MATCH REPORT | SOMERSET V MIDDLESEX
Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network.
Pieter Malan’s 14th List A century kept Middlesex riding high at the top of the Royal London Cup Group A table with a thrilling one-wicket victory over Somerset at Taunton.
The 33-year-old South African made 110, from 93 balls, with 3 sixes, and 11 fours as his side chased down a target of 336 with four balls to spare. Sam Robson contributed 76 and Max Holden 71.
Somerset posted 335 for six after losing the toss, Matt Renshaw top scoring with 120, including 3 sixes and 9 fours, while teenager James Rew hit 114, off 120 balls, his maiden List A hundred.
Their efforts were not enough to prevent the hosts suffering a fifth defeat in as many group matches – even though Middlesex almost self-destructed in the closing overs.
When Andrew Umeed and Lewis Goldsworthy departed in the first ten overs to Yadav and Martin Andersson, it was a familiar tale for Somerset, who gave a debut to 17-year-old all-rounder Josh Thomas.
But Rew was dropped on 26 by Toby Greatwood at mid-on, off Andersson, and it proved an expensive error as he and Renshaw went on to add 219 in 30.3 overs.
Renshaw produced some flowing off-drives, while clubbing anything short of a length into the leg side. The first of the Australian’s 3 sixes sent the ball over long-off and into the River Tone off leg-spinner Luke Hollman.
Rew was less aggressive, but found some exquisite angles to pick up ones and twos, keeping the scoreboard ticking.
Renshaw reached a 92-ball hundred by smacking an Andersson full toss for four. Rew, who had been dropped again on 87 at cover off Malan, followed to three figures off 109 deliveries, with 8 fours.
They had taken the total to 256 in the 40th over when Renshaw holed out to long-on off Max Harris. Rew followed, miscuing a Yadav full toss to mid-off.
Somerset were unable to accelerate in the closing overs. But when Middlesex slipped to 24 for two, Mark Stoneman bowled by Sonny Baker and Stephen Eskinazi dragging a ball from Kasey Aldridge onto his stumps, the target appeared a long way off.
Robson and Malan then began to set about the home attack, Malan hitting Baker for successive boundaries and Robson doing the same to Ben Green before his partner launched the first six of the innings in an over that cost Somerset’s captain 16 runs.
The pair brought the hundred up in the 14th over, both timing the ball with confidence on the true surface and moving to untroubled half-centuries.
Robson had hit 10 fours when mistiming a shot off Baker and lifting a catch to mid-off with the total on 163 and the stand worth 139 in 22.1 overs.
Malan responded to the setback by hitting Aldridge for three fours, while Holden batted positively from the start to keep pressure off his partner, who moved to a chanceless ton off 85 balls with a boundary off Renshaw.
Holden had reached a 49-ball fifty by the time the centurion fell to a catch at deep backward square off the expensive Ollie Sale. By then just 67 runs were needed from 10.1 overs.
Joe Cracknell fell to Alfie Ogborne, the pick of Somerset’s bowlers, and Hollman also went quickly. Holden holed out to deep point off Baker, having struck 8 fours, and at 310 for seven, Middlesex needed 25 off as many balls.
Yadav nicked what would have been a leg side wide off Sale through to Rew. But Baker’s wild no-ball with the first delivery of the 49th over offered a free hit and Andersson dispatched it for a straight six put his side on the brink of victory.
With the scores level at the start of the final over, Andersson was run out by Renshaw attempting a single to mid-on. But Harris kept his head to mark his List A debut by hitting the next ball for the winning run.
Somerset
Middlesex
