Roy Ruins Somerset's T20 Hopes

I made my way down to The Oval on Friday evening knowing that another loss would virtually end any hopes Somerset had of reaching the quarter finals of the Natwest T20 blast.

I was hopeful as I entered the ground, knowing Surrey themselves were only one point and one place above their visitors and like Somerset plenty of work to do to ensure progress in the competition.

As I took my place in the Lock Stand to the right of the pavilion Surrey's innings had just got underway as Gareth Batty won the toss and chose to bat on what looked like a very flat wicket. 

Somerset opened up with their now familiar line up of Jim Allenby and skipper Alfonso Thomas, whereas the hosts started with Jason Roy and 38 year old Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakarra.

Somerset, looking to improve on their poor powerplay performance over the course of the 2015 blast started steadily with the medium pace of Allenby allowing just 7 runs from the first over of the match. This was then backed up by Thomas who allowed 9 to leave the score at 16/0 off of 2 overs.

However it was in the third over that Somerset made what was to be their biggest mistake of the whole game. As Tim Groenewald steamed in from the Vauxhall end of the ground Jason Roy miscued a lofted straight drive that went straight up into the evening sky to where Jamie Overton was perched at long on. The 6'5 pace bowler never looked like taking the catch, jogging to his left, then some more.. and then again, as he tried to get under the ball. Despite getting two hands on it Overton could not hold on, much to the delight of the Surrey crowd and of course Roy.

Roy then never looked back, 10 from Groenwald's first over translated into 57-0 at the end of the powerplay as Somerset's seamers took a hammering due to some lusty blows from Roy and Sangakarra to all corners of a packed Oval.

At this point I moved round to directly behind the wicket opposite the pavilion. Right into Jason Roy's hitting zone. No I don't know why either.

On came the spin of Max Waller, out went the field. Same result. 8 from Waller's first over was the sign of things to come from Surrey. It took till the ninth over for Somerset to claim their first victim as Sangakarra came dancing down the track to a ball from Waller that was never there to be hit. Awaiting was New Zealand international Luke Ronchi who calmly removed the bails to send Sangkarra back to the dressing room, leaving Surrey 84-1 off nine, a start they would definitely have taken.

This was to be Somerset's one and only wicket as in the 10th over Roy brought up his 50 with a well ran two out to the leg side boundary. Minimal celebration from the South African born England international as he was nowhere near done for the day, notching up his first of six maximums shortly after, smashing Jim Allenby over long off towards the dressing rooms.

Replacing Sangakarra was Rory Burns, who didn't take long to settle. Two overs after Roy he also had his first maximum as he crashed a six over midwicket and into one of the many Kia Oval advertising hoardings.

Roy and Burns were really going for it now as 102-1 off 11 became 123-1 from 13. A further nineteen was added in the fourteenth over as Allenby was well and truly taken apart by the two Surrey batsman.

Once again Jamie Overton dropped a catch, this time off the bowling of Allenby as Burns powerfully struck one flat, straight to Overton who fumbled the ball which was met by an even louder roar by the Surrey crowd. Allenby's allotted overs were complete and he had gone for 45 in his four.

The seventeenth over then saw what most of the ground had came to see and especially what myself and Jamie Overton didn't. Jason Roy well and truly making Somerset pay for their sloppy fielding as he dispatched Overton into sightscreen to go to 104 from just 56 balls with 8 fours and 4 sixes. As soon as the ball left the opener's bat he stood in the middle of the Oval, arms aloft, taking in the rapturous round of applause and offering a bow in return. Was he finished now? Of course not. 

The eighteenth over was superb from Alfonso Thomas as Surrey managed to scramble just 1 single and a hard ran two. The penultimate was bowled by Overton who's day was not made any better as he was hit for a further 16 runs to finish with figures of four overs 0-44.

Thomas then undone all his hard work from the eighteenth over in the last as he was carted over square leg for six by Roy and then with the final ball of the innings bowled a waist-high full toss.. no prizes for guessing the result of that. Another six to finish from Roy, who ended with an unbeaten 122 from just 65 balls accompanied by a well paced 46 from Burns, from just 33 balls.

This took Surrey's final total to 208-1 from their 20 as Max Waller was the pick of the Somerset bowlers, returning 1-26 from three overs.

This left Somerset needing over 10 runs an over and out came Jim Allenby and Johann Myburgh, which has become the norm since Chris Gayle departed to return home. The returning Jade Dernbach opened Surrey's bowling from the pavilion end.

The innings could not have started worse for the visitors as Myburgh punched a straight drive to Sam Curran at mid off. Curran fumbled and Myburgh set off for a single. Allenby did not move at the non-striker's end, clearly sticking to the age old adage of 'never run on a misfield' and Myburgh could not make his ground in time, running himself out without troubling the scorers.

Peter Trego then strolled out at 0-1 and timed his first ball to perfection as he guided a Dernbach delivery to a vacant fine leg for four. Somerset 8-1 at the end of the first. Dernbach's second over saw Surrey's second wicket. Backing away to make room, Allenby attempted to loft one over extra cover and didn't quite get hold of it as Zafar Ansari palmed the ball up and caught it on the rebound in what was a brilliant piece of fielding, but he was to go outdo that later on.

Allenby was gone for 2 with the score at 18-2. Somerset already needing 11 an over by this point and looking in trouble.

A minor recovery then ensued as the powerful Trego was joined by James Hildreth but this was to only last two overs as Trego once again tried to flick one to fine leg, this time off the bowling of Sam Curran. Trego miscued and picked out the awaiting Azhar Mahmood who was never going to drop it,
moving slightly to his left. Trego couldn't believe it, knowing a foot either way and he'd have another boundary to his name. However he too had to go, for 26.

Next in was Tom Cooper. He and Hildreth managed to make it to the end of the powerplay, another disappointing one for Somerset. 43-3 from six.

Hildreth and Cooper then set about repairing the damage. Hildreth as usual was going at a steady pace of just over a run a ball with some classy strokes, matched by some powerful blows by Cooper.

In the tenth over though it was Ansari again who took a brilliant catch to break the partnership. Cooper aimed to slog sweep Batty over cow corner but could only top edge it as Ansari sprinted 35 to 40 yards in from the midwicket boundary. It looked certain to drop a number of yards short of Ansari but he was never going to give up. Sliding on his knees and outstretching his left arm, the ball dropped perfectly into his hand. Disbelief was all around as Cooper could not believe what he'd just seen, neither could any of the Surrey fielders. It was like a scene from a football ground as they came running over and knee sliding towards Ansari who sat on the turf with his arms in the air, making the most of a truly superb catch.

Batty himself was to finish with economical figures of 1-22 from four overs, keeping Somerset's batsman under wraps throughout his spell.

Cooper was gone for 29 which brought Luke Ronchi to the crease and I felt a whiff of last chance saloon as the kiwi was Somerset's last recognised batsman.

The new man had clearly noticed the required run rate was now above 12 an over as he took no time in lofting the ball over long on towards us for a huge six, 15 rows back and around 10 seats to my right.

Less than two overs later he was at it again, smashing a pull shot even further to the square leg boundary and the required rate was slowly starting to drop.

Those two lusty blows were all that Ronchi could muster in his last Somerset game as he hauled out to long off, rather summing up Somerset's innings, day and competition as he was gone for a short but sweet 21 from 13 balls and 17 year old Sam Curran had his second wicket of the evening. He was to finish with 2-37 from three overs.

Meanwhile Hildreth was still at the crease, now joined by Lewis Gregory. The Milton Keynes born batsman made his way to 50 with little if any celebration. Not long later he also hauled out, this time to Jason Roy at cow corner who just wasn't going to be kept out the game.

That was the final nail in the coffin for Somerset as the crowd became more interested in keeping their beer snakes away from eagle-eyed stewards and Surrey's boundary riders were rather pre-occupied with trying to start Mexican waves in the crowd.

It was left to Lewis Gregory to have the final say for Somerset, making 27 from 15 with 2 fours and 1 six until he departed after being trapped LBW by Tom Curran.

That was it in the end and Surrey had won by 38 runs. Somerset had lost four games this season by three runs or less but were never even close to Surrey's total after being comprehensively outplayed in all three areas of the game. The visitors will be left to rue their dropped catches, poor batting and undisciplined bowling.

Nothing was to stop Roy and co. however and Surrey's hunt for a top four finish continues while Somerset are left to battle it out in the County Championship and Royal London One-Day cup.