Somerset maintained their stranglehold on the Cup Match trophy after bowling St George’s out twice in a day and handing them a crushing innings defeat at Somerset Cricket Club on Friday.

With the challengers trying desperately to save the match inside the final 20 overs, left- arm spinner Derrick Brangman bowled last man Zeko Burgess (21) to seal the champions’ emphatic victory and ignite wild celebrations around the ground.

Earlier, the challengers were comfortably poised at 75 for one in their first innings, replying to Somerset’s 391 all out, before suffering a cataclysmic collapse in the final hour before lunch as seven wickets fell for 15 runs in the space of five overs with spinners Brangman and Dion Stovell unplayable on a turning track.

Brangman ignited the slide after Delray Rawlins (20) was trapped in front when hitting across the line and he struck again when Kamau Leverock, fielding at slip, grabbed Onias Bascome (0).

Stovell tightened the screws at the other end as he picked up four wickets in quick succession to keep the pressure on.

He opened his account after Jonté Smith (41) holed out to Tre Manders at long on and then took a low return catch off his own bowling to send Isaiah O'Brien (0) on his way back to the pavilion.

Stovell struck again to dismiss St George's captain Sinclair Smith (0) and vice-captain Macai Simmons (8) leg before, while Brangman bowled colt Keegan Jones (6) with a delivery that turned back sharply to leave St George's in tatters at 90 for eight at lunch on day two.

Somerset picked up where they left off when play resumed with Dominic Sabir claiming the wickets of Luke Horan (10) and last man Burgess (8) in the space of nine balls as St George’s were dismissed for 113 in 29.1 overs, leaving them with a first-innings deficit of 278 runs.

Brangman (four for 22) and Stovell (four for 31) claimed eight wickets between them while Sabir took two for eight.

Somerset enforced the follow on knowing glory was in their grasp and they made another early breakthrough when Bascome (12), who had been promoted up the order, was caught by substitute fielder Jan-Johan Nel on the mid-wicket boundary off the bowling of Jermal Proctor.

Opener Nzari Paynter (35) and O’Brien (64) the stabilised the innings via a 82-run second-wicket partnership, with the latter smashing Brangman over long off for six to bring up his maiden Cup Match fifty off 48 balls in 78 minutes in style and leave St George’s comfortably poised to secure a draw at 100 for one at tea in their second innings.

However, an all too familiar scenario again unfolded when play resumed as Brangman and Stovell triggered another dramatic collapse which featured the nine remaining St George’s wickets falling for 77 runs in 24 overs.

Leverock started the slide when he bowled O’Brien with a delivery that stayed low, while Stovell trapped Paynter leg before and had Rawlins (0) caught by colt Jaiden Manders at silly mid off for a golden duck in the next over. That placed Stovell on a hat-trick but Simmons (2) survived his next delivery.

Brangman struck another telling blow when Sabir produced a juggling catch at long on to send Simmons back to the pavilion, while colt Jaiden Manders caught Horan at forward short leg off the bowling of Stovell in the next over to leave St George’s at 119 for six.

That soon became 124 for eight after Brangman had Sinclair Smith (1) caught by Proctor at short leg and Kevon Fubler (0) out leg before for a golden duck in successive deliveries in the next over.

Colt Jones (12) survived the latest hat-trick delivery and along with Jonté Smith (36 not out) halted Somerset’s charge for nine overs as the mandatory final 20 overs drew closer.

Malachi Jones finally broke Keegan Jones’ resistance when he bowled the 19-year-old before Brangman removed last man Burgess to ensure the cup remains in the West End for at least another year.

Brangman finished with match figures of eight for 72, Stovell seven for 67 and Sabir two for 44.

Sabir (67) and Stovell (52) both struck half centuries on the opening day of play on Thursday to help lay the foundation for Somerset’s massive victory in their only turn at bat.

The entire morning session was lost after the start of the match was delayed due to weather and safety checks with scaffolding at the ground deemed unsafe. Play finally got underway at 2.20pm with Somerset opting to take first strike on an excellent batting track.

The champions suffered an early setback when captain Terryn Fray (0) was caught behind by St George’s counterpart Smith off the bowling of Burgess with the second delivery of the match and without troubling the scorers.

Burgess and fellow seamer Horan came in for some heavy punishment from Leverock (47) and colt Jaiden Manders (28) as Somerset set about repairing the early damage.

The pair moved the score along to 44 before Manders went for another big hit and was comfortably caught off the bowling of Horan by O'Brien at long off

Leverock survived a scare when he was put down by Paynter at mid-wicket off the bowling of St George’s colt Jones.

The Somerset all-rounder smashed the first six of the match off O’Brien straight down the ground as he closed in on a half century, which eluded him after he was caught by Horan at long off from a Rawlins full toss.

Tre Manders (43) and Sabir again steadied the ship as St George's unleashed their spinners at both ends with the former also living a charmed life after being dropped behind by wicketkeeper Smith off the bowling of left-arm spinner Kevon Fubler in the forties.

Manders’ luck finally ran out when he was trapped in front by off spinner Paynter seven runs shy of a fifty to leave Somerset 149 for four at tea.

Sabir reached his maiden Cup Match fifty, off 86 balls in 108 minutes when play resumed after glancing a Horan delivery down to the third man boundary.

The Somerset vice-captain’s fine innings finally ended controversially when he was given out caught by Bascome at slip off the bowling of Jonté Smith although the ball appeared not to have carried.

St George’s reserve Jahnoi Bean replaced captain Smith behind the stumps and took a brilliant catch off the bowling of Smith to dislodge Somerset wicketkeeper Zerai Tomlinson (5) before Stovell and Proctor (41) put up the shutters to see the hosts to stumps without further loss.

Stovell flicked Jones down the leg side and crossed for two runs to bring up his half century off 85 balls in 156 minutes with what proved to be the last act of the day to leave Somerset in a position of strength at 277 for six.

However, he was unable to add to his tally when play resumed on Friday morning after being caught by Paynter at mid-wicket to earn St George’s colt Jones his first wicket in Cup Match.

Incoming batter Malachi Jones (79 not out) put the St George’s attack to the sword with some aggressive batting and along with Proctor (41) added 58 runs for the eighth wicket before the latter was held by Jonté Smith at backward square leg off a Burgess delivery.

Jones, whose swashbuckling knock included five sixes and nine boundaries, reached his fifty off 38 balls in 55 minutes before Rawlins bowled Brangman (10) and Fubler had last man Kwasi James (0) caught behind by Smith to bring the curtains down on Somerset’s innings.

Left-arm spinner Rawlins (two for 41) and seamers Smith (two for 45) and Burgess (two for 66) claimed two wickets each for the challengers.