Somerset 262-8

St David's 261

Reid Jones hit an unbeaten century as Somerset comprehensively disproved the long-held belief that catches win matches.

The West End club dropped ten chances in all against St David's at Lords yesterday, and still managed to eke out a two-wicket win.

With Somerset needing 20 to win from the final two overs, tailender Marcus Johnson decided he only need one, hitting Angelo Cannonier for three sixes, and a scampered two, to spark wild celebrations among the Somerset side.

Cannonier conceded 52 from his eight overs and that, along with a costly five-over spell from skipper Delyone Borden who went for 41, ended-up turning the game.

Somerset were 88 for four at one stage and looked for all the world like a team that would be made to pay for their poor display in the field.

However, Jones (104 not out) then set about the St David's bowling attack and his partnerships of 36 with Davon Wade, and 48 with Jacobi Robinson (30), proved crucial.

Still, at 204 for seven, with seven overs remaining, St David's will have fancied their chances and that belief increased when Best was run out in the first over of the batting power play to reduce Somerset to 210 for eight.

That was as good as it got for the home side, however, as Jones and Johnson dispatched the bowlers to all parts of the ground. And Cannonier didn't help matters when he dropped Jones on 91 with the visitors still 40 runs short.

In fact, all the luck was with the West End club yesterday, and in other circumstances they might not even had had their final two overs to use.

A painfully slow over rate when bowling meant that St David's' innings lasted 18 minutes longer than it should have done and even then there were still several of the 50 overs left to bowl.

They are also likely to have the continued use of wicketkeeper Jekon Edness, who will escape being written up by the two umpires, despite a show of dissent that certainly warranted it.

Appealing for a caught behind, Edness strode half-way down the wicket, repeatedly appealing as he went, and when denied, hurled the ball to the floor, swore in the direction of the umpire, and stormed off back behind the stumps.

Still, his frustration was probably born from a fielding display that at times defied belief.

It had all started so well for Somerset with Jacobi Robinson bowling Sammy Robinson in the first over. From then though it all went horribly wrong. They dropped Justin Pitcher five times, and he made them pay, scoring 73 before finally being given out lbw with the score on 127.

OJ Pitcher (77) took over where his cousin left off, and with Somerset dropping a variety of chances, St David's nicked and drove their way past 200. Several wickets did fall but it wasn't until Johnson finally held one off the bowling of Jones to remove OJ Pitcher that they could feel good about themselves.

At 237 for seven, St David's should certainly have made more than the 261 they finished with but given the number of chances Somerset put down, they should probably count themselves lucky to have passed 150.