Somerset vs Sussex Sharks VI

Somerset vs Sussex Sharks VI: Match Report

On Saturday 13th July Somerset hosted Sussex Sharks in Taunton in the semi-final of the Primary Club Heindrich Swanapoel Memorial Cup, with the Sharks cruising into the final. 

Sussex won the toss and had no hesitation in asking Somerset to have a bat, preferring to know what to chase should the rain intervene.

The game started in familiar fashion for the Sharks with their opening bowlers keeping good lines and high pace with Joe Harrison claiming 2 early wickets to leave Somerset on just 6-2 after 6 overs. 

Sussex then gave the ball to their totally blind bowlers Dave Daniels and Tiny Morris who reeled off 10 overs to complete their work for the afternoon.

Dave Daniels finished with figures of 1-20 off his 6 overs. At 19 overs the rain intervened and the players had to come off with Somerset 75-3. This reduced the game to 27 overs per side. 

The shortened game gave Somerset just 8 overs to push the score on. England Captain Ed Hossell (29) had held the innings together but fell in the first over after the break to a skiddy yorker from Phil Daniels, who's figures of 3-9 runs off his 6 overs led the Sharks attack. 

Somerset just couldn't get going and the last 8 overs netted them only 22 runs for the loss of 6 wicket, their innings closed on 97 -9.

Although the target looked modest, the pitch had proved difficult to score fluently with just the one boundary coming from the Somerset innings, so the Sharks knew they had to be watchful. 

The first 4 overs yielded just 11 runs but with only 1 wicket falling there were no alarms. 

After the first change scoring became easier and Si Ledwith (51) took the score to within a dozen runs before perishing, but fellow  opener Mark Bond (29*) calmly saw the Sharks over the line for a comfortable eight-wicket win in the 14th over.

In the other semi-final scoring proved to be much easier as last year's beaten finalist Northants piled up 307-4. 

Their opponents 2nd Division Kent gave it a good go but fell 53 runs short, meaning there will be a repeat of the 2023 final between Northants and Sussex, to be played on the 31st August at a venue yet to be announced.