Gloucestershire 116 for 6 (Cockbain 43*) beat Somerset 114 for 8 (Anderson 40*, Tye 3-24) by four wickets
Scorecard
Ian Cockbain‘s unbeaten 43 off 22 balls led Gloucestershire to a four-wicket Vitality Blast South Group victory over Somerset with five deliveries to spare at Bristol.
In a match reduced to 11 overs per side by rain before the start, Somerset ran up 114 for 8 after losing the toss, with Corey Anderson hitting 40 off 17 deliveries. Andrew Tye claimed 3 for 24 from three overs, while Tom Smith (2 for 21) was on a hat-trick at one stage.
In reply, Gloucestershire made 116 for six from 10.1 overs, Cockbain, who hit 4 fours and 2 sixes, well supported by Kieran Noema-Barnett (25) and Jack Taylor (19).
The game did not begin until 8.15pm and hopes of a 12,000 crowd for the West Country derby were dashed by the bad weather leading up to the start. At least they were consoled by a home victory and speedy revenge for a six-wicket defeat by their arch-rivals at Taunton a week earlier.
Gloucestershire fielded poorly that night. This time they were aided by a stunning Miles Hammond catch at extra cover to break an opening stand of 27 between Myburgh and Davies.
More good work from Michael Klinger’s men led to Cockbain running out Myburgh with a direct hit at the bowler’s end from backward point and the skipper holding onto a sharp chance at the second attempt to dismiss Roelof van der Merwe.
From 48 for 4
at the end of the sixth over, Gregory and Anderson lifted the tempo with sixes off Tom Smith, whose previous over had seen James Hildreth and Peter Trego dismissed with successive balls.
Anderson then hit two maximums in the tenth over, sent down by Ryan Higgins, and when Tye, whose first two overs had cost only ten, went for 14 off the last, Somerset had a challenging score.
Gloucestershire’s hopes suffered a blow in the first over of their reply when Klinger, who had already hit a straight six, got an inside edge to Craig Overton and was caught behind.
Fellow opener Miles Hammond fell to Max Waller and after two overs the home side were 15 for two. The power plays were 3.2 overs and Noema-Barnett’s six off Gregory helped the hosts to 32 for two, compared to Somerset’s 32 for one at the same stage.
The powerful Noema-Barnett looked threatening before clothing a Gregory full toss to extra cover. And when he departed Cockbain took charge with sixes off Gregory and Peter Trego, whose over, the seventh of the inning,s cost 19.
Higgins was caught at extra cover off a van der Merwe full toss with 34 still needed, but Jack Taylor hit Jamie Overton for a two sixes and a four in the ninth over and Gloucestershire had the necessary momentum to clinch victory.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo