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Surrey come out on top at the CACG
Surrey gained revenge for their opening day defeat at the hands of Somerset by overcoming their West Country opponents in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.
Surrey Captain, Bryony Smith led from the front for the visitors, top scoring with 110, as the side from the Kia Oval came out on top by 101 runs (DLS method).
After winning the toss, Somerset skipper, Sophie Luff elected to field.
The Surrey openers, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Smith started in positive fashion with visiting captain Smith crashing three consecutive boundaries off the second over which was sent down by Laura Jackson.
The total was 31 after five overs at which point Alex Griffiths replaced Jackson at the River End, but that failed to stem the flow as 15 runs came from over number six.
The Surrey 50 arrived from the third ball of the seventh over, and at the end of the 10-over powerplay the score had advanced to 74 without loss. At this point Somerset employed spin at both ends courtesy of Charlie Dean and Amanda-Jade Wellington.
The 100-partnership arrived from the fourth ball of the 14th over but the Somerset breakthrough came with the very next delivery. Wyatt-Hodge, who had reached 44 from 35 balls, looked to carve Wellington away but miscued and Fran Wilson, back pedaling at cover point, took the catch.
This brought Alice Capsey (4) to the crease and she lasted just four balls before she reverse swept Wellington only for Heather Knight to take a sharp catch at first slip at 106 for two.
At the other end, Smith’s eighth boundary took her to 50 from 57 balls, and the visitor’s 150 arrived after 25 overs.
Smith and Sophia Dunkley brought up the 50 stand from 61 balls, and the Surrey skipper had advanced to 80 when she launched Chloe Skelton to the deep mid wicket boundary where Jackson was waiting but unfortunately for the hosts the chance was spilled.
Ellie Anderson returned to the attack at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End to bowl the 31st over which yielded the opening six of the match for Smith and saw the Surrey total reach 200.
Dunkley’s half century arrived from 57 balls, and the third wicket century stand came from 94 deliveries as the visitors looked to take control.
Smith, who had batted beautifully throughout, reached a well deserved century from 96 balls.
The hosts needed something to arrest the Surrey momentum and that came in the form of the elements. With the scoreboard showing 218 for two in the 33rd over, the rain began to fall at 12:26pm and the players left the field to be replaced by the ground sheets.
The rain finally abated allowing a restart at 2pm with the game reduced to 44 overs per side.
The resumption of play saw the visitors advance to 240 in the 36th over. Smith in particular had played positively after the delay but she tried one big shot too many, picking out Knight at long off to give Wellington her third wicket. Smith received a warm reception from the crowd as she made her way back to the pavilion with 110 runs to her name from just 103 balls. Her innings included 15 fours and a six, and her partnership with Dunkley was worth 134.
For the addition of just nine further runs to the total, the same combination then accounted for Paige Scholfield (2) in a carbon copy of Smith’s dismissal.
Skelton replaced Wellington at the River End, but the result was the same as Dunkley fell for 79, bowled around her legs at 264 in the 40th over, and when Alice Monaghan (18) was lbw to Dean the score was 287 for six in the 42nd.
The Surrey 300 arrived off the final ball of the penultimate over, but Alice Davidson-Richards was lbw to the opening delivery of the final over of the innings, bowled by Dean, looking to scoop.
The visitors eventually finished on 304 for seven. Wellington was the pick of the bowlers, claiming four for 47 from nine overs.
Chasing a revised total of 317 to win from their 44 overs, the hosts lost Emma Corney (8) in the fourth over with 19 runs on the board. Knight and Luff began the rebuild and the Somerset 50 arrived in the 10th over.
However, the hosts found themselves at 56 for two in the 13th over when Luff miscued Monaghan and Ryana MacDonald-Gay took an excellent diving catch over her shoulder at square leg.
Knight then departed in unfortunate circumstances when she was run out at the non strikers end for 36. Fran Wilson smashed the ball back at Monaghan who in evading the ball deflected it into the stumps with the Somerset opener out of her crease at 73 for three.
The Somerset 100 came up in the 19th over, but when Wilson was stumped for 23 off Danielle Gregory the hosts were 107 for four after 20 overs. That became 117 for five when Dean (14) was caught at backward point by Wyatt-Hodge off the bowling of Alexa Stonehouse.
Katie Jones was run out for 11 by Monaghan when attempting a second run and when Griffiths was bowled by Gregory for 14 the hosts were 144 for seven in the 28th.
More lower order fireworks from Wellington gave the Somerset faithful hope as she smashed her way to 36 from just 29 balls before going for the rope once too often and getting caught on the boundary in front of the Andrew Caddick Pavilion with the score on 197 for eight.
Chloe Skelton was caught behind off Monaghan for an entertaining 25 at 201 for nine in the 37th over by which point the game was almost up.
Anderson was the last batter out, caught by Davidson-Richards off the bowling of Stonehouse as Somerset were all out for 215.
