Denly’s knock in vain for beaten Panthers

Middlesex 252-9 lost to Somerset 257-4 by six wickets
(Middlesex 0 pts, Somerset 2 pts)

Middlesex’s woes in the Yorkshire Bank 40 continued as they were beaten with four overs to spare at Taunton.

Joe Denly’s run-a-ball 60 and his large stand with Neil Dexter helped Panthers to 252-9 in their 40 overs, although a flurry of late wickets prevented them making a bigger total.

Somerset, beaten inside three days in the County Championship match between the two sides, gained their revenge thanks to Peter Trego’s big hitting.

The Sabres’ opener smashed 81 from 67 balls to ensure Somerset were always well ahead of the required run rate and Jos Buttler and James Hildreth finished things off.

It leaves Middlesex with just one point from three matches in Group C, after two defeats and a rained-off game.

Having been put in by Somerset, Chris Rogers and Dawid Malan opened up for the Panthers and kept the scoreboard ticking over nicely, moving on to 61-0 after 10 overs.

The partnership was ended in the 12th over, Rogers out for 29, while Malan fell for 49 to leave Middlesex on 98-2.

Denly and Paul Stirling kept the rate at around about a run a ball but a couple of quick wickets slowed the Panthers’ charge.

Stirling went first, the Irishman out caught and bowled for 28, and when Adam Rossington was out cheaply Middlesex were at 139-4 in the 24th.

In spite of few boundaries, Denly and Dexter shared in a partnership of 83 in 12 overs and they put Panthers into a good position at 222-4 after 36 overs.

But when Dexter was out for 37, Denly began to lose partners, although he was at least able to move to 60 before he too was dismissed.

With the Sabres chasing 253, Trego and Marcus Trescothick got off to a flyer in the opening powerplay, scoring at around eight an over.

Rossington took a superb catch to dismiss Trescothick for 28 but Middlesex were made to suffer in a match-winning partnership between Trego and Arul Suppiah.

Together they put on 110, with Trego hitting eight fours and two sixes, and none of the Panthers’ frontline bowlers escaped punishment.

Tom Smith eventually accounted for Trego and Harris ended Suppiah’s knock of 60 but another weighty partnership took the Sabres closer to victory.

Alviro Petersen and Hildreth shared a 50 stand and although the former was out off the bowling of Tim Murtagh, it wasn’t enough to save Middlesex.

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