)}})
Jack bowls Somerset to victory at Durham
Jack Leach claimed career best List A figures to help Somerset to a resounding victory over Durham in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street.
The Somerset and England spinner finished with six for 26 to lead his county to a 133-run victory and help his side to a second victory from three matches in the competition.
No-one played Leach with any comfort on a pitch that was receptive to spin throughout the match and his bowling ensured that Somerset defended 241 with some ease.
Lewis Goldsworthy also played a vital role, contributing 93 with the bat in Somerset’s innings.
Durham were eventually dismissed for 108 in 30.3 overs with Scott Borthwick’s 35 providing home spectators with scant comfort
After electing to bat first, Somerset’s innings began poorly when Andy Umeed was caught behind off Bas de Leede for 0 in the second over and things would have been worse had Paul Coughlin not overstepped when he had George Thomas caught at slip for seven.
Thomas and Lewis Goldsworthy then brought some stability to the innings and then began to milk the home bowling very efficiently. Indeed, the second-wicket pair had put on 119 in 27 overs when Colin Ackermann struck twice in two balls.
The off-spinner bowled Thomas for 48 and then removed James Rew with a delivery that drifted in before straightening sharply to hit the left-hander’s off stump.
Ackermann completed his ten-over spell with figures of two for 35, meaning that he and George Drissell had delivered their twenty overs of spin for only 79 runs. However, Sean Dickson joined Goldsworthy in a 65-run stand in a shade above 12 overs before Coughlin became the second home bowler to take wickets with successive deliveries.
Having made 37, Dickson chopped the ball on to his stumps and then Josh Thomas was caught behind. Two overs later Coughlin took his third wicket when Goldsworthy pulled the seamer to Jonathan Bushnell at deep midwicket and the last six overs of the innings saw the usual trading of quick runs for wickets.
Kacey Aldridge and Josh Davey both made twenties and Bushnell picked up two wickets in the final over. Coughlin finished with three for 47, de Leede took two for 53 and Daniel Hogg bowled five overs for 19 runs on debut.
Durham’s pursuit of 242 for victory began well when Alex Lees and Ben McKinney put on 40 in under eight overs but the loss of four wickets for eight runs ruined the good work. Having made 17, McKinney lofted Alfie Ogborne to Jack Leach at mid-on and a few moments later Lees was lbw to Davey for 18.
Then Leach struck twice in his first over, first by having Ackermann caught behind for four and then bowling Michael Jones for a fourth-ball duck. A score of 48 for four allowed Dickson to give Charlie Cassell his first bowl for Somerset and the debutant send down three tidy overs for nine runs before giving way to Goldsworthy’s left-arm spinners.
In the next over the wheels finally became detached from Durham’s innings when de Leede was bowled by Leach for 12 and Bushnell was lbw for 0. At that stage, Leach’s figures were four for 11 from 3.3 overs and Durham were 70 for six.
The home side’s last realistic hope of victory disappeared with the score on 100 when Borthwick smacked a short ball from the leg-spin of Andy Umeed straight to Leach at midwicket and departed for 35. Leach completed his five-wicket haul when he had Coughlin caught by Rew for a single and took his sixth wicket when Haydon Mustard was dismissed for 12 in similar fashion.
The game ended in the next over when Drissell was caught behind off Goldsworthy for a single as the visitors secured a comprehensive win.
