Royal London One-Day Cup
Hampshire (250-6) beat Somerset (249) by four wickets

RILEE Rossouw returned from injury to inspire Hampshire to victory as they handed Somerset their first defeat in this season's Royal London One-Day Cup.

Gareth Berg took 3-44 as Somerset were all out for 249 in 44.2 overs, Dean Elgar top scoring for the hosts with 78.

It never looked like being a high enough total, and so it proved as Rossouw blitzed his way to 156 as the visitors won by four wickets.

With a crowd of more than 3,500 at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Hampshire won the toss and put Somerset in to bat, and as against Surrey the hosts made a dreadful start.

Openers Ryan Davies (in for the injured Steve Davies) and captain Jim Allenby fell in the first two overs, lbw to Kyle Abbott and caught and bowled by Fidel Edwards, respectively.

Peter Trego was dropped by James Vince, and went on to score a rapid half-century off 41 balls to rebuild the innings with Elgar.

Trego was clean bowled by Berg on 55, and Berg then saw James Hildreth (3) caught on the boundary.

That meant Somerset were 92-4 after 17 overs, but Elgar and Adam Hose put together a good partnership until Hose was caught by Liam Dawson off Mason Crane's bowling for 50.

Roelof van der Merwe made a rapid 19 but was then run out after a miscommunication between himself and Elgar, which sparked a collapse.

Craig Overton (0), Adam Davey (2) and Elgar (78) fell victim to Crane, Berg and Dawson, respectively, as Somerset fell from 198-5 to 224-9 in the space of six overs.

Jamie Overton scored a couple of sixes on his way to 28, but was then dismissed by Edwards to set Hampshire a target of 250 to win.

Tom Alsop disappeared without scoring, caught by Van der Merwe off Craig Overton, but that mattered little as Rossouw showed himself to be in a different league to everyone else today.

He smashed his way to a half-century off 31 balls, then a century off 73, before finally falling for 156 (his highest career one-day score), as Jamie Overton had him caught by sub John Myburgh (Craig Overton suffering a stomach complaint).

Jamie Overton took 4-64 in total, dismissing George Bailey, Dawson and Sean Ervine as well as Rossouw, but by that time Hampshire were well on the way to victory.

Lewis McManus and Berg saw them over the line, McManus winning the match with successive sixes, as they passed Somerset's total having used up 37.2 of their overs.

Somerset have now won four and lost one of their opening One-Day Cup matches this season, and face Gloucestershire in Bristol this Friday as they look to bounce back quickly.