
Lewis has Gloucestershire in a spin as Somerset make it 5 out of 5
Lewis Goldsworthy claimed career-best figures of four for 13 as Somerset claimed a six-wicket win over local rivals Gloucestershire in the Vitality Blast at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.
A crowd of more than 6,000 saw the hosts post a disappointing 135 for seven after losing the toss, skipper Jack Taylor top-scoring with 43 not out from 29 balls and Goldsworthy taking three wickets in an over to rip the heart out of the Gloucestershire batting.
It looked a straightforward target for the unbeaten group leaders and they duly made it five wins from as many games, Will Smeed scoring 51 not out as they reached 137 for four with 14 balls to spare.
Gloucestershire looked to be laying the foundation for a decent total when Cameron Bancroft and Miles Hammond put together an opening stand of 54 in eight overs. But the first ball of the ninth, bowled by Ben Green saw Bancroft brilliantly caught by Riley Meredith, the ball dropping over his shoulder as he ran towards the third man boundary.
Goldsworthy had already bowled his opening over for just three runs. His second saw Hammond caught at long-off for 36 and his third saw Gloucestershire wilt from 73 for two to 75 for five.
Ollie Price and D’Arcy Short both lofted catches to deep mid-wicket, while the delivery after Short’s dismissal resulted in Ben Charlesworth giving a tame return catch.
Taylor did his best with six fours and a six in a belligerent knock, but received little support as James Bracey fell cheaply to Meredith and Zaman Akhter was run out in the closing over.
David Payne struck quickly in Somerset’s reply, pinning Tom Banton lbw without a run on the board. Tom Kohler-Cadmore was in no mood for caution and quickly smashed Ajeet Singh Dale for a massive straight six that cleared the flats at the Ashley Down Road End.
Smeed then cover drove fours off successive Matt Taylor deliveries before pulling him for six. Kohler-Cadmore cleared ropes at fine leg off Akhter as Somerset reached the end of the six-over powerplay on 48 for one.
Left-arm spinner Short struck with the second ball of the seventh over, Kohler-Cadmore edging a catch behind off a wide delivery. It was 57 for three when Tom Abell miscued to mid-wicket off Singh Dale and that might have got worse for Somerset when Hammond spilled a boundary catch above his head offered by Smeed on 29 off Short in the ninth over.
But Sean Dickson, fresh from a player-of-the-match innings against Middlesex, calmed any nerves with a six over mid-wicket off Matt Taylor and another maximum with a reverse sweep off Short as Somerset cruised past 100 in the 14th over.
Dickson, on 23, edged a full ball from Akhter onto his stumps with 35 needed, but Smeed moved to a 42-ball fifty and Lewis Gregory cracked an unbeaten 33 off 17 deliveries to close out a match that ended in pouring rain.