Deunte Darrell produced a menacing display with bat and ball to guide Willow Cuts to a comfortable 72-run victory against Somerset in a Lindo’s T20 group B match at Somerset Cricket Club yesterday.

The all-rounder tore Somerset’s bowling to shreds, hitting 115 from just 49 deliveries and then claimed two wickets in as many balls to place himself on a hat-tick which he was ultimately denied.

Somerset paid a heavy price for dropping Darrell in the eleventh over off the bowling of Joshua Gilbert, the off spinner, as the early order batsman unleashed a vicious assault on a Somerset attack that struggled with their lines.

No bowler was spared Darrell’s wrath, particularly Kwasi James, the seam bowler, who was virtually blasted out of the attack after leaking 25 runs in his third over.

Darrell raced to his half-century in the fifteenth over off just 28 balls with a huge six off the bowling of James over cow’s corner.

If Somerset thought they had seen the worst from Darrell then they were in for a rude awakening as the free-scoring batsman faced just twelve more deliveries to reach his century, which arrived in the eighteenth over with a six off Greg Maybury, the seam bowler.

Darrell’s swashbuckling knock finally came to a halt in the last over of the innings when he was caught in the covers off the bowling of Jacobi Robinson, the Somerset off spinner.

He struck ten sixes and eight fours from 49 balls and along with Ricardo Brangman featured in a 154-run third-wicket partnership that virtually batted Somerset out of the match.

Darrell’s fireworks overshadowed Brangman who was the mainstay of the Cuts’ innings with an unbeaten 67 from 55 deliveries. The early-order batsman hammered four sixes and as many fours and along with Shaquille Jones, the wicketkeeper, added 57 runs for the second wicket after Malachi Jones, the Cuts captain, was dismissed cheaply in the first over of the innings.

Brangman brought up his half-century off 44 balls in the twelfth over with a six off the bowling of DeSilva, who brought himself into the attack after swapping the wicketkeeping gloves two overs earlier with Dennico Hollis.

Robinson led Somerset’s attack with two for 23.

Asked to score just over ten runs per over in their reply, Somerset got off to the worst possible start after losing opener Dennico Hollis in the first over as Kamal Bashir, the seam bowler, made the initial breakthrough with the new ball.

A 41-run second-wicket stand between Raoul Khan and Joshua Gilbert steadied the ship somewhat before Sheroy Fubler, the off spinner, removed both batsmen to reduce Somerset to 53 for three at the end of the power play.

Fubler struck again two overs later after Cuts captain Jones took a spectacular one handed grab at mid-wicket to dismiss an ominous Robinson.

Darrell was introduced into the attack at the start of the ninth over and made an immediate impact as he held onto an easy return catch off his own bowling to dismiss Jordan DeSilva, the Somerset captain.

Darrell then placed himself on a hat-trick after dismissing James for a golden duck with his next delivery.

The seam bowler was denied the feat after incoming bat Christian Gibbons got an edge that beat the slip cordon and raced to the vacant third man boundary.

Middle-order batsmen Gibbons and Maybury produced some fireworks during an unbroken 75-run seventh-wicket stand, but by then the damage had already been done.

Gibbons struck 34 from 33 balls that included five boundaries while Maybury thumped two sixes in a knock off 33 from as many deliveries before the overs ran out with Somerset well shy of their target.

Gilbert, who gathered 27 at the top of the order, Khan, who added 13, and DeSilva, who struck 16, were the remaining Somerset bats in double figures.

Sheroy Fubler was the pick of the Cuts bowling with three for 34 while Darrell took two for 22.

Having already played their three group matches, Somerset must now await the outcome of Cuts’ remaining group matches with Tuff Dogs and PHC that will determine which team advances to the semi-finals.