Essex Eagles v Somerset | NatWest T20 Blast | The Cloudfm County Ground
Essex Eagles | Varun Chopra (6), Dan Lawrence (28), Tom Westley (21), Ravi Bopara (25), Ryan ten Doeschate* (27), Ashar Zaidi (99), James Foster (7), Paul Walter (22), Simon Harmer (11), Mohammad Amir (5), Jamie Porter (44).
Somerset | James Allenby* (6), Johann Myburgh (9), Steve Davies (11), Peter Trego (7), James Hildreth (25), Adam Hose (21), Roelof van der Merwe (52), Lewis Gregory (24), Craig Overton (12), Max Waller, Tim Groenewald (5).
Umpires | Michael Gough & Jeff Evans
Toss | Somerset won the toss & chose to bowl
Result | Essex Eagles won by 22 runs
Match Highlights
Close of Play Report
After two successive defeats, Essex Eagles collected their first victory in this season’s NatWest Blast T20 competition when they beat Somerset by 22 runs at The Cloudfm County Ground.
After posting a total of 170 for 6, the Eagles restricted their opponents to 148 for 9 with off-spinner Simon Harmer playing a significant role in the success.
The South African returned figures of 3 for 39 from his four overs, two of his victims arriving in the eighth over of the innings when he removed James Allenby and Peter Trego.
Paceman Paul Walter also played his part by taking the last three wickets, but both he and Harmer were indebted to some fine catches
At the halfway stage of their innings, Somerset were 63 for 4 but good bowling by the home attack supported by some fine work in the field prevented the innings moving up a gear.
Dan Lawrence, Ryan ten Doeschate and Tom Westley pulled off fine catches in the deep as Somerset faltered in their bid to accelerate.
Walter’s successes came at a cost of 28 runs, while Jamie Porter, Ravi Bopara and Mohammad Amir each claimed one wicket apiece, the latter’s pace and hostility proving too much of a handful as he conceded only 17 runs in his four overs.
But it was ten Doeschate who emerged as the major Essex star as they got back on the winning trail
After Lawrence, Varun Chopra and Westley had departed with only 36 on the board, the Essex captain revived the innings with a superb 56 from 37 balls that included six fours and a six.
Bopara with 24, helped him add 50 in 5.3 over for the fourth wicket, while Ashar Zaidi kept him company while 65 runs were added for the fifth wicket in seven overs.
Zaidi’s 35 from 25 balls included three sixes before he was run out in the 19th over, the same in which ten Doeschate was also dismissed.
The Eagles victory leaves them in confident mood for their next encounter in the competition, the visit of Glamorgan this Sunday starting at 2.30 p.m.
Halfway Report
Essex were left having to settle for a modest total of 170 for 6 in their NatWest T20 Blast battle with Somerset at The Cloudfm County Ground.
In the face of steady bowling backed up by keen fielding, the Eagles were never able to accelerate as they would have liked despite the efforts of Ryan ten Doeschate.
The Essex Captain struck 56 from 37 balls that included one six and six fours, having joined the action in the sixth over, by which time three wickets had fallen for 36.
Daniel Lawrence, Varun Chopra ad Tom Westley were the early casualties, leaving ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara to revive Essex with a stand of 50 in 5.3 overs.
Bopara was superbly caught and bowled for 24 attacking spinner Max Waller who then came in for some punishment for Ashar Zaidi
He struck him for two successive sixes while helping ten Doeschate add 65 in 7 overs.
That stand was broken when ten Doeschate holed out to Craig Overton on the long-off boundary and in the same over (the 19th), Zaidi was run out for 35 having faced 25 balls and containing three sixes.
