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Andy steers Somerset to victory over Kent
A sublime unbeaten century from Andy Umeed led Somerset to a three-wicket victory over Kent Spitfires at the Cooper Associates County Ground in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Umeed finished on 114 not out from 121 balls to help his side get off to a winning start in the competition in which he excelled last year.
Somerset’s opening batter scored over 600 runs at an average of 87.57 in last season’s competition and he got off to the perfect start with a chanceless knock that had control, power and class as the hosts chased down 268 with 3.3 overs to spare.
James Rew also caught the eye with 71 off 69 balls and the pair set a new record for the Club’s highest third wicket stand against Kent in List A cricket.
The Spitfires had posted 267 all out off 49 overs after winning the toss, Joey Evison and Grant Stewart making half-centuries, while Hamidullah Qadri contributed a rapid 43. Left-armer spinner Lewis Goldsworthy, back from a loan spell with Leicestershire, claimed career-best List A figures of four for 44 and Alfie Ogborne took three for 58.
Kent were given a solid start by Evison and Beyers Swanepoel, who skied a return catch to Ogborne off a leading edge with the total on 31 in the eighth over.
Eighteen-year-old Ekansh Singh marked his debut with a six over mid-wicket off Kasey Aldridge before falling for 16, bowled aiming to launch another maximum off Jack Leach. Skipper Jack Leaning then helped Evison add 37, but was undone by a reverse sweep, bottom-edging a ball from Goldsworthy onto his stumps.
Goldsworthy followed up with the wickets of Evison, whose 55 occupied 69 balls, Harry Finch and Jaydn Denly as Kent became bogged down against a spin attack also featuring Leach, Josh Thomas and another 18-year-old debutant in Archie Vaughan, who bowled six tidy overs of off-spin for just 16 runs.
With ten overs for their innings remaining, the Spitfires were struggling on 177 for six. However, after Charlie Stobo had fallen to Ogborne, Stewart and Qadri delivered some overdue momentum, sharing five sixes and seven fours in a stand of 58 off 5.1 overs as Stewart went to fifty off 32 deliveries.
Somerset’s response had reached 32 in the fifth over when George Thomas miscued a pull shot off Swanepoel to be caught at mid-wicket. Goldsworthy made seven before edging a catch behind off Stobo. But Umeed and Rew then assumed control, batting with increasing confidence.
Rew was first to his half-century, off 47 balls, with seven fours and a big six off leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, drilled over long-off. Umeed soon followed, off 62 deliveries, having struck three boundaries.
Rew had greeted Leaning’s introduction to the attack with a six over mid-wicket and when Somerset’s young wicketkeeper deposited a short ball from Evison through mid-on for four the partnership overtook Somerset’s List A record for the third wicket against Kent, previously 108, put together by Peter Trego and Dean Elgar at Taunton in 2017.
Soon afterwards, Rew was bowled by Nathan Gilchrist and the unlucky Vaughan was run out backing up without facing a ball as Stobo fingertipped an Umeed drive onto the stumps and suddenly Somerset were 165 for four.
Umeed responded with a straight six off Stobo and was joined by skipper Sean Dickson, who cleared the ropes off Stewart as the pair added 40 before he pulled a catch to mid-wicket off the same bowler and fell for 23.
Josh Thomas was bowled off an inside edge by Parkinson and Aldridge fell for 10.
However, Leach thumped a six off Parkinson and Umeed repeated the dose before going to a 119-ball hundred with another maximum off Stobo as Somerset finished with a flourish.
Umeed blasted 16 off the first three balls of the 47th over to see his side home in impressive style.
