Somerset defy van Jaarsveld to qualify

Martin van Jaarsveld hits out on his way to a defiant unbeaten century, but it was not enough for Kent

Kent vice-captain Martin van Jaarsveld hit an excellent unbeaten 132 but finished on the losing side as Somerset clinched a 45-run win that clinched their qualification as Friends Provident Trophy Group B winners.

The Spitfires lost wickets throughout their pursuit of Somerset’s excellent total of 296 at Canterbury, leaving man-of-the-match van Jaarsveld to run out of partners as he finished on a one-day best from 125 balls and with 13 fours.

Having missed out with the bat earlier, former Kent all-rounder Peter Trego was determined to make an impact with the ball and did so with figures of 4-56.

He removed in-form Kent opener Joe Denly with only his second delivery, a slower ball that Denly obligingly drove to mid-off.

Fellow opener and captain Rob Key (16) was so keen to get off strike against his nemesis, left-armer Charl Willoughby, that he called for a suicidal single to mid-off to be run out by Ben Phillips’s direct hit.

Recalled to the side to bat at four, Justin Kemp added a patient 25 in helping Kent to double their total, but his tolerance ran out with a horrible smear across the line against Trego that ended with middle stump uprooted.

Geraint Jones (16) hit a low full toss to mid-on to give Trego a fortunate third wicket, then Wayne Parnell’s cross-batted heave gifted his scalp to young leg-spinner Max Waller.

Azhar Mahmood followed suit by clubbing to deep midwicket.

Van Jaarsveld notched his sixth one-day hundred for the county, from 103 balls, but by then Somerset were already on target for their fifth win from six games.

Batting first in ideal conditions having won the toss, Somerset looked set for a total of 300-plus after a solid 63-run opening stand between Marcus Trescothick and Craig Kieswetter.

Neither man looked troubled by Kent new ball partners Wayne Parnell and Mahmood and it took the introduction of first-change seamer Simon Cook to set the first examinations.

Zander de Bruyn drives powerfully during his innings of 72

With the wicketkeeper stood up, Cook varied his pace cleverly and maintained tight lines to return excellent figures of 3-29 from an unbroken 10-over spell, underlining his importance in limited-overs cricket.

Cook trimmed Kieswetter’s off-stump, then lured James Hildreth into a trap by enticing the right-hander to drive a slower ball into the hands of Key positioned at short extra cover.

After posting a 56-ball fifty, Trescothick aimed a back-foot force but Cook nipped one into the left-hander, back down the St Lawrence slope and through the gate to dismantle middle and off stumps and make it 114 for three.

The Sabres sharpened their act with a sensible fourth-wicket stand worth 141 in 19 overs between strapping right-hander Zander De Bruyn and his diminutive, left-handed skipper Justin Langer.

At times Kent’s attack struggled to contain the duo, particularly at the start of the Somerset batting powerplay, when they added 33 in three overs.

The the wheels fell off the visitors' wagon in spectacular fashion, with the loss of six wickets for 20 inside five overs.

The re-introduction of Parnell sparked the turnaround, yorking Langer with his first ball to send the former Australian Test star packing for an excellent 77 off 60 balls.

With his next ball Parnell moved one back through the air to bowl in-form Trego without scoring and give the South Africa international deserved figures of 3-43 from eight hostile overs.

Somerset’s slide continued with three run outs, the last of them to the final ball of the innings that led to their eventual demise for a respectable 296.