Southampton Oval (Warwick win toss) Warwick beat Somerset by 78 runs

Zeri Tomlinson and Kamau Leverock both scored centuries as Warwick picked up their first win in the 50 Overs Premier Division on Sunday.

Batting first, Warwick posted an intimidating total of 315 in their 50 overs with Zeri Tomlinson (102), who is looking more like a Somerset Cup Match contender every week, and Kamau Leverock (100) setting the tone for victory and giving their captain Cory Burgess plenty to crow about.

“We wanted to put our best foot forward today as results haven’t gone our way,” Burgess said.

“We put up more runs than I anticipated but every little bit counts. Zeri is an exceptional player and it’s lovely when he's back. I wish him well in his Cup Match aspirations and hopefully there is more to come.”

After Warwick lost two wickets within the powerplay, Malachi Jones and Zeri Tomlinson put on a 48-run third-wicket partnership before the former was trapped in front of the wicket by Somerset player-coach Janeiro Tucker for 24.

Leverock then joined Tomlinson and the two would rotate the strike regularly to carry the score to 142 for three at the halfway stage of their innings. Leverock showed all his experience to let his partner take centre stage and Tomlinson brought up his century with a straight drive past bowler Antonio Darrell for a single.

Jermal Proctor broke up the 124-run partnership when Tomlinson played forward only for his bat to get jammed in the ground, the ball hitting his glove and giving wicketkeeper Cofield Robinson an easy catch after running around the wicket and diving to his left. Tomlinson’s 102 came from 95 balls with ten fours and five sixes.

Leverock picked up the baton after Tomlinson’s dismissal bringing up his fifty with a four to the deep cover boundary. Captain Cory Burgess made a useful 22 and featured in a sixth-wicket partnership worth 52 runs before he drilled one into the waiting hands of Tucker at mid-off. Leverock brought up his century with a four before being caught by Dominic Sabir on the boundary on the very next ball. His century came off 79 balls and included ten fours and five sixes.

Warwick lost their final wicket on the last ball of their innings, with Darrell Somerset’s best bowler claiming four wickets for 82 runs. Proctor and Sabir had two wickets apiece for 41 and 50 runs respectively.

In reply, Somerset’s Amari Ebbin and Jerez Eve racked up an opening partnership worth 26 runs before Eve was adjudged leg before for seven. Ebbin, another Cup Match prospect, would feature in a third-wicket, 31-run partnership with Proctor before he flied out to Luke Fulton at mid-off for 30. Proctor contributed a useful 21 but was trapped lbw by Shonari Boyles-Simons with the score on 87.

The Warwick bowlers started to dominate the Somerset batters as the run-rate slowed with the West Enders 115 for four at the halfway stage.

Edward Albuoy and Jade Morrissey put on 36 runs for the fifth wicket before the former was bowled by Boyles-Simons for 14. Morrissey would fall two runs later after he mistimed a Boyles-Simons slow one and hit a high but easy catch to Callum MacFarlane for 31. Somerset were now 121 for seven.

Tucker featured with Cofield Robinson in a team-high eighth-wicket partnership worth 53 runs before a mix-up led to the latter being run out for 11.

Tucker continues to prove that age is just a number as he scored a team-high 79 batting at number nine before Jones had him caught by wicketkeeper Tomlinson from one that jumped up off the wicket. His innings included six fours and five sixes as Somerset were dismissed for 237. Boyles-Simons was the pick of Warwick’s bowlers claiming four wickets for 50 runs while Leverock chipped in with two wickets for 40.