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Abu Dhabi T20 Super Cup: Somerset beat Essex by 3 runs
A half century from Sean Dickson helped Somerset beat Essex by three runs in the third place play off of the Abu Dhabi T20 Super Cup at the Tolerance Oval in the Abu Dhabi T20 Super Cup today.
Somerset batted first and Archie Vaughan set the tone for the innings by dispatching the first ball of the day from Jamal Richards for four through the covers.
Vaughan and Fin Hill shared an opening stand of 15 until the latter was lbw to Simon Harmer for three in the third over. James Rew joined Vaughan but the Somerset opener fell to a catch from Michael Pepper for 16 off the bowling of Mackenzie Jones at 24 for two in the sixth over.
Rew and Tom Abell brought up their side’s 50 in the 10th over but Abell was removed in the 12th over when Tom Westley took a catch off Noah Thain with the total on 69.
Rew had reached a run-a-ball 35 and helped advance the Somerset score to 85 when he was caught by Sam Bear off the bowling of Tom Westley in the 14th over.
Sean Dickson and Lewis Goldsworthy looked to accelerate and brought up Somerset’s three figures in the 16th over.
16 runs were plundered from the 17th over with a further 14 coming in the 18th.
Dickson reached his half century in the penultimate over before Goldsworthy eventually fell to Richards for 20 from 14 balls.
Somerset reached 150 for five from their 20 overs, Dickson remaining unbeaten on 55 from just 27 balls.
Chasing 151 for victory, Charlie Pepper and Michael Allison reached 13 before the former was run out by Ben Green for nine off the last ball of the second over.
Allison brought up the Essex 50 off the first ball of the seventh over with a six over mid on. He then repeated the feat off the next ball, this time to mid off. However, Jack Leach got his revenge by removing Westley (7) courtesy of a catch from Sean Dickson off the fourth ball of the over.
Allison fell at 71 for three in the 9th over when he was Caught by Goldsworthy to give Ben Green a wicket, and when Shoaib Bashir accounted for Robin Das Essex were 77 for four in the 10th.
At the half way stage Essex were 82 for four but within two balls they were 83 for five after Green took a catch off Leach to remove Luc Benkenstein.
Thain and Paul Walter added 13 for the sixth wicket before the latter fell to Green for nine off the last ball of the 13th over.
Goldsworthy bowled Thain for 13 at 104 for six in the 15th to put Somerset on top and despite the best efforts of Harmer (27 from 20) and Richards (17*) the Somerset bowlers turned the screw to see their side home for a dramatic win.
