Glamorgan completed their pre-season preparations with a four-wicket victory over Somerset – last year’s runners-up in the Bob Willis Trophy – in their friendly at Taunton, with both Nick Selman and Kiran Carlson making unbeaten fifties, before Dan Douthwaite made 36 from as many balls as the Welsh county successfully chased a target of 272 on the final afternoon.
Close of Play report
When play began for the final session, Nick Selman retired on 50 having added 70 for the second wicket with Chris Cooke with Kiran Carlson joining his captain with 151 needed. Having opted for the spin combination of Roelof van der Merwe and Jack Leach before tea, Somerset recalled Marchant de Lange to the attack in tandem with the left-arm seam of Tom Lammonby. Carlson began with a pair of cover driven fours, followed by a thick outside edge against Lammonby with the ball racing to the vacant third man boundary.
Cooke twice punched de Lange off the back foot through extra-cover but one run short of a deserved fifty he edged de Lange into Abell’s hands at first slip. 148/3 saw Callum Taylor join Carlson who dispatched de Lange in front of and behind the point boundary for a pair of crisply-struck fours. Jack Brooks then had a second spell and saw Carlson firstly drill an overpitched delivery through the covers before playing a pair of pulls as the runs continued to flow.
On 38 Carlson had a life as Ed Byrom at fine-leg dropped another pull which the youngster played against a short ball from Brooks as the target dropped below 100. Van der Merwe then rejoined the attack and was swept for four by Carlson before Taylor swatted Brooks for four followed by a thick outside edge to the ropes at third man. Carlson completed his half-century from 45 balls shortly before the start of the final hour by cover-driving Brooks to register his tenth four.
He then retired with Dan Douthwaite making his way to the middle with 54 runs required as Tom Abell replaced the expensive Brooks. The all-rounder began by scything van der Merwe through point for four before unfurling a booming off-drive against Abell, followed by successive cover driven fours against the Somerset captain as well as a huge pull for six and another off-driven four in an expensive over. Douthwaite then clubbed van der Merwe to the mid-wicket boards before Taylor late cut Abell.
With two runs needed Douthwaite was l.b.w. trying to reverse-sweep van der Merwe before Taylor edged Abell to Hildreth at first slip. Joe Cooke then drove van der Merwe for a single before Timm van der Gugten flicked the spinner to fine-leg as Glamorgan sealed a four-wicket victory.
Teatime Update
Following Tom Abell’s declaration at 12.50pm, Nick Selman and David Lloyd made a breezy start to Glamorgan’s pursuit of their target of 272 as Craig Overton and Jack Brooks shared the new ball. Lloyd dispatched Brooks’ first delivery through the covers for four, followed three balls later with a repeat of the stroke off a no- ball from the headband-wearing bowler. Lloyd then flicked Overton to long-leg before again off-driving a Brooks no-ball for another boundary, whilst Selman also drilled Brooks through mid-wicket for four.
Marchant de Lange entered the attack after nine overs and was square-driven for four by Lloyd, whilst Selman drove Brooks through extra-cover to bring up the fifty stand in the tenth over. But next over de Lange ended Lloyd’s tenure of the crease as he departed l.b.w., and the fast bowler might have taken a second wicket in the over but Josh Davey spilled a catch at short mid-wicket to give Selman a life.
Jack Leach entered the attack in the 19th over and bowled in tandem with Davey who was pulled for four by Selman who next ball edged the Scotsman through the slips for another boundary as the runs required dipped below the 200-mark. After a period of quiet reconnaissance, Chris Cooke pulled Abell for six when his opposite number replaced Davey at the Old Pavilion End, whilst Selman clipped Leach to the ropes at mid-wicket.
Cooke swatted Abell for another four through backward point before flicking his opposite number to the ropes at long-leg to bring up the 100 in the 26th over. Selman also pulled Abell for four before completing his fifty shortly before tea by on-driving Leach for four.
Lunchtime report
Somerset began the morning on 121/1, already with a 145-run lead over the Welsh county and, with the prospect of a run chase later today by Glamorgan, their batsmen were looking for quick runs in the morning session. The two Tom’s – Messrs. Lammonby and Abell – resumed against Joe Cooke and Lukas Carey with Abell on-driving Cooke for four before Lammonby flicked Carey to the ropes at fine-leg. Abell found the ropes again as he nurdled Cooke to third man before cover-driving and on-driving Carey and then retiring unbeaten on 37.
His departure saw James Hildreth join Lammonby who again flicked a ball, this time from Cooke, to fine-leg before his new partner opened his account in the same manner. Callum Taylor then entered the fray and was cover-driven by Hildreth before Lammonby on-drove and leg-glanced Carey for further boundaries as Somerset’s lead went past 200. He then greeted the return of Cooke to the attack by lofting him through mid-off for four before reaching his century with a lofted on-drive for six against Taylor.
With the total on 198/3, Lammonby also retired and was replaced by George Bartlett who began with a cover-drive for four against Taylor. Hildreth then square-cut the spinner before Bartlett drilled Cooke through backward point. Billy Root then returned to the attack at the River End as the Somerset batsmen continued to quietly accumulate in one’s and two’s against the spinners. However, with the total on 240 Bartlett was bowled by a delivery from Taylor which scuttled through before two runs later the spinner had Ed Byrom deftly stumped by Tom Cullen as the batsman jaywalked down the pitch.
His departure saw James Rew, the schoolboy keeper and member of the Somerset Academy, join Hildreth for his first taste of batting for the 1st XI prior to the declaration, but with the total on 247 Hildreth edged Taylor to David Lloyd at first slip whereupon Tom Abell declared leaving Glamorgan a target of 272 in the two remaining sessions.
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