In the 1st match of Group A, Lewis Goldsworthy leads Somerset to victory

Somerset defeated Worcestershire by five wickets at Taunton, increasing their chances of going to the Metro Bank One-Day Cup knockout stage. Lewis Goldsworthy top scored with 95.

After losing the toss, Tom Taylor led the Rapids to a meek batting showing with 73 off 65 balls, including seven fours and three sixes, but they were bowled out for 263 in 47.3 overs. Ben Green asserted 3 out of 58. With 5.3 overs remaining, Somerset managed to reach 267 for 5 in response.

Goldsworthy scored his runs off 108 deliveries, including nine fours and a six. James Rew and Andy Umeed also contributed 70 and 44, respectively. Fateh Singh, a left-arm spinner, produced career-best List A stats of 4 for 52.

Ed Pollock and Gareth Roderick, the openers for Worcestershire, launched Somerset’s opening attack with great enthusiasm, bringing the score up to 55 in the eighth over when Pollock lofted a catch to deep square off Ned Leonard and was out for thirty.

After reaching 35 off 41 balls, Roderick appeared to be in terrific form. However, he then clumsily assisted Ogborne’s ball to be caught at fine leg after it had gone around the corner. In the thirteenth over, Worcestershire were 68 for 2, and they had to regroup.

Rob Jones, at number 14, mistimed a catch to mid-wicket, while Jake Libby, who had reached a comfortable score of 24, misplayed a short ball straight to Lewis Goldsworthy at point, destroying all hopes that the two could finish the job.

Rehaan Edavalath gave Jack Leach a clean return catch after being softly dismissed as well, and the Rapids were down to 117 for 5. After hitting four fours, Ethan Brookes proceeded down the pitch to Goldsworthy and lofted the ball to Leach at mid-off, continuing the sequence.

Singh was dropped by Umeed at short extra cover with four in the same over. Before getting bowled for 14, Singh took advantage of Goldsworthy’s misplay to strike a six and create space for himself to cut off Archie Vaughan’s third delivery of the match.

As the two mounted a valiant counterattack, Taylor untied the ropes from Kasey Aldridge and Lewis Goldsworthy, and Tom Hinley did the same after Aldridge hit a series of short balls.

Before Hinley skyed Green to Ogborne for a long on, he had already scored 32 off just 18 balls. After Tommy Sturgess mishandled a second run with Taylor, who reached an astounding fifty-seven from fifty-three balls, Taylor was the last man out.

The opening delivery from Taylor, an inswinger that clipped the stumps, gave George Thomas the worst possible start to Somerset’s reply. But Goldsworthy and Umeed got to work quickly enough to guarantee the result.

When Umeed, trying to slog-sweep Singh in his opening over, was caught at deep square for 44, they had amassed 96 for the second wicket in 18.4 overs. Shortly after, Goldsworthy reached a fifty off 63 balls after hitting six fours.

In just ten overs, Rew and Goldsworthy reached a half-century partnership when Rew smashed two incredible drives through extra cover and then straight and Goldsworthy cleared the ropes at mid-wicket off Hinley.

In the 31st over, Rew reached fifty off 43 balls with three consecutive deliveries from Hinley that he smashed for four runs. The youthful wicketkeeper helped Goldsworthy reach three figures off 88 balls during their partnership, which marked his fourth half-century in seven Group A games.

In the 39th over, the bowler dismissed Goldsworthy (bowled by a full ball) and Sean Dickson (caught at slip) with consecutive deliveries after Rew was caught at cover by Singh attempting a reverse sweep.

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But by then, Somerset needed just 45, and Vaughan, aged eighteen, quickly scored an undefeated thirty-one from just 24 balls to ensure an easy victory.