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Somerset secure knock out spot with victory at Lord’s
Riley Meredith haunted Middlesex for the second time this season at Lord’s as Somerset crushed the hosts by eight wickets to book a place in the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
The Tasmanian quick, whose four for 12 routed Middlesex in the Vitality Blast back in June, was chief tormentor again with four for 27 as the hosts were bundled out for 135 with 63 balls unused.
Meredith received great support from new-ball partner Josh Davey (one for 20), the pair leaving Middlesex in disarray at 39 for four by the end of the powerplay.
England spinner Jack Leach got two wickets later down the card with only Martin Andersson 34 and Luke Hollman, left stranded on 38 not out, providing prolonged resistance.
James Rew (53 not out) and Lewis Goldsworthy (41 not out) shared an unbroken third wicket stand of 81 to make light work of the chase as Somerset romped home with 23 overs to spare, eliminating Middlesex in the process.
Middlesex had won three of their last four games but were soon in trouble after being put in. Meredith took only four balls to begin the rout, pinning youngster Nathan Fernandes in front for a single.
Eyes of the home fans were on Joe Cracknell, who had improved his career-best in both the last two games, but the Durham University graduate was run out after setting off for a suicidal single to short mid-on, and colliding with bowler Davey prior to George Thomas’ direct hit.
That wound was self-inflicted, but Meredith was soon centre-stage once more, cutting short Mark Stoneman’s four-boundary cameo with a snorter of a ball which zipped between bat and pad and plucked out the off stump.
Davey completed the powerplay carnage by castling Sam Robson off the inside edge and even when the new-ball pair vacated the bowling crease there was no let-up, Ben Green causing Jack Davies to feather one through to Rew.
Middlesex were in danger of not beating the 78 they’d been hustled out for by the visitors two months previously and needed some crisp driving from Andersson to surpass that figure, he and Hollman sharing a sixth-wicket stand of 46.
Meredith though snuffed out any lingering hopes of revival when he switched to the Pavilion End to trap Anderson leg before with the first ball off his second spell immediately after the drinks break.
Thereafter it was pretty much Hollman against the rest, the leg-spinner clubbing one from Leach into the Mound Stand for the only six of the innings as others fell around him, Sean Dickson’s stunning catch to remove Henry Brookes was the highlight of a fine fielding display from Somerset.
Thomas (11) was stumped by Davies off Ethan Bamber with 24 runs on the board for the visitors, and Davies repeated the feat off Hollman to account for Andy Umeed (22) at 57 for two.
Goldsworthy though remained to anchor his side inexorably towards the target in company with Rew, who cut loose late on to raise his fifty from 40 balls in the grand manner with a towering six off Hollman.
