Freya Kemp stamps mark as Hampshire hold off Somerset

Freya Kemp registered a superb unbeaten half-century as Hampshire carved out a hard-fought five-run victory over Somerset at the Cooper Associates Ground to return to winning ways in the Vitality Blast T20 women's competition.

Hampshire elected to bat on a sound Taunton track and internationals Maia Bouchier and Charli Knott staged an enterprising opening partnership of 80 in 9.1 overs, scoring 43 apiece as bat dominated ball. Kemp then built upon solid foundations, raising a forthright 65 not out from 38 balls, striking seven fours and two sixes to propel the visitors to 169 for 6.

Required to score at 8.5 an over, Somerset were bolstered by Niamh Holland's superb career-best T20 innings of 60 from 53 balls. She struck six fours and two sixes, shared in stands of 52 and 63 with Sophie Luff and Amanda-Jade Wellington for the third and fourth wickets respectively and helped set up a tense finale.

Wellington hit 44 from 25 balls to make a game of it, but the Australian was out in the final over and Somerset, looking for their first win of the Blast campaign, came up just short at 164 for 6. Linsey Smith was the pick of the Hampshire bowlers, returning figures of 2 for 26 from four overs.

Hampshire won the toss, elected to bat and made a flying start, Bouchier and Knott accruing nine boundaries between them in raising a quickfire 51 from the six-over powerplay. Adept at finding the gaps, these two scored freely either side of the wicket to heap pressure upon the Somerset bowlers and force a series of errors in the field.

Somerset skipper Luff deployed six different bowlers in the first nine overs in a bid to break the partnership and the home side breathed a collective sigh of relief when England batter Bouchier, having rushed to 43 from 26 balls with eight fours, fluffed her lines and skied a delivery from Wellington to long-on, where Chloe Skelton took an athletic catch.

Making her final appearance before returning to Australia, overseas star Knott surrendered her wicket in almost identical fashion, attempting to hit Charlie Dean's offspin over the top and succeeding only in finding Wellington at long-on with the score 90 for 2.

Offspinner Skelton and seamer Mollie Robbins applied pressure through the middle overs, but Somerset were unable to contain Kemp, who proved effective in hitting the spinners down the ground. The partnership for the third wicket between Kemp and the experienced Georgia Adams gathered pace, the latter successfully adopting a supporting role as the more aggressive Kemp went through the gears.

Adams had contributed 10 runs to a stand of 49 in 36 balls when she danced down the pitch to Dean and holed out to long-off in the 17th. Dean then pouched a return catch to send back Rhianna Southby without scoring next ball, Wellington ran out Abi Norgrove for 1 and Luff threw down the stumps to remove Mary Taylor as the visitors subsided to 152 for 6 in the face of a belated Somerset fightback.

Unperturbed by chaotic events at the other end, Kemp went to an assured 50 from 33 balls, the left hander almost single-handedly lifting Hampshire to a competitive total.

Somerset's reply was undermined by confusion, Bex Odgers failing to respond when called through by Holland and being run out in the very first over. Fran Wilson then top-edged a Lauren Bell delivery to deep third and departed for 4 as the home side lurched to 19 for 2 in the fourth.

It might have been worse for Somerset had Bouchier not dropped Holland on 15 at long-on off the bowling of Mary Taylor. The England Under-19 allrounder made good her escape to stage a restorative partnership with Luff, the third-wicket pair adopting a high-risk strategy in raising 52 from 34 balls to partially redress the balance. Hampshire kept their cool under pressure and Smith persuaded Luff to hit to extra cover for 23, at which point the home side were 71 for 3, requiring a further 99 at 10 an over.

Holland did her best to keep Somerset in contention, going to a 39-ball half century in style, pulling Taylor over midwicket for six and then driving the next ball straight down the ground for four to bring an appreciative audience to their feet. Promoted up the order, Wellington provided valuable support as the fourth wicket pair advanced the score to 115 for 3 at the end of the 15th.

Smith finally accounted for Holland in the 18th, pinning her lbw in the act of reverse sweeping as Somerset slipped to 134 for 4. The home side's hopes rested with Wellington thereafter, but she was run out in the final over as Hampshire held their nerve.