Somerset Defeat In CB40
Marcus TrescothickTable leaders beaten in a rain-affected clash at Horsham.
Marcus Trescothick's 67 failed to save Somerset from a 17-run defeat by Sussex under the Duckworth-Lewis system in a rain-affected game at Horsham.
The visitors looked set to maintain their 100 per cent Group A record when posting an impressive 216-7 after the match was reduced to 20 overs per side.
But under grey skies and with a wet ball Somerset's bowlers were found wanting as Sussex reached 177-4 from 15 overs when the rain became too heavy and the match was ended.
A win would have virtually guaranteed Trescothick's team a semi-final place. Now, while they remain strongly placed with eight wins from nine games, there is still work to do.
Director of Cricket Brian Rose told somersetcountycc.co.uk: "It wasn't one of our better bowling days. That's for certain. But you have to give credit to Sussex.
"Because the weather was so poor Duckworth-Lewis was always going to come into it and they had an advantage batting second because they knew what they needed over by over.
"Having said that, they went about the chase very positively and played extremely well. Although we batted superbly, we got a bit stuck in the last five overs of our innings and that proved costly.
"We will sit down tomorrow and analyse the game. We are still in a great position to reach the semi-finals and our destiny in the competition remains in our own hands."
Sussex won the toss and were soon on the receiving end of a pasting from Somerset's top three batsmen, who shared 162 runs off a combined total of just 84 balls.
Craig Kieswetter was dropped by Murray Goodwin off a skyer early on, but went on to smash 45 off 26 deliveries with 3 fours and 4 sixes, sharing an opening stand of 102 in eight overs with Trescothick.
There was no let up for Sussex when Kieswetter was well caught by Michael Yardy off Luke Wright as Trego came in and looked in great form from the start.
The all-rounder raced to 50 off 21 balls in just 17 minutes, smacking 6 fours and 3 sixes before giving a catch to Chris Liddle off the bowling of Monty Panesar immediately after reaching his half-century.
Trescothick was equally dominant, reaching his fifty off 23 balls, and had hit 9 fours and 3 sixes when caught by Wright off Yardy with the total on 174.
The later batsmen perished in the bid for more quick runs and some momentum was lost, but 216 was still a formidable total on the festival ground.
It became an even more uphill task for Sussex when the dangerous Wright was caught by Alfonso Thomas off Mark Turner for 16 in the third over of his side's reply, having hit the Somerset pace bowler for six and four off the previous two deliveries.
Turner otherwise proved expensive, conceding 18 off the over, and the home side were 36-1 after three as Goodwin joined Ed Joyce. That became 61-1 after five as, despite gloomy conditions, Sussex made a good fist of the chase.
Switched to the other end, Turner bowled the sixth over and conceded two more boundaries as the Sharks moved to 71-1 and were ahead on Duckworth-Lewis.
Trescothick's response was to introduce Murali Kartik for the seventh over and he struck with his first ball as Goodwin was well caught by Jos Buttler for 12. The Indian left-arm spinner had Joyce stumped for 35 in the same over to apparently change the course of the match.
Trego then clean bowled Chris Nash middle stump, having been hit for six off the previous ball, and at 86-4 Somerset seemed to be getting on top.
Still Sussex maintained a high run rate as Yardy brought up the 100 in the tenth over. At the halfway point in their innings the Sharks were 114-4.
Yardy took three successive boundaries off Trego as the home side moved well ahead on Duckworth-Lewis with rain falling and the threat of the innings being aborted at any time.
Somerset could do nothing to stem the flow of boundaries as Yardy took control, reaching his half century with a pulled six off Thomas. He had faced 22 balls and hit 8 fours and 2 sixes.
Turner's return brought another pulled six from Yardy on an afternoon to forget for the seamer. By the end of his third over he had conceded 43 runs.
Joe Gatting survived a straightforward stumping chance to Kieswetter off Kartik with the total 173-4 and Somerset's hopes faded further.
With five overs to go Sussex required 40 and were strong favourites. Rain has been falling steadily and umpires Neil Mallender and Jeremy Lloyds, both former Somerset players, decided conditions were no longer playable.
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