Thomas Rew lit up the Vitality Blast with his maiden T20 half-century as Somerset ended Northamptonshire Steelbacks’ unbeaten run, defeating them by a commanding 105 runs and keeping their quarter-final hopes alive.
The reigning champions faced a tough challenge at the cinch County Ground, needing wins in all their remaining fixtures to qualify. They started strong, piling up an imposing 223 for four before bowling out the hosts for just 118.
Rew’s explosive 57 came alongside Will Smeed’s 48 in a blistering opening stand of 104 runs. Despite both being dismissed quickly thereafter, Australian international Daniel Sams accelerated the innings with a flurry of late boundaries to set a daunting target.
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Northants’ Ricardo Vasconcelos hit a rapid 40 to spark their chase, but Craig Overton’s disciplined powerplay bowling applied early pressure. Wickets fell regularly, with Josh Thomas producing career-best figures of four for six and Lewis Goldsworthy claiming a remarkable hat-trick in a single over, dismantling the Steelbacks’ hopes.
Somerset’s aggressive batting began with Smeed striking two sixes off Ben Sanderson. Rew found his rhythm quickly, attacking both spin and pace bowling, including a six off Calvin Harrison. Although Rew fell soon after reaching his half-century, the momentum had already swung.
Northants struggled to maintain the required run rate. Vasconcelos started strongly with consecutive boundaries but fell victim to Overton’s bowling. Goldsworthy’s stunning three wickets in six balls further crippled the chase. Despite some fighting shots from Louis Kimber and Lewis McManus, Somerset’s bowling attack wrapped up the innings early.
This convincing win keeps Somerset’s qualification hopes alive, but they must secure victories in their remaining matches to ensure a spot in the knockout stages of the Blast.