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Warwickshire come out on top at the CACG
Ed Barnard’s career-best List A score of 94 guided Warwickshire to a four-wicket Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory over Somerset at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, and left a big crowd disappointed.
The home side were dismissed for 230 inside 47 overs after losing the toss, Lewis Goldsworthy top scoring with 78, while George Bartlett contributed 74. Left-arm spinner Jake Lintott claimed three for 43 for the visitors.
In reply, Warwickshire made 233 for six, winning with 6.2 overs to spare. Barnard led the way, facing 111 balls and striking 11 fours. Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher finished with three for 47 on his first Somerset appearance.
On a cloudy afternoon in front of over 4,500 Members and supporters, the hosts innings began poorly when George Thomas fell to the third ball of the game, caught at slip by Rob Yates off Ed Barnard without scoring. It was 12 for two when Andrew Umeed edged Oliver Hannon-Dalby to second slip and 24 for three when James Rew had his stumps scattered by the same bowler.
Somerset’s new one-day captain Sean Dickson cover drove his first ball from Hannon-Dalby for four, but nicked a back foot shot off George Garrett through to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess when on 15.
Bartlett also hit his first delivery for four, but from 64 for four, he and Goldsworthy played with care, rotating the strike with plenty of singles. Goldsworthy grew in confidence and reached fifty off 72 balls with eight fours.
Bartlett went to his half-century off 66 balls and the fifth-wicket stand was worth 96 in 19 overs when Goldsworthy miscued an attempted slog sweep off Lintott and was caught by Kai Smith running in from deep mid-wicket.
Campher’s first innings for Somerset lasted only five balls, ending when he drove a delivery from Lintott straight back at the bowler, who did well to hold a sharp return catch.
Bartlett’s attractive 83-ball knock concluded when he was caught at short fine leg by Hannon-Dalby the ball after depositing Craig Miles over mid-wicket for his second six.
Danny Lamb, making his Somerset debut on loan from Lancashire, hit four fours, including two ramp shots off Hannon-Dalby, in his unbeaten 28. However, Ned Leonard was stumped advancing down the pitch to Lintott and Jack Brooks run out by a smart piece of fielding by Barnard at backward point before last man Shoaib Bashir edged a catch behind off Garrett.
Warwickshire openers Yates and Barnard batted positively to take the score to 33 in the eighth over when Yates edged a catch to wicketkeeper Rew off Brooks.
Barnard looked in good touch from the start, striking eight fours in moving to a fluent 55-ball half-century, and finding an equally aggressive partner in skipper Will Rhodes as they added 78 for the second wicket in 13 overs.
Rhodes scored at almost a run a ball in his 41-ball innings of 38 before pulling a ball from Campher to mid-wicket where Bartlett held a good low catch to make it 111 for two.
Burgess had made only three when Campher penetrated his defence to bowl him and left-arm spinner Goldsworthy quickly followed up by having Brookes caught at cover off a skier to leave Warwickshire 126 for four at halfway.
Hamza Shaikh lofted Goldsworthy over long-on for the first six of the innings before a two off Campher took Barnard past his previous best List A score of 85 not out, made for Worcestershire against Hampshire at Southampton.
Shaikh pulled another six over deep square before departing for 38 to a fine boundary catch by Brooks, who then ended Barnard’s match-winning contribution by having him caught behind.
By then, Warwickshire were within 29 of their target and Smith and Lintott completed the job.
