TAUNTON (Somerset won toss): Somerset Sabres (2pts) beat Glamorgan Dragons by 89 runs
ONLY The Wurzels could compare to the entertainment that James Hildreth provided on the perfect summer’s evening (Ivo Tennant writes). His innings of 71 enabled Somerset Sabres to reach their highest Twenty20 Cup score, 212 for three, and that was sufficient. Matthew Elliott was dismissed for a first-ball duck and wickets fell so regularly thereafter that Glamorgan Dragons were scuppered.
It was instructive to watch Hildreth and, later, Sourav Ganguly. Neither resorted to anything ugly and both swung through the line of the ball to considerable effect. There was also a typically effective piece of one-day batting from Keith Parsons, whose unbeaten 57 came off 28 balls and included eight fours and a six.
Hildreth’s innings was a delight. Dropped at Bath for Somerset’s last first-class match, he needs a couple more scores such as this to restore his selfbelief. His 71 came from only 37 balls and included seven fours and three sixes lifted easily into a near-capacity crowd. He also took two wickets with his underused medium pace.
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Somerset’s total was far too much for Glamorgan, who lost Elliott to a yorker from Andrew Caddick, Robert Croft to a catch at long-on and the lower order all too cheaply. Ganguly struck Ian Blackwell for six over mid-wicket but was leg-before next ball.
SHOW-STOPPER: The Wurzels, extolling cider and rolling back the years.
SHOW-DOWNER: But where was the Scrumpy?