ROELOF van der Merwe was the match-winner as Somerset recovered from a shock start to win a rain-affected Vitality Blast clash against arch-rivals Gloucestershire by three-wickets (DLS) at Bristol yesterday (June 9). 

Somerset match-winner Roelof van der Merwe said: "That has to be up there with my best T20 innings, particularly as it came against our arch-rivals in a match of great importance to our supporters.

"Even when the required run-rate got to 14 or 15 an over, I wasn't that concerned because the boundary was very short on one side and it wasn't easy for the bowlers working with a wet ball.

"At first I thought I might give Josh Davey the strike, the way he was timing the ball. Some deliveries stuck in the pitch, but in general the conditions caused the ball to skid on, which made batting easier."

After the visitors had won the toss, Miles Hammond smote 4 sixes off the opening over of the game, bowled by Tom Lammonby, on his way to making 29 off just 12 balls. 

By the time rain interrupted play after five overs, Gloucestershire had raced to 61 for one. A resumption at 8.45pm saw the game reduced to ten overs per side and the hosts went on to post 101 for five. 

Somerset’s revised target was 112. They slumped to 55 for seven before van der Merwe hammered an unbeaten 48 from 15 balls, with 4 sixes and 4 fours, to see them to an unlikely victory with three balls to spare. 

loucestershire head coach Dale Benkenstein said: "Roelof van der Merwe played an outstanding innings. I know him to be the sort of character who relishes that type of situation and he took the game away from us.

"Somerset bowled well after the rain break and we didn't add as many runs as we hoped. When they lost wickets, we looked to be in control, but that is T20 cricket. You can never be sure of anything."