Gregory and Green get going to take Somerset to Finals Day
Somerset 158 for five (Gregory 57*) beat Nottinghamshire 157 for six (Montgomery 51, Overton 2-23) by 5 wickets
Lewis Gregory and Ben Green batted Somerset into Finals Day of the Vitality Blast because the hosts accomplished an exhilarating five-wicket victory over Notts Outlaws at Taunton.
The Outlaws posted what seemed a beneath par whole of 157 for six after successful the toss, Matthew Montgomery top-scoring with 51 off 38 balls, Imad Wasim cracking 31 not out off 15 and Samit Patel contributing 30. Craig Overton claimed 2 for 23, whereas legspinner Ish Sodhi conceded solely 22 from 4 overs.
Somerset misplaced 5 wickets by the halfway level of their reply earlier than Gregory and Green put collectively an unbroken partnership of 96 to see their facet to Edgbaston with three balls to spare.
A giant second within the recreation got here as early because the fourth supply, Notts opener Alex Hales advancing to Overton and making room for a giant shot, solely to have his stumps scattered. Overton quickly adopted up by having the damaging Colin Munro brilliantly caught by the back-peddling Matt Henry at mid-off.
Henry then had Joe Clarke pouched at midwicket by Overton to make it 17 for 3 and though Montgomery and Patel took boundaries off the sixth over, bowled by Jack Brooks, the Outlaws ended the powerplay on 37 for 3.
Patel pulled a six off Gregory as 14 got here off the ninth over. He and Montgomery had taken their stand to 69 when the thirteenth over noticed Patel bowled attempting to swing Gregory into the leg facet.
Montgomery survived a tricky probability to Tom Abell within the outfield to carry up his half-century, however the subsequent ball noticed him sky one other catch and Overton made no mistake operating in from long-off.
Tom Moores was caught at quick fine-leg off Gregory and after Sodhi’s financial contribution, it was left to Wasim and skipper Steven Mullaney to spice up a meagre Notts whole with some clear hitting within the closing overs. Wasim struck a six and two fours in his entertaining cameo, however the Outlaws seemed to face an uphill battle on the midway stage.
Their spirits have been lifted when Tom Banton was caught behind reverse-sweeping off the primary ball of the second over of Somerset’s innings, despatched down by Wasim, the umpire’s determination of not out being reversed after a referral. It was 9 for two when the left-arm spinner accomplished a double-wicket maiden by clear bowling Tom Kohler-Cadmore for a duck.
Smeed responded by hitting boundaries off the primary three balls of Wasim’s second over. Abell produced three sweetly-struck fours of his personal because the pair took Somerset to 44 for two by the top of the powerplay. The pair had added 46 when Abell performed a ball from Calvin Harrison into the leg facet and Smeed known as for a second run, solely to fall quick as Hales produced a quick throw to the bowler’s finish.
Soon afterwards, Sean Dickson fell lbw to Harrison reverse-sweeping and Abell walked after under-edging a catch behind in the identical over. At the midway stage of their innings, Somerset have been 62 for five.
The skilled Gregory then took cost, clearing the ropes off Patel twice and Wasim as he and Green, who smashed Harrison over long-on for six, repaired the harm in fashion, mentioning a half-century stand off 35 balls.
Thirty have been wanted off the final three overs. Gregory introduced a packed crowd to their ft with a six over midwicket off Wasim and went to a superb 32-ball fifty with one other most over long-off within the penultimate over, delivered by Jake Ball, to lastly break Notts’ resistance.
With three wanted, Green seemed to be dropped at cowl off Fletcher. But it was a no-ball and the ensuing free hit was dispatched for the successful runs.