A career-best 66 by Nick Selman plus a nerveless final spell by Marchant de Lange saw Glamorgan defeat Somerset by one run at Taunton to put the Welsh county back on top of the table and a place in the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast
With a close eye being kept on the matches at The Oval and Bristol, the Welsh county named an unchanged starting line-up as they looked to bounce back after their eight-wicket defeat against Hampshire at The Ageas Bowl on Thursday evening. Somerset were also looking to return to winning ways after their loss yesterday to the Kent Spitfires on a pitch which is being used again this afternoon.
With a worn surface Max Waller and Roelof van der Merwe opened the bowling, with Nick Selman lofting the latter over extra cover for four, whilst Aneurin Donald on-drove the spinner for four. Selman lofted Craig Overton’s first delivery to long-off before glancing his third to fine-leg for four, before smearing Paul van Meekeren over the head of backward point for another boundary.
Selman continued to be the aggressor as he pulled Lewis Gregory for four before lofting him to the ropes at long-off for another firmly struck boundary. He then pulled Gregory for four as Glamorgan raced past the fifty mark in the fifth over, before swatting van Meekeren to the fine-leg ropes as Glamorgan ended the powerplays on 64/0.
Donald greeted the return of van der Merwe by square-driving and straight-driving the spinner for successive fours before reverse-sweeping Waller for four. Selman then completed his maiden fifty in the competition – from 26 balls – before Donald hoisted Overton into Dean Elgar’s hands on the square-leg boundary.
87/1 saw Colin Ingram make his way to the middle and he began with a cut for four against Jim Allenby whilst Selman continued to work the ball around for one’s and two’s as Glamorgan the 100-mark in the 11th over. Ingram celebrated by pummelling Overton through extra-cover for four. But with the total on 127 Selman’s innings came to an end as he was stumped by Davies for 66.
One run later Chris Cooke was yorked by van Meekeran as Graham Wagg joined Ingram. He opened his account with a slashed four to third man against the Dutchman. Ingram then pulled van der Merwe for four and six to the legside boards before being caught at deep mid-wicket off Gregory with the total on 154. Wagg, who was joined by Jacques Rudolph, responded by gleefully pulling Gregory for a huge six over deep mid-wicket before drilling him for four to long-off.
Rudolph then harpooned Overton for a six over long-on before being caught at third man attempting another maximum. But Wagg continued the boundary count by smashing Overton for four through point. Craig Meschede ran some swift singles before being run out backing up off the penultimate ball as the ball cannoned off van Meekeran’s outstretched hands and into the stumps.
Glamorgan ended on 183/6 before Davies and Gregory began the Somerset chase, but Andrew Salter struck with his fourth ball as Davies steered a ball to de Lange at backward point with just a single on the board. Gregory responded by swatting Michael Hogan to mid-wicket and long-off for a pair of fours before Johann Myburgh late cut Salter for four.
Gregory then lofted Salter over long-on for six but he perished next over as he swatted Wagg into de Lange’s hands at deep square-leg with Somerset on 26/2 with the strains of “Bread of Heaven” echoing around the ground from a phalanx of Welsh supporters. Dean Elgar began by on-driving Wagg for four whilst Myburgh hoisted Salter for another maximum over square-leg before scything de Lange over point for four.
A cover driven four by Elgar against de Lange saw Somerset to the 50-mark in the sixth over before the South African hoisted Ingram for six over mid-wicket. Myburgh greeted the introduction of Lukas Carey by clubbing him to backward point for four before two fours to mid-wicket against Meschede, but next over Elgar’s cameo ended as he drilled a slower ball from Hogan to Selman at mid-on.
87/3 saw Hildreth join Myburgh with 97 needed off 10.4 overs and they kept the momentum going with some swiftly run singles but with the total on 102 Hildreth steered Wagg to Carey at short third man. With Allenby as his new partner, Myburgh completed his fifty from 33 balls by pulling Ingram for six before clipping him for four to third man as the target became 66 from 42 balls.
Myburgh then glanced Wagg to fine-leg for four before launching him over extra-cover for four to reduce the equation to 54 from 36 deliveries. Allenby responded by straight driving Ingram for four before Myburgh swept the leg-spinner for four to the ropes at mid-wicket. He followed this next over by clipping a full toss from de Lange for four to fine-leg before Allenby brought up the fifty stand by pulling de Lange for four as the task became 30 off four overs.
Myburgh duly threaded a ball from Hogan to the ropes at third man but it was the only boundary in the over and with the total on 164 de Lange ran out Allenby in his follow through before two balls later yorking Myburgh for 87. Roelof van der Merwe and Peter Trego joined forces with 20 needed from the last two overs. The pair ran some furious singles before van der Merwe pulled Hogan for six over square-leg as Somerset entered the last over needing eight to win.
Trego failed to connect with the first delivery before on-driving the second for one. A leg-bye followed from the next delivery before Trego missed the next. He then hit the next straight back to the bowler before hitting the last to extra-cover for four as Glamorgan won another crackerjack by one run.