NatWest T20 Blast

Gloucestershire 165-8; Somerset 166-5

JOHANN MYBURGH top-scored with 63 as Somerset beat Gloucestershire by five wickets in front of a sell-out 8,000 NatWest T20 Blast crowd at Bristol.

The visitors reached a target of 166 with two balls to spare with James Hildreth remaining unbeaten on 25 at the end.

Gloucestershire had posted 165-8 after winning the toss, Michael Klinger continuing his great run with 44, while Ian Cockbain contributed 34.

The hosts’ innings got off to a sedate start thanks to some accurate power play bowling from Sohail Tanvir and James Allenby, who bowled two overs each at a shared cost of just 12 runs.

Opener Peter Handscomb fell to Lewis Gregory for a seven-ball duck and even Klinger, who went into the match with an average of 413 from five NatWest Blast innings, found it hard to time the ball.

There was only one boundary in the first five overs and at the end of the power play Gloucestershire were 37-1. But soon Cockbain was helping his skipper accelerate as they took the total to 65 in the ninth over.

Cockbain looked in good touch until smashing a ball from Gregory to Waller at deep mid-wicket, having faced 21 balls and hit three fours and a six.

In the 13th over Klinger lifted an Allenby full toss to deep square where Hildreth took the catch above his head.

Klinger had hit two sixes and two fours in facing 39 balls. Leg-spinner Waller kept a tight rein from the Bristol Pavilion End and with three overs to go Gloucestershire were 123-5.

Benny Howell (26), Jack Taylor (24) and James Fuller (14) produced some lusty blows to boost the total, but Somerset looked favourites at the halfway stage.

Having elected to omit Marcus Trescothick, the visitors experimented with a new opening partnership of Allenby and Myburgh, who took the total to 44 in the fifth over.

Allenby, having looked in prime form moving to 27, then top-edged a pull off Craig Miles and David Payne held a skier at short fine leg. But by the end of the power play Somerset were well placed on 59-1.

Myburgh produced the most fluent batting of the game, but lost partner Peter Trego with the score on 84 as he top-edged a sweep off Tom Smith in the tenth over.

Tanvir followed for 13, with the innings having lost momentum. Myburgh went to his half-century off 42 balls, but with 23 needed off 16 deliveries he was brilliantly caught by Handscomb at long-on off Smith.

Tom Cooper eased Somerset nerves with successive sixes off Payne. Even a streaker and the departure of Cooper couldn’t stop the visitors from there as Hildreth saw them home.

Gloucestershire captain Michael Klinger had no complaints.

"We were outplayed with the bat in the power plays and definitely out-bowled," he said.

"It was a familiar story of giving too many boundary balls at the start of the Somerset innings. The bowlers are trying hard, but need to execute their skills better.

"I thought 165 was a par score, but we gave them too much width with the ball and they gave us very little."