Somerset made it two One-Day Cup Group One victories from two as they rallied well to win a final-ball thriller against Glamorgan at Taunton.
It was the only one of the day’s three games to finish, as Yorkshire’s game with Northamptionshire at Scarborough and the Kent-Lancashire Group Two game at Beckenham were rained off.
New Somerset List A skipper Ben Green made 87 out of a rain-reduced 180-7.
But, after coasting on 127-4, Glamorgan collapsed to 179-9 to lose by one run.
Young Somerset seamers Kasey Aldridge and Sonny Baker shared five of the wickets to do most of the damage, although it was ex-Gloucestershire spinner George Drissell, on his Somerset debut, who got the key wicket of Billy Root, for 37.
Halfway through their innings, Somerset had earlier limped to 84-5 off 25.5 overs, after Glamorgan’s veteran Australian seamer Michael Hogan had claimed the first four wickets.
But then came a rain break and, when the game resumed as a 37-over contest, Green clubbed 11 fours and a six in his 72 balls, sharing a stand of 86 with Lewis Goldsworthy, who made 41.
Root and Tom Cullen both made 37 in the Glamorgan reply but after a late clatter of wickets, Hogan and Andy Gorvin at least took it the final ball.
Gorvin was left needing a six to win off left-arm spinner Goldsworthy but his effort fell short of the rope and was only a four.
In the day’s other Group One game at North Marine Road, there was a shortage of ‘Scarbados sunshine’ and rain had the final word just five balls into the Northamptonshire reply after Yorkshire had been bowled out for 222.
That came after teenage batsman Will Luxton’s 68 for the Tykes on his Yorkshire debut, coming in at number seven with his side 60-5.
He shared two half-century stands, 52 for the seventh wicket with Matthew Waite and then 91 for the eighth with Matt Pillans.
“It was a pretty good feeling to be out there,” said the 18-year-old from Keighley. “The crowd was class and all my team-mates were behind me. It gives me that confidence that I can do it in the next few games.
“We said it was a tricky pitch and it did a bit. Our start wasn’t great, but we’ve got a decent bowling attack. So why couldn’t we have defended 223? If we struggled with our batting, so could they.”
In Group Two, Lancashire had their 100 per cent start brought to an end by the weather in Kent as just 14.5 overs were bowled before the rain arrived at Beckenham.
The Red Rose had reached 71 without loss when play was halted just after midday by a downpour, although the game was not finally abandoned until 15:20 BST.
In that time, Josh Bohannon (39) and Keaton Jennings (24) were unparted, while 45-year-old Darren Stevens bowled six very tidy overs for just 11.
Both sides take a point each – a first point for Kent in their third game, while Lancashire go level with Durham at the top.
It was a disappointing day for Jack Leaning in his first game captaining Kent after missing the start of the competition because of Covid.
“I’ve been looking forward to captaining the boys for a while now,” he said. “I was hoping I could have done it from the start of the competition but with all the rules and regulations around Covid, it took a little bit longer than anticipated.
“It’s been tiresome. Just the same four walls. I was literally just sat on a sofa for seven days. I feel right as rain now.
“I should imagine we’ll now have to win most of our games to qualify for the quarter-finals.”
Next up
There are three more group games on Thursday:
Durham v Gloucestershire (Scarborough, 11:00 BST)
Warwickshire v Leicestershire (Edgbaston, 11:00 BST)
Essex v Worcestershire (Chelmsford, 14:00 BST)
Somerset are back in action on Friday with a trip to Welbeck Colliery to face Notts, while Kent also play that day, against Sussex at Hove, Glamorgan are at Derby and Northants play Surrey at The Oval.
Lancashire and Yorkshire are not back in action until Sunday, when the Red Rose play Hampshire at Southampton and the White Rose meet Somerset at Taunton.
