Will Smeed guides Somerset to victory over Glamorgan

Will Smeed smashed 86 off 48 balls to lead Somerset to a 108-run Vitality Blast South Group victory over Glamorgan at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.

The opener blitzed nine fours and five sixes to dominate the home side’s innings of 193 for eight after losing the toss.

Craig Overton contributed 42, while Dan Douthwaite claimed three wickets in an over to finish with four for 37.

In reply, Glamorgan could muster only 85 all out, Sam Northeast top scoring with 24 and Lewis Gregory taking three for 11 to become Somerset’s equal leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket.

Smeed and Tom Banton produced an opening stand of 38 inside four overs before Banton was bowled by a full delivery from Timm van der Gugten.

It was 51 for one at the end of the six-over powerplay as Smeed took centre stage, dominating a second-wicket stand of 54 inside six overs with an out-of-sorts Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who fell to a boundary catch off Andy Gorvin for nine.

By then Smeed had gone to a brilliant 30-ball half-century with a pulled four to fine leg off Douthwaite.

Douthwaite then sent back Tom Abell, Sean Dickson and Gregory with the second, fourth and sixth deliveries of an over,

Smeed was bowled by a full-length ball from Douthwaite and Somerset were seven down with more than six overs of their innings left.

Overton and Roelof van der Merwe showed their experience by steadying the ship before a late assault, which saw Overton hit sixes over long-off and long-on.

As Glamorgan replied, Overton dismissed Kiran Carlsson, caught at third man in the first over before Riley Meredith had Eddie Byrom caught behind for a duck.

Marnus Labuschagne and Northeast took the score to 37 by the end of the powerplay, but the second ball of the seventh over saw Labuschagne fall lbw to Gregory aiming to leg. Colin Ingram then guided an Overton delivery straight to gully to leave Glamorgan 43 for four.

Northeast miscued an attempted scoop shot off Gregory to Jake Ball at short fine-leg and Douthwaite also fell to Gregory.

Van der Gugten clothed a Ball delivery to cover and Chris Cook was superbly caught by Green on the cover boundary at the end of the same over to make it 71 for eight. Van der Merwe wrapped up the result, taking wickets with his only two balls of the innings.