Somerset thrash Northamptonshire in brilliant team display
Thomas Rew blazed his maiden T20 half-century to help keep Somerset defeat group leaders Northamptonshire Steelbacks by 105 runs and keep their hopes alive of a quarter-final spot in this year’s Vitality Blast.
Reigning champions Somerset arrived at the cinch County Ground needing to win all their remaining games to stand a chance of qualifying but faced an unbeaten side on home turf. They ended the Steelbacks’ run after amassing an imposing 223 for four and then skittling the hosts for 118.
Rew made 57 in a rapid opening partnership of 104 with Will Smeed (48), and while the pair were parted in quick succession, a late boundary blitz from Australian international Daniel Sams propelled them to a commanding total.
Ricardo Vasconcelos got the Steelbacks off to a flier with a quickfire 40, but with Craig Overton setting the tone with a miserly spell in the powerplay, scoreboard pressure started to tell. The hosts lost wickets at regular intervals, Josh Thomas returning career-best figures of four for six and Lewis Goldsworthy taking three wickets in one over.
Earlier Smeed started aggressively with two sixes off Ben Sanderson and while Rew edged James Sales through the vacant slip cordon, he started to motor, striking Sales over long-on and taking consecutive boundaries off David Willey.
Rew attacked spin and pace equally including a six down the ground off Calvin Harrison (2-31). He took a legside boundary off a wayward Sales to reach his 50, but fell soon after, caught at deep midwicket off Saif Zaib.
Smeed departed next over when he came down the pitch to Harrison and was caught at long-off, while the Steelbacks leg-spinner soon had another when Somerset skipper Tom Kohler-Cadmore slog swept against the spin to deep midwicket.
James Rew (30) swept Zaib for consecutive boundaries but when he was caught at deep square off Sanderson, Somerset were 167 for four after 17 overs and someway behind par.
Sams though changed the tempo instantly, muscling consecutive sixes off Willey and flicking another maximum legside off Sales.
Vasconcelos started brightly, taking three consecutive fours off Riley Meredith’s first over which yielded 21 runs. He attacked Josh Shaw too, ramping for four and driving powerfully.
But Overton broke through at the other end amid a wicket maiden, nipping one back to trap the in-form Nathan McSweeney lbw.
Vasconcelos upper cut Jake Ball over cover for four as the Steelbacks finished the powerplay at 57 for one before Goldsworthy ran amok with three wickets in six balls.
First Vasconcelos reverse swept straight to backward point, then Willey pulled to deep square before Zaib was bowled backing away to cut.
Louis Kimber had a reprieve when he skied one off Sams and, undeterred, collected a couple of powerful boundaries. He did not last long though, bowled making room to cut Josh Thomas
Lewis McManus swept Goldsworthy through midwicket and through the covers but Thomas struck twice in the next over when Harrison was caught at long-on and George Bartlett was stumped by Thomas Rew.
With too much left to do, the remaining batters went for the big shots, all of them falling to outfield catches.
