Glamorgan were victorious in a shortened Metro Bank One-Day Cup Final at Trent Bridge on a gloomy reserve day that fortunately stayed dry long enough for them to raise the trophy for the second time in four years, spoiling Somerset’s hopes of winning a treble.
In a game that was postponed till Sunday due to a total washout, the Welsh county, who defeated Durham in this location to win the 50-over competition in 2021, emerged victorious by a margin of 15 runs, holding Somerset to 171 for 6.
In an important fifth-wicket stand, Sam Northeast and Billy Root struck two sixes each as they opened the Glamorgan innings with an unbeaten 63 and 39 off 27 balls, respectively.
Timm van der Gugten provided support for them both with 26 off just nine balls, tying Will Smale’s 28 from 14 at the top of the innings.
Following Andy Umeed’s 45 from 36 for Somerset, captain Sean Dickson hit 44 from just 20 balls. However, Glamorgan’s Jamie Mcilroy and Dan Douthwaite held their cool with two excellent overs at the end to complete the task, after offspinner Ben Kellaway and seamer Andy Gorvin had claimed two wickets apiece.
Somerset was eliminated from the Vitality County Championship competition nine days earlier and defeated in the Vitality Blast final, so they were left empty-handed once more.
The winning team’s sole sadness was that, instead of the thousands of fans who had attended on Sunday, only a handful of onlookers on the ground were present to see their moment of glory.
Jack Leach, an England spinner, did not bowl a ball as Somerset went with five seamers, George Thomas taking 2 for 23 and left-armer Alfie Ogborn taking 2 for 36 in their four overs.
Play thankfully started on time after Sunday’s complete deluge forced the sides to return for the planned reserve day. The match was logically cut to 20 overs each side even before the toss was made, since additional heavy rain was predicted to come in the early afternoon.
With the murky gloom hanging over the pitch lighted by the floodlights of Trent Bridge, Somerset won the toss and chose to bowl.
Ogborne removed captain Kiran Carlson with his third and fourth deliveries, and Tom Bevan shovelled softly to short fine leg, but Smale’s aggression allowed Glamorgan to score 39 runs in the opening four-over powerplay.
After hitting three boundaries over third against Josh Davey, Smale raced to 28 from his first 13 balls. He also struck Ogborne cleanly over mid-on and for six over square leg. Dickson held a fantastic grab diving backwards at mid-off, ending the threat he posed.
With one of Glamorgan’s trump cards, the South African Colin Ingram, picking up Thomas wide long-on for just 11, Glamorgan were 71 for 4 from 10 and needed to muster some fresh energy.
Root was the first to clear the rope three times, and Northeast soon followed suit with two of his own, including one off a free hit, as Kasey Aldridge finished with a devastating 29 off his last over. After adding 78 runs in 49 balls, Root was caught off-balance by Thomas.
After Northeast was caught off a no-ball and failed to run, leaving big-hitter Douthwaite stranded, the next two wickets fell quickly. Kellaway then cut to short third, but van der Gugten’s heroic cameo, which included four fours and a six off Davey hammered over long-off, lifted the total to a reasonable amount on a slow pitch.
While Umeed was starting to deliver some blows, Lewis Goldsworthy, who had struck a century in the semifinal to defeat holders Leicestershire, picked out long-on off Kellaway to put Somerset in reply. Thomas was run out in the third over of a stodgy powerplay, and Somerset was well behind the pace at 63 for 2 from 10.
Following a double blow, with Umeed falling to a brilliant catch made by Smale defying Andy Gorvin and James Rew caught off guard by a top-edged sweep as Kellaway delivered his second punch, Somerset were reduced to 89 for 4 in the thirteenth over, and Glamorgan were now clear favourites.
Dickson and Archie Vaughan put Somerset back in the running with a brilliant partnership of 66 in just five overs. Vaughan had already survived Kellaway’s lbw call on the umpire’s ruling.
However, Dickson reversed Gorvin to short third from a delivery that might have otherwise been judged wide, costing them crucial momentum with 32 needed from 15 balls after he hammered 44 from 20 balls and struck sixes from van der Gugten (twice) and McIlroy.
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In the end, Somerset had to make 29 out of the final two, which proved to be too much to accomplish. Green heaved in the air to square leg, and Vaughan’s boundary off the final ball was academic, giving Douthwaite a wicket.
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