Somerset wrap up Gloucestershire thrashing after rain clears

Craig Overton finished with figures of 5 for 26 as Somerset wrapped up a thumping 314-run Bob Willis Trophy win over Gloucestershire at Taunton.

After a delayed start, the hosts needed just 15 minutes to claim their opponents' last two wickets and move to the top of the Central Group. Overton took one of them and the last fell to Jack Brooks to complete a game dominated by Somerset's potent seam attack.

The hosts took 20 points to boost increasing hopes of reaching the Lord's final, while Gloucestershire had to settle for three, having been comprehensively outplayed.

Play began at 1.45pm after more heavy overnight rain had saturated the outfield. Brooks had five balls of an over to complete from the previous evening.

Somerset skipper Tom Abell then threw the ball to Overton, who struck with his third ball of the day from the River End.

Josh Shaw failed to keep down a rising leg-side delivery and George Bartlett dived forward to take a good low catch at midwicket. Shaw departed for a duck and, with the sun shining after all the rain of the previous two days, Somerset closed in on a quick finish.

It came in the next over, bowled by Brooks, Tom Lammonby clinging onto a sharp catch above his head at backward point to dismiss Matt Taylor for three.

Somerset have now won three out of four Bob Willis Trophy games, and it would almost certainly have been four had bad weather not robbed them over victory over Warwickshire in their previous fixture.

Their seam attack looks as good as any in the competition and they will go into their final match against Worcestershire at New Road favourites to win the group.

"It's a big relief to have got over the line after all the rain, particularly as we felt we were denied the result we deserved by the weather in our previous game," Abell said. "At certain times yesterday that feeling of frustration was there again. With the group being so tight and only two clubs out of three group winners making the final wins are so important.

"The cricket we are playing at the moment is fantastic and now we go to Worcestershire for our final group match determined to maintain those standards. It has looked for a while as if that game would decide the group and we can go into it with confidence."

"We were comprehensively outplayed by the better side and all credit to Somerset," said Richard Dawson, Gloucestershire's head coach. "They are a top team, who have performed well over a number of years in red-ball cricket.

"We failed to perform to the standards we set ourselves, particularly with the bat. The lads are very disappointed and there are no excuses coming from the dressing room or from me.

"We have learned a lot being here for four days and competing against top players. But it is easy to say that and we have to make sure we put what we have learned into practice."