Somerset cruise past Glos into One-Day Cup semis

The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, hosts the Metro Bank One-Day Cup quarter-final.

Gloucestershire 155 all out (40.5 overs): J Taylor 43, Lammonby 3-22

Somerset 149-4 (31.3 overs): J Rew 46, T Rew 40*

With a comprehensive six-wicket victory over arch-rivals Gloucestershire at Taunton, Somerset advanced to the One-Day Cup semi-finals.

After winning the toss, skipper Jack Taylor top-scored with a 43-run top-scoring score of 155 overs. The visitors were bowled out for a disappointing 155.

Jake Ball and Tom Lammonby both took three wickets, while Jack Leach took 10 left-arm spin balls for a shoddy 2-23 total.

Somerset was given a revised target of 149 in 45 overs by two rain-interruptions.

With more than 13 overs to go, Worcestershire will now face them in the semi-finals on Sunday, with skipper James Rew leading the charge with 46.

James Bracey, who had been so prolific this year, was never let go by Gloucestershire on the second ball of the match, which was bowled by Ball while moving forward defensively. As play began under heavily overcast skies, floodlights on, and a chance of rain later in the day, the decision to bat first had come as a surprise.

In a half-century stand with Ollie Price for the second wicket, Cameron Bancroft did well to score two big sixes.

When the Australian made a juggling return catch after playing a checked drive to Kasey Aldridge for a score of 56-2 in the 14th over, the bowler was watching from the bowler.

As Ben Charlesworth was spotted midway through aiming a forcing shot off the left-arm seamer, Price had made 25 when Lammonby’s ball angled into his pads and 97 for four when it was determined that the ball was lbw.

When Graeme van Buuren caught a soft return and headed for a duck, who looked suspiciously at the pitch, Lammonby had figures of 3-20.

Gloucestershire was in disarray at 97-5. Tommy Boorman fell leg before sweeping a ball past Leach, who had Daaryoush Ahmed brilliantly caught by Aldridge from mid-off and took the ball just inside the rope as it fell over his shoulder.

Ben Green, who had faced 59 balls and hit six fours, took a wicket with a catch midway through. Gloucestershire’s final chance of a meaningful total was ended when Ball left, with Matt Taylor and Craig Miles cutting through to wicketkeeper James Rew.

When the rain started pouring at 14:25 BST, Somerset’s response reached 16 without a doubt.

With just five more runs added, Archie Vaughan was superbly caught by wicketkeeper Bracey diving low to his right off Matt Taylor, and play resumed at 15:50.

With the score of 47 in the 12th over, Lewis Goldsworthy pulled a six off Taylor before Lammonby, on 18, played a loose drive to Bracey, who was well off stump, for his second of the game.

The overs and target were reduced, and the rain forced a further 25-minute break at 53-2. As James Rew and Goldsworthy added 39 for the third wicket before being caught and bowled off a leading edge in Ahmed’s first over, James Rew quickly settled in and bowled it over long-off for six.

The Somerset captain prospered in tandem with his younger brother Thomas Rew, who drained a six and four from an Ahmed over before pulling Jack Taylor’s first ball of the match over deep square for a further maximum after being overjoyed for a catch behind off Josh Shaw.

By the time Rew senior was facing 53 balls, Taylor had Rew senior stumped, and Somerset had won with a 40-run lead.