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Super over defeat for Somerset at Exmouth
Somerset’s hopes of lifting the first silverware of the season on home turf were ended in the most dramatic fashion by Durham at Exmouth CC.
Finals Day of the Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup will be held at the Cooper Associates County Ground later this month, but it will take place without the team from Taunton after they were beaten in a super over after a compelling tie at the Maer Ground.
It was the cruelest of exits for Somerset who looked to be in the ascendancy at the half way stage.
Durham Captain, Hollie Armitage won the toss and elected to bat, and along with Bess Heath took the visitors to 28 after four overs.
However, Durham’s early charge was halted by Charlie Dean. The England spinner showed why she has been included in the Three Lion’s latest white ball squads as she initially took a return catch off her own bowling to remove Armitage (8) before bowling Heath (15) just three balls later.
Mollie Robbins then uprooted Mia Rogers’ leg stump to leave Durham on 35 for three at the end of the six-over powerplay.
The visitor’s 50 arrived off the first ball of the ninth over, bowled by Chloe Skelton, but the very next delivery saw Mady Villiers depart for 16 courtesy of a catch from Dean.
By the halfway stage of their innings Durham were 57 for four. That soon became 66 for five when Abi Glen picked out Heather Knight at mid off to give Skelton another wicket.
Emma Marlow and Phoebe Turner added 17 for the sixth wicket before the latter was caught by Skelton off the bowling of Alex Griffiths.
Durham’s 100 arrived in the 17th over but Dean claimed another two wickets with the opening two deliveries of the 18th when she bowled Marlow for 28 and trapped Grace Thompson lbw for 0.
Katherine Fraser was bowled by Griffiths for 23 off the final ball of the innings as Durham finished on 124 for nine.
Dean was the pick of the bowlers, claiming four for 12 from her four overs.
The Somerset run chase started impressively with Bex Odgers and Emma Corney sharing a half century stand off the first five overs. Odgers in particular was looking to play aggressively and had blitzed her way to 39 from just 18 balls when she was lbw to Villiers with the total on 54 in the sixth over.
Corney then fell for 12 for the addition of no further runs to the total, caught by Fraser off the bowling of Katie Levick. Fran Wilson was given out caught behind, and when Sophie Luff was stumped for three trying to dispatch Levick back over her head, 54 for one had become 66 for four.
Dean and Heather Knight added 26 for fifth wicket before the former England skipper fell lbw to Villiers for 13 at 92 for five before Dean was stumped for 16 in the 15th over.
98 for six was then 98 for seven when Jess Hazell was lbw to Levick in the 16th over and when Skelton fell for four Somerset were 103 for eight with 20 deliveries remaining.
Mollie Robbins was caught by Armitage off the bowling of Fraser for one at 107 for nine off the final ball of the 18th over.
With one over remaining, Somerset required three runs and Durham needed one wicket. No runs were forthcoming from the first five balls but Griffiths claimed two off the final delivery to finish on a run-a-ball 20 and send the game to a super over.
Knight smashed the opening ball of Somerset’s super over innings, bowled by Villiers, for four before taking a single off the second. The third delivery saw Odgers stumped by Heath before Wilson claimed a single from the fourth ball. Knight ran two off the penultimate delivery but was then stumped as Somerset set Durham a victory target of nine from their six balls.
Dean’s first two deliveries went to the boundary from Heath who then took a single to win the game for Durham.
