Northants Find a Silver Lining After the Rain

If the rain that began falling shortly after Northamptonshire began their reply to a below-par Somerset total probably deprived them of victory last night, it was sufficiently widespread to ensure their passage into the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 Cup. With Glamorgan similarly frustrated at Warwickshire, the Steelbacks' second place in the Mid/West/Wales division is assured.

Although Nicky Boje's decision to bowl first may have been an indication that he saw something in the wicket for his bowlers, the Northants captain must have been pleasantly surprised by the level of cooperation provided by the Somerset batsmen. Justin Langer set the tone by stretching for the first delivery, a near wide from Johan van der Wath, and just managed to get a faint edge as it traveled through to the wicketkeeper, Niall O'Brien. Marcus Trescothick hooked David Lucas into the car park, then had a wild cut at a Steven Crook long-hop which Lucas caught above his head.

At 67 for six off 10 overs it seemed Somerset would do well to reach three figures, but Omari Banks and Ben Phillips added 67 for the seventh wicket off 56 balls, the tall Banks reminding his team-mates that orthodox shots can also travel to the boundary on his way to a half-century.

Needing to score 28 without loss off the first five overs to be ahead on Duckworth-Lewis, O'Brien and Rob White were well on their way when the umpires took the players off.