Despite an unbeaten 84 by Tom Cooper, Glamorgan defeated Somerset by two runs under the DLS Method in their rain-affected NatWest T20 Blast game at the SSE SWALEC.
Overnight rain followed by morning drizzle threatened to wash out the match completely for the second year in a row, but conditions eased around 1.15pm, and with an extra hour at their disposal, the umpires - Neil Mallender and David Millns - decreed that play would begin on time at 2.30pm.
Glamorgan duly announced the same team as last night, and after winning the toss, Jacques Rudolph opted to bowl first with Wayne Parnell taking the new ball against Marcus Trescothick and Jim Allenby. It was an eventful first over as Parnell beat the outside edge of Trescothick's bat before trapping him leg before with the fifth delivery. With three slips in place for the final ball, Peter Trego cover drove the ball for four. Allenby also square drove Hogan for four before repeating the stroke against Parnell.
But the drizzle which had been falling then intensified and the players left the field after 3.2 overs. It was only a passing shower and play resumed 37 minutes later with no overs being lost. Parnell made a further incision with his first delivery after the resumption as Allenby edged an expansive drive to Rudolph at second slip as the visitors slipped to 15/2.
After some singles by Trego and James Hildreth, Craig Meschede entered the attack and with his fourth delivery he had Trego caught behind as he miscued a pull. B26/3 saw Tom Cooper join Hildreth who cover drove and straight drove Graham Wagg for a pair of fours when the left-armer entered the fray. Glamorgan then turned to the spin of Dean Cosker, plus an over from Rudolph himself before Meschede returned and was twice cut for four by Cooper.
But with the total on 73, Cosker bowled Hildreth as the Somerset man attempted a forcing shot off the back foot. The spinner then gained a second scalp as Johann Myburgh after cover driving the evergreen twirler then drilled a ball back into his hands. Cooper responded by pulling Cosker's final delivery for six. Wagg nearly removed Lewis Gregory but Meschede at short fine-leg spilled the chance.
Cooper celebrated by lapping Wagg to fine-leg for six before hoisting Meschede over extra cover for six when the all-rounder returned for the 18
th over. Another lofted four over backward point saw the Australian complete a 30-ball fifty, followed by an on-drive for six and another deft lap for four as well as a pull to square leg in an over which cost 25 runs. The boundaries continued as Gregory flicked Wagg for six before Cooper twice harpooned Wagg over square-leg and mid-wicket for a pair of massive sixes.. No boundaries though came in Hogan's final over as Somerset ended on 159/5.
Rudolph and Meschede began Glamorgan's chase as Allenby opened the bowling. Trescothick behind the stumps failed to grasp an inside-edge from Rudolph off the fourth ball, before Meschede drilled the last ball of the over to long-off. He unfurled another expansive blow over the ropes at mid-wicket for six in Allenby's second over, followed a by another drive over long-on for a second six in the over.
Meschede then tried to loft Sohair Tanvir over the ropes at mid-wicket but Gregory took a fine one-handed catch on the boundary's edge. This saw Colin Ingram arrive in the middle just as heavy drizzle started to fall, and the South African unfurled two cover drives in Alfonso Thomas' opening over to nose the Welsh county ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis par score. Another boundary by Rudolph in Gregory's opening over saw Glamorgan reach 43/1 at the end of six overs, and two runs ahead of the par score of 41 as the rains intensified and sent the players from the field. The precipitation continued and play was called off at 6pm, as Glamorgan secured another victory to lift them further up the table.