Royal London One-Day Cup

South Group

Somerset 360-7 beat Hampshire 356-9 by 3 wkts

SOMERSET missed out on a place in the knockout stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup, despite winning away to Hampshire off the very last ball of the match.

Peter Trego scored a run-a-ball 100 for the visitors as they chased down the home side's 356-9, but they also needed Essex to lose to Kent, and that result did not go their way.

Dom Bess came into the Somerset side after impressing for England, in doing so making his List A debut for the county, as Craig Overton also returned after injury.

Hampshire elected to bat first, but the visitors got off to an ideal start, Overton's second delivery seeing Rilee Rossouw go for a duck, Trego taking the catch.

But the second-wicket pairing of Tom Alsop and James Vince tilted the balance back in their side's favour, with a stand of 186 runs.

Alsop hit 11 fours on his way to 95 off 103 balls, with Vince even more aggressive as he collected 13 fours and a six to total 109 from 93 balls.

It took the spin of Roelof van der Merwe (2-70 off 10 overs) to finally make a breakthrough, as he had Alsop caught behind and then Joe Weatherley (4) caught and bowled.

Even so, Hampshire had reached 231 by the time Lewis Gregory (1-70 off 10) bowled Vince, and Liam Dawson stepped up to the plate with 76 off just 47 balls (seven fours and three sixes).

Brad Taylor (9) was superbly run out by Gregory, and Lewis McManus (5) bowled by Ben Green (1-52 off eight), but the men coming in for the hosts were all quick off the mark.

Gareth Berg added a rapid 27 (off 19 balls) before being run out by Steve Davies, and the final over saw Overton (3-69 off 10) remove both Dawson and Chris Wood (13 off five balls).

Mason Crane claimed nine off three balls, though, to ensure Somerset would be chasing a hefty 357 to win.

The chase began well, Johann Myburgh and Davies putting on 87 for the first wicket, a welcome change after early dismissals in their previous matches.

Davies fell for 39, bowled by Taylor, but Myburgh brought up his half-century off 39 balls.

He fell for an excellent 71 (from 49 balls, with eight fours and three sixes), caught at cover off Crane, but Trego continued his fine form by notching his fifth 50 in eight One-Day Cup matches, this one at a run-a-ball.

He and James Hildreth pushed the visitors' total past the 200-mark, both playing some lovely shots and regularly finding the boundary.

Hildreth reached his half-century off 35 balls and soon the 100 partnership was reached, with Somerset 249-2.

Not that the partnership lasted much longer, as Hildreth was stumped by McManus off Wood, for 56 from 41 balls, with three fours and three sixes.

Trego ploughed on, now joined by Matt Renshaw, as the visitors chased 77 runs from the final 10 overs.

Trego completed his century from exactly 100 balls (with seven fours and a six), before being caught by Taylor off Dawson to leave his side on 301-4.

Renshaw, too, fell to Dawson, trapped lbw for 40, and Gregory and Van der Merwe followed for 16 and 12, respectively - the latter to Hampshire new boy Dale Steyn.

It left Somerset needing 11 off the final over, where Overton scored a four, was dropped, and finally hit another four off the final ball of the match to end up with 17no and give his side victory by three wickets.

Ultimately the result at the Ageas Bowl was inconsequential, as Essex thumped Kent by 153 runs to qualify for the quarter-finals ahead of Somerset.

Dan Lawrence posted 115 and Ravi Bopara 125 in Essex's 337-7 in Chelmsford, before Jamie Porter's 4-37 helped dismiss the visitors for 184.

Ending their One-Day Cup campaign on a high should, nonetheless, give Somerset a boost heading into Saturday's County Championship match at home to Nottinghamshire.