Kiran Carlson’s magnificent century ended Glamorgan’s 2024 Vitality Blast campaign in record-breaking fashion with a convincing 120-run win over Somerset.
The Glamorgan captain’s hard hitting 135 from just 64 balls after winning the toss and opting to bat got the hosts to the highest total of the 2024 Blast and their best in the competition with 243 for four before Somerset fell to 123 all out.
Marnus Labuschagne filleted the Somerset tail with the final seven wickets falling for just 35 runs thanks to a 15-ball spell, with the Australian taking figures of five for 11 - the best-ever for the Welsh county in the competition - including a triple-wicket maiden.
Glamorgan’s win was in vain as they finished the Blast in sixth in the South Group while Somerset have qualified for the quarter final, although they await a result from Sussex for who their opposition will be.
Glamorgan’s record-breaking innings started with no sense of abnormality with Craig Overton’s first over of the match going for seven runs. However, 16 and 15 coming from the second and fifth over respectively helped Glamorgan to 66 without loss from the first six overs.
Carlson’s blistering start, in particular, didn’t look like coming to an end as he brought up his fifty after 28 deliveries.
England international Jack Leach showed his experience as he allowed just four singles from the eighth over but the Glamorgan captain and Will Smale’s destructive opening partnership of 169 demonstrated no change in fortune for Somerset.
Carlson and Smale then brought up their personal milestones in successive overs. Carlson’s first ever century in T20 cricket followed by Smale’s first ever half-century in professional cricket, the latter including a ramp for six off Somerset seamer Riley Merideth despite two fielders behind the wicketkeeper placed on the boundary.
The partnership eventually came to an end when Smale holed out to Sean Dickson at deep midwicket off Ben Green.
Colin Ingram’s partnership of 44 with the centurion kept the run rate flying towards the highest total in Glamorgan’s blast history.
Carlson’s knock came to an end in the 18th over when he played Meredeth up to Tom Abell at mid off, walking off with the highest score by an individual in a T20 for Glamorgan.
It became 234 for three as Chris Cooke’s 10-ball cameo of 16 was ended by an impressive boundary catch by a hopping Overton off Green’s bowling.
Jake Ball ended his spell with the best economical figures (zero for 38) with some smart right-arm-around-the-wicket wide yorkers to restrict the final over to nine; Ingram run out off the final ball for 21.
Somerset’s unlikely pursuit began strongly with 25 coming from Douthwaite in the second over. 36 for no loss from two overs quickly became 40 for two just five balls later with Timm van der Gugten picking up the wickets of Tom Banton and Tom Kohler-Cadmore in consecutive deliveries.
Kellaway picked up his first ever Blast wicket when George Thomas miscued the 20-year-old off-spinner to cover for 16, leaving the total identical to Glamorgan’s 66 from the powerplay.
Runs continued to flow for the west countrymen, however it didn’t stop continuous wickets. Dickson (12) and Abell (29) both getting starts before the introduction of Marnus Labuschagne into the bowling attack in his final Glamorgan match of 2024 brought a collapse as the Welsh county eased to a 120-run victory - their largest-ever margin of victory in the competition.