

Somerset were going well in response at 133-3 after 12 but the departure of Corey Anderson (23) proved a turning point as late fireworks from Lewis Gregory (44* off 15 balls) proved in vain.

Play started on time at 7pm despite plenty of rain throughout the afternoon in the south-east, and Somerset skipper Gregory put Kent in upon winning the toss.

The hosts raced away to begin with, however, laying the foundations for the carnage to come as Joe Denly and Daniel Bell-Drummond punished anything loose in a 67-run opening stand.

Jerome Taylor claimed the much-needed breakthrough in the final over of the powerplay, as Denly guided to Peter Trego at short third-man to depart for 26.

Bell-Drummond (37) followed shortly afterwards, his off stump pegged back by a beauty from Max Waller as Somerset opted for spin in the middle overs – Johann Myburgh’s off-breaks had a rare outing, while Waller (2-29 from four) was again the most economical of the Somerset attack and also claimed the scalp of Heino Kuhn (26).

The pacemen, by contrast, were leaking runs as they struggled to grip the wet ball and Sam Billings and Alex Blake made them pay.

Jamie Overton went for 47 in his 3.4 overs, Lewis Gregory for 40 in four and Jerome Taylor took 2-52 in 3.2 before being removed from the attack after his second above waist-height no-ball.

Taylor’s third over – the 17th of the innings – was particularly damaging, as 25 came from it to leave Kent healthily placed on 182-3.

Alex Blake’s fine innings was ended in spectacular fashion in the following over as Jamie Overton took another special boundary catch – leaping high, he managed to hold on to the ball and stay just the right side of the rope as he landed on the slippery surface.

Taylor removed Stewart for a duck before his spell was prematurely ended – Overton bowled the rest of the penultimate over, but there was further punishment to come before it was out as six penalty runs were added because the 20 overs had not been bowled in time.

Sean Dickson smacked two sixes in the final over and Billings ended with 57 not out as Kent ended on a massive 231-5 – the hosts had more than doubled their score in the final eight overs and Somerset were left with a mountain to climb.

Needing to tee off from the outset, Steve Davies hit the first two balls of the reply for four but lost the company of Johann Myburgh (4) in the third over, superbly caught by Imrain Qayyum running back from mid-off.

Davies and Peter Trego each found the boundary regularly, reaching 73-1 after seven overs as the stand passed 50, but Trego was visibly frustrated when he fell for an 18-ball 30 having sent a Denly long-hop straight to deep square-leg.

Having played himself back into some form, Davies fell five runs short of his half-century when he chipped Qayyum to Denly at extra-cover and Corey Anderson was promoted up the order with Somerset needing 141 from 10.4 overs.

He and James Hildreth each belted sixes into the surrounding flats as the visitors continued to make a competitive fist of the chase – they ended the 12th over 18 runs ahead of where Kent had been at the same stage.

It took the intervention of Taunton-born seamer Calum Haggett to turn the game back in the home side’s direction, as he drew a top edge from Anderson and wicketkeeper Billings took a fine catch on the run.

The New Zealander’s departure sapped Somerset’s momentum and the boundaries began to dry up, as Tom Abell struggled to get going while big hitters Lewis Gregory and Roelof van der Merwe remained in the dugout.

Hildreth holed out to fine-leg for a well-made 45 from 27 balls, but Gregory immediately showed why he perhaps should have been pushed up the order as he cleared the ropes from the off and set home nerves jangling.

A boundary moved Gregory to 31 from eight balls and the score past 200 before Adam Milne became the second bowler in the match to be taken out the attack for too many high no-balls.

Somerset needed 18 from the final over and the controversy was not yet finished – Heino Kuhn’s sliding stop on the fence was adjudged to be clean, leaving Somerset needing 10 from two as opposed to eight.

That became seven from the final ball, but Abell could only find a single as Kent ran out victors in an absorbing contest – they have now won 14 of the last 15 matches between the two sides in all competitions.

Gloucestershire’s home defeat to Sussex helps Somerset’s cause, but convincing wins for Kent and Gloucestershire on Friday night could yet knock Somerset into third.

Gregory told Sky Sports afterwards: “Personally I don’t think you can blame the penalty runs – we were pretty poor in those last two overs. It’s difficult to get 20 overs in an hour and a quarter when the ball is going everywhere.

“We weren’t quite at it with the ball today. We’ve been brilliant in the past seven matches and fortunately we have already done enough to qualify.

“We back our batters and Abes [Tom Abell] has played really nicely this year. I hit some nice ones at the end but equally I could have hit one straight up [had I gone in earlier] – it’s one of those things.”

Kent skipper Sam Billings said: “Every other T20 tournament in the world gives an hour and 20 minutes – I would ask that this competition gives us that extra five minutes. The quality of cricket is so high and it is a shame to compromise that.”