A superb 96* from just 59 balls by Man-of-the-Match Jim Allenby helped Glamorgan to defeat Somerset by seven runs in another action-packed contest in the NatWest T20 Blast and to lay to rest their Taunton bogey by recording their first win at the ground in the competition for ten years.
The Welsh county made one change to their side from the victory last Friday night at the SWALEC Stadium over the Sussex Sharks, with Andrew Salter replacing Will Owen, but it was the regular pairing of Jim Allenby and Jacques Rudolph who opened the batting after the crowd and players had observed a minute's silence on this, the 70
th anniversary, of the Normandy Landings. Allenby was swiftly into his stride striking Peter Trego for successive fours through the covers and mid-wicket before pulling Craig Overton for six into the stands at mid-wicket.
Rudolph also found the boundary boards, clipping Dirk Nannes for four through mid-wicket whilst Allenby guided Alfonso Thomas' opening delivery to third man for four before on-driving his fifth ball for another boundary. He continued his turbo-charged start by unleashing a fierce cut for four when Overton changed ends, followed by another uppercut to backward point as Glamorgan reached the 50-mark in the 7
th over.
The pair continued to carefully work the ball around as Max Waller's leg-spin was introduced, with Rudolph also reverse-scooping Meschede to long-leg for six followed by a fierce on-drive for four against Waller with Glamorgan reaching 82/0 at the halfway stage. Rudolph then unfurled another high-class shot as he clipped Meschede for four to mid-wicket. In the next over, Allenby completed his 50 from 32 balls with a cut for two but Rudolph then skied the following ball and Trego running back at cover took a good diving catch as Chrois Cooke joined Allenby with the total on 92/1.
Cooke began by slashing Mechede through point for four before bottom-edging a haymaker of a blow to fine-leg. Allenby also off-drove Waller for another scorching four. before lofting the spinner's final ball over long-on for six. Cooke also drilled Overton for six to long-on before being caught at deep square-leg attempting another maximum. With Glamorgan on 128/2, Darren Sammy arrived in the middle and unleashed some frenetic blows, all for singles before Allenby hooked Nannes for four behind square-leg followed by an on-drive for another six.
With the total on 147/3 Sammy edged Thomas into Kieswetter's gloves with Graham Wagg joining Allenby and immediately steering the ball for two behind point. Allenby then steered Nannes through point for four in the penultimate over before Wagg lofted thomas straight for six in the final over as Allenby ended unbeaten on 96 - the third highest individual score for the Club and on the ground where Ian Thomas, ten years ago became the Club's first Twenty20 centurion.
Needing 177 to win, Marcus Trecothick launched Somerset's chase by cover-driving Wagg's second delivery for four but he then edged the fourth ball into Mark Wallace's gloves as the visitors struck an early blow. Trego then despatched Wagg just out of the reach of Michael Hogan at mid-off. But Wagg struck again in his second over as Kieswetter swatted a ball to Andrew Salter at square-leg.
With Somerset on 11/2 Alviro Petersen joined Trego and began with a four square of the wicket on the off-side before lofting Hogan into the stands at long-on for six. The South African then glanced Allenby for four to fine-leg, followed by a pull through mid-wicket and a lofted drive, also for four, to long-on as Somerset reached 42/2 at the end of the powerplays.
Trego also biffed Sammy through mid-wicket and to long-off for a pair of lusty fours, followed by a smeared pull against Cosker for another boundary. Salter then joined Cosker in an all-spin attack and he combined with his colleague as Petersen reverse-swept the off-spinner's second delivery and the left-armer took a brilliant diving catch at backward point as Somerset slipped to 71/3.
With James Hildreth as his new partner, Trego scythed both Cosker and Salter to the boards at mid-wicket, before sweeping the off-spinner to square-leg as the target became 81 in 8 overs and then after a tight over from Sammy, 77 from 7. Trego completed a 37-ball fifty before sweeping Cosker for four as the target became 67 from 36 balls. Trego responded by striking Salter for successive fours as he helped to reduce the equation to 56 from 30 balls.
At this point Hogan returned to the attack and prevented the pair from striking any boundaries to leave Somerset needing 49 from 24 balls. Sammy bowled the seventeenth over but the pair could only score six singles as they entered the last three overs still requiring 43 and a flurry of boundaries. Wagg thwarted their efforts with his first three deliveries before Trego pulled him for six, but the next two balls cost just two runs, and with Hogan remaining in miserly mode and conceding just three singles, Somerset entered the final over still needing 27 to win.
Trego clipped the first ball to the ropes at fine-leg before hoisting the next over long-on for six. He could only manage two and a single off the next two balls. Hildreth struck the next ball for six with seven needed off the last ball which he drilled into Hogan's hands at long-off as Glamorgan secured their first win on Somerset soil in the competition since 2004.