Middlesex v Somerset, RLODC, Radlett, 1 May 2019, Middlesex 364-6 beat Somerset 246 all out by 118 runs
One of the joys of looking back on past seasons is that there isn’t the obligation to do a comprehensive match report for every game.
Suffice to say that this is one of those games that no Somerset supporter will want to spend very long remembering.
The margin of victory only tells half the tale. The difference between the two sides was significantly greater than the 118 runs Wisden records.
Propelled by Sam Robson, Nick Gubbines, and frankly some sub-standard Somerset bowling, Middlesex’s 364 was well above par even allowing for the “out-ground” boundaries.
Somerset needed a Tom Banton masterclass at the top of the order to set the chase up. They didn’t get it. They needed a Peter Trego virtuoso performance. They didn’t get it.
By the time George Bartlett departed in the 22nd over 104-5 left an insurmountable task. The bottom half of the order did their bit yet again. But all they could achieve was a veneer of respectability rather than a sustained chase of 365.
So in the space of a few days an unbeaten four-game start and certain qualification for the knockout phase has become a still respectable 4-2 won-loss record. With the pace at which the group games come Somerset need to turn this losing streak around quickly.
A day to be quickly forgotten.
