Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network.
Riley Meredith haunted Middlesex for the second time this season at Lord’s as Somerset crushed the hosts by 8 wickets to book their place in the knockout stages.
The Tasmanian quick, whose 4-12 routed the Seaxes in the Vitality Blast back in June, was chief tormentor again with 4-27 – only the second time he’d taken four or more wickets in List-A cricket - as the hosts were bundled out for 135 with 63 balls unused.
Meredith received great support from new-ball partner Josh Davey(1-20) the pair leaving Middlesex in disarray at 39-4 by the end of the powerplay. England spinner Jack Leach got two wickets later down the card with only Martin Andersson 34 and Luke Hollman, left stranded on 38 not out, providing prolonged resistance.
James Rew 53 not out, complete with two sixes and Lewis Goldsworthy 41 not out shared an unbroken third wicket stand of 81 to make light work of the chase as Somerset romped home with 23 overs to spare, eliminating Middlesex in the process.
Middlesex had won three of their last four games but were soon in trouble after being put in.
Meredith took only four balls to begin the rout, pinning youngster Nathan Fernandes in front for a single.
Eyes of the home fans were on Joe Cracknell, who had improved his career-best in both the last two games, but the Durham University graduate was run out after setting off for a suicidal single to short mid-on, and colliding with bowler Davey prior to George Thomas’ direct hit.
That wound was self-inflicted, but Meredith was soon centre-stage once more, cutting short Mark Stoneman’s four-boundary cameo with a snorter of a ball which zipped between bat and pad and plucked out the off stump.
Davey completed the powerplay carnage by castling Sam Robson off the inside edge and even when the new-ball pair vacated the bowling crease there was no let-up, Ben Green causing Jack Davies to feather one through to Rew.
Middlesex were in danger of not beating the 78 they’d been hustled out for by the ‘Cidermen’ two months previously and needed some crisp driving from Andersson to surpass that figure, he and Hollman sharing a sixth-wicket stand of 46.
Nemesis Meredith though snuffed out lingering hopes of revival when he switched to the Pavilion End to trap Anderson leg before with the first ball off his second spell immediately after the drinks break.
Thereafter it was pretty much Hollman against the rest, the leg-spinner clubbing one from Leach into the Mound Stand for the only six of the innings as others fell around him, Sean Dickson’s stunning catch to remove Henry Brookes the highlight of a fine fielding display from the visitors.
Thomas was fortunate not to be adjudged runout on seven as Somerset began the chase, though he didn’t make the most of the reprieve when brilliantly stumped by Davies off Ethan Bamber four runs later. Davies would also stump Somerset’s leading scorer in the competition, Andrew Umeed for 22.
Goldsworthy
though remained to anchor his side inexorably towards the target in company
with Rew, who cut loose late on to raise his fifty from 40 balls in the grand
manner with a towering six off Hollman.
Middlesex
Somerset
