Batty spins Royals to victory

Gareth Batty inspired Worcestershire to victory with a career-best spell of 3-21

Spinner Gareth Batty took a career-best 3-21 as Worcestershire triumphed by eight runs against Somerset in the Twenty20 Cup at New Road.

The Sabres, needing 166 to win, were dismissed for 157 after losing six wickets in 21 balls for 32 runs.

Peter Trego, a former Worcestershire second XI player, was their top-scorer with 58 not out, which contained two sixes and seven fours off 31 balls.

Marcus Trescothick hit 52, but it was not enough to stop the Royals from clinching their third Midlands/Wales/West Division win in five matches.

After winning the toss, they made 165 for six with spinner Arul Suppiah taking 3-25, his best return in Twenty20 cricket.

They soon had a slice of good fortune, however, when Steven Davies, on seven, was dropped at deep square-leg by Max Waller off paceman Charl Willoughby.

At that stage his side were 13 without loss, a tally he and Vikram Solanki took to 35 off six overs before Somerset made the breakthrough.

The successful bowler was former Worcestershire all-rounder Zander de Bruyn, whose first delivery had Solanki smartly stumped by Craig Kieswetter for 15.

The skipper made 15 and put on 35 with Davies who, along with Stephen Moore, helped lift Worcestershire to the 50 mark in the seventh over.

Davies finally fell for 33 when he glanced Ben Phillips to short fine-leg, where Alfonso Thomas took a neat low catch. He had struck two sixes and three fours off 22 balls.

Peter Trego's 58 not out was in vain as Somerset fell eight runs short in their chase

Moore followed soon after when he skied Suppiah to mid-off, where Justin Langer held a comfortable catch.

Moeen Ali and Ben Smith hoisted Worcestershire past the three-figure mark in the 14th over before Suppiah struck again by tempting Ali into offering a catch to James Hildreth at deep midwicket for 20.

Daryl Mitchell also departed to Suppiah, and Ashley Noffke fell off the final ball for 23 off 10 deliveries.

Smith was his side’s highest scorer with an unbeaten 35 which included five fours off 22 deliveries.

Somerset suffered an early setback when they launched their run-chase as Kieswetter found Solanki at mid-off off paceman Chris Whelan, whose opening three-over spell cost just four runs.

Kieswetter’s dismissal opened the way for Trescothick and de Bruyn to put the Worcestershire attack under pressure with a partnership worth 66 in nine overs.

It came to an end when Trescothick clipped Noffke to Ian Fisher at midwicket after cracking two sixes and five fours off 35 balls.

De Bruyn was removed for 30 by Batty with Hildreth becoming a scalp for Mitchell, a dismissal which sparked Somerset’s dramatic decline.

Man-of-the-match Batty then accounted for Langer and Phillips either side of Suppiah being run out by Solanki.

Thomas and Waller were also run out before Noffke polished off last man Willoughby.