Somerset Crushes Unbeaten Northants in 105-Run Blast Win

Somerset crushed unbeaten Northamptonshire by 105 runs to keep their T20 Blast quarter-final hopes alive.

Setting the Stage

For those spectators who tuned in for the Vitality Blast Men encounter between the reigning champions and the unbeaten group leaders, an exciting, if not close, contest was not on the menu. Somerset arrived at the County Ground in cinch determined to turn the screw.

With a win needed to keep their hopes of a quarter-final appearance alive, they faced a Northamptonshire Steelbacks side that had tasted victory in every home match so far. However, as is often the case in T20 cricket, the unpredictable upset the plans of the powerful.

Rew and Smeed Go Big

From the off, Somerset showed the Steelbacks exactly what to expect from their openers as Thomas Rew and Will Smeed combined to produce a stunning 104-run stand. Rew was in sublime form, hitting the ball beautifully to scamper his way to a well-deserved half-century in his debut T20.

Showing the visitors that he had no fear, the left-hander regularly sent the ball crashing off the back foot to clear the ropes, most notably scoring six sixes in total off speed bowler Calvin Harrison down the ground. Smeed was no less impressive as he smashed 48 off the powerplay and got off to a flyer in the opening over.

A Mid-Innings Slump

However, it was not to last for the ever-resilient Steelbacks, who stemmed the tide when Smeed went for a risky pull shot and was caught in the deep at long-off.

They added a couple of crucial wickets in the next two overs as Tom Kohler-Cadmore failed to clear the ropes and was followed in the same over by the dangerous Sam Northeast, who was caught at long-on. Somerset were then restricted to 167 for 4 by the 17th over and looked set for a below-par total after such a rampant start.

Sams Brings the Heat

Daniel Sams was the next to step up for Somerset and show Northamptonshire exactly what they were in store for the rest of the innings. The exciting all-rounder absolutely thrashed the Steelbacks attack, punishing every bowling mistake with a powerful shot to the boundary.

He launched two consecutive sixes over the fence off Willey and sent one skimming along the leg side in a similar fashion. His 48 runs in the space of only 34 deliveries saw off the tail as Somerset posted a huge total of 223 for 4, with the Australian adding 12 runs off the final over.

Northants Start Fast

Chasing down 224 was always going to be a tall order, but Ricardo Vasconcelos gave the Steelbacks fans hope that an improbable comeback was on the cards. The opener was in sensational form, hitting 21 runs off the first over as he sent Riley Meredith cartwheeling backwards over his head for four consecutive boundaries.

However, the optimism was short-lived as the next over saw Goldsworthy and Overton pegging back the scoring rate, with the latter nailing a vital lbw against Nathan McSweeney.

Goldsworthy’s Golden Over

The real turnaround came in the form of Lewis Goldsworthy and his sensational over, which saw off three crucial wickets in the space of only six balls. Starting with the dangerous Vasconcelos, who went for the reverse sweep but was well caught at deep square-leg, the left-arm paceman struck again in the fifth ball to send Willey scampering back to the ropes.

Finally, Goldsworthy continued in the sixth over to dismiss Saif Zaib, who was out clean bowled. It was a stunning over that absolutely dismantled the Northamptonshire innings. As Goldsworthy celebrated his hat-trick, the home fans knew at that moment that the Steelbacks were in very real danger of being bowled out.

Thomas Cleans Up

If Goldsworthy had loosened the screws for Northamptonshire, youngJoshua Thomas wrenched them clean off. The impressive bowler rounded off the innings in spectacular style, removing the dangerous tail-enders with remarkable efficiency.

Thomas bowled a special over for his sensational figures of 4 for 6, with the youngster picking up a further wicket in his final over. He was simply unplayable as he cleaned up the Steelbacks batting lineup, with the dangerous Kimber falling victim to his accurate outswinger.

The rest of the tail then simply waved their bat at the first ball they faced, only to be caught at mid-wicket and deep center.

What’s Next For Somerset?

With the home fans left in stunned silence, Northamptonshire were eventually all out for a meager 118 in only 15.3 overs. Their valiant if futile efforts saw off a Somerset innings of 223 for 4 in the most emphatic of fashion as the Steelbacks fell to a stunning 105-run defeat.

This emphatic victory sees the reigning champions keep their Vitality Blast Men group stage hopes alive, with the thrilling win over their local rivals providing a much-needed fillip to their campaign.