Disappointment at Northants
Luke Procter hit an excellent, well-paced 85, his highest List A score for Northamptonshire to take the Steelbacks to a seven-wicket victory over Somerset in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Wantage Road.
Procter was joined in a stand worth 136 runs in 22 overs by Nathan McSweeney who made an unbeaten 69, passing 15,000 List A runs in the process. The pair came together with the Steelbacks reeling at 10 for two, but they kept well ahead of the required rate as the hosts won with 20 overs to spare.
Earlier Rob Keogh and Yuzi Chahal helped to dismiss the visitors for 185.
Off-spinner Keogh returned career-best List A figures of four for 35, while Indian international leg-spinner Chahal took three for 35.
Tom Lammonby top-scored for Somerset with 40, but his side lost wickets at regular intervals and were unable to build any sizable partnerships.
Lammonby and Johnny Connell posted 53 against some testing early Steelbacks bowling, but while Lammonby leaned into a drive off Louw and advanced to play him through mid-off, Dom Leech broke through when Connell edged behind off an attempted hook. Soon after, Lammonby chipped Procter to short cover where George Bartlett took a stunning diving catch.
Theo Lamey fell next, skying a catch to cover as he attempted to work a Procter delivery legside, while Goldsworthy was trapped lbw by Keogh.
Archie Vaughan worked Louw off his hips for consecutive boundaries, but he was smartly stumped by Lewis McManus when Chahal drew him forward with one that turned away.
Kian Roberts punished a drag-down from Chahal, but he was struck on the pads playing back to Keogh and trapped lbw. Keogh then picked up Josh Thomas (26) when he swept straight to deep square-leg.
Josh Shaw attempted to up the pace before pulling Keogh to deep-midwicket, a fate that also befell Jack Leach when he swept Chahal.
Jake Ball crashed Chahal over deep-midwicket for a huge six but he was caught behind advancing down the wicket.
Chasing, the Steelbacks were soon reeling after Gus Miller chipped a catch to short-leg off Ball and McManus skied a catch to mid-on off Shaw.
Procter though reached 50 with a delicate sweep off Leach before the Steelbacks pressed the accelerator. McSweeney punished a Leach free-hit with a six over midwicket to take Northamptonshire to three figures.
McSweeney swivelled to pull Lammonby for consecutive boundaries before Procter smashed Vaughan over mid-on for four. Although he edged behind next ball, by now the required rate was around 1.3 and with Bartlett and McSweeney both smashing sixes, victory was assured.
After the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “It was incredibly disappointing. Obviously, 185, was way short of where we needed to be. We had a great start, being 53 when we lost the first wicket, but we didn’t establish any partnerships after that, and every time it looked like we were going to, we lost a wicket.
“Credit to Northants. They used the surface really well and took the pace off very well. So, at halftime, it was disappointing, but we needed a great start. Actually, we got a couple of early wickets, but we weren’t able to sustain any pressure after that.”
