Somerset v Gloucestershire
The 2006 Twenty20 Cup got off to an explosive start with the defending Champions Somerset sending out a warning that last seasons win was no fluke smashing a Twenty20 Cup record 250 against Gloucestershire at Taunton .
Somerset launched their defence of the Twenty20 Cup with a world record score as Australians Cameron White and Justin Langer set up a 117-run demolition of Gloucestershire at Taunton.
White blasted an unbeaten 116 off 53 balls, while Langer marked his first ever game of Twenty20 with 90 off 46 deliveries in an astonishing total of 250-3.
It shattered the previous best in the competition, set by Somerset in the same fixture last year, by 22 runs.
Matt Wood set the tone with 34 off 19 balls before Langer and White added 186 in 14 overs. White hit nine sixes and Langer four.
In reply, Gloucestershire lost talisman Ian Harvey to the second ball of the innings and were never in the hunt as they struggled to 133 all out, Charl Willoughby taking 4-30.
Skipper Jon Lewis, who had won the toss, top-scored with 43 off 22 balls.
But at one stage the scoreboard read 56-6 in a totally one-sided contest.
Last season, it was Graeme Smith's power at the top of the order which made Somerset such a force.
Now in Langer and White they have batsmen capable of equal savagery.
All Gloucestershire's bowlers were treated alike by the pair.
Martyn Ball went for 35 off two overs, Will Rudge 46 off three, Mark Hardinges 44 off three and Carl Greenidge 43 off four.
As well as the 13 sixes during the partnership, there were 17 fours, all greeted ecstatically by home supporters in the 7,000 crowd.
White demonstrated awesome power, while Langer made use of the short straight boundaries at Taunton with some devastating drives.
The 100 came up off 10 overs and the 200-mark was passed in the 17th. White reached his ton off 48 balls with a six over extra cover off Will Rudge, which also brought up the record Twenty20 total at 230-1 with eight balls remaining.
Langer needed 10 off the final over to follow his partner to three figures, but was bowled by the first ball from Harvey, who finished with 3-46.
By then, Gloucestershire were demoralised, having dropped two chances offered by White on 11 and 88.
Somerset were in no mood to be so generous and Arul Suppiah's catch to dismiss Craig Spearman after the ball had been played well over his head at cover was a superb effort.
Twenty20 Cup, 2006, Midlands/West/Wales Division
Somerset v Gloucestershire
County Ground, Taunton
27 June 2006 (20-over match)
Result: Somerset won by 117 runs
Points: Somerset 2, Gloucestershire 0
Toss: Gloucestershire
Umpires: RA Kettleborough and B Leadbeater
TV Umpire: JH Evans
Twenty20 Debuts: JL Langer (Somerset); DO Brown, WD Rudge (Gloucestershire).
Man of the Match: CL White
Somerset innings (20 overs maximum) R M B 4 6
JL Langer b Harvey 90 77 46 10 4
MJ Wood c & b Harvey 34 19 19 7 0
*CL White not out 116 60 53 7 9
JC Hildreth c Lewis b Harvey 4 2 2 1 0
KA Parsons not out 0 1 0 0 0
Extras (b 1, lb 4, w 1) 6
Total (3 wickets, 20 overs) 250
DNB: WJ Durston, AV Suppiah, +CM Gazzard, GM Andrew, RL Johnson,
CM Willoughby.
FoW: 1-52 (Wood), 2-238 (Langer), 3-242 (Hildreth).
Bowling O M R W
Lewis 4 0 31 0
Greenidge 4 0 43 0
Harvey 4 0 46 3 (1w)
Hardinges 3 0 44 0
Ball 2 0 35 0
Rudge 3 0 46 0
Gloucestershire innings (target: 251 runs from 20 overs) R M B 4 6
IJ Harvey c Parsons b Willoughby 0 1 2 0 0
CM Spearman c Suppiah b Willoughby 12 21 10 1 0
+SJ Adshead b Johnson 5 2 5 1 0
APR Gidman c Andrew b Willoughby 12 12 12 2 0
CG Taylor lbw b Parsons 13 15 13 1 0
MA Hardinges c Suppiah b Willoughby 3 6 5 0 0
DO Brown c Durston b Suppiah 18 25 17 1 1
*J Lewis run out 43 20 22 4 3
MCJ Ball not out 13 8 6 1 1
CG Greenidge b Suppiah 1 1 2 0 0
WD Rudge b White 1 1 5 0 0
Extras (lb 4, w 4, nb 4) 12
Total (all out, 16.1 overs) 133
FoW: 1-1 (Harvey), 2-7 (Adshead), 3-32 (Gidman), 4-32 (Spearman),
5-43 (Hardinges), 6-56 (Taylor), 7-110 (Brown),
8-124 (Lewis), 9-126 (Greenidge), 10-133 (Rudge).
Bowling O M R W
Willoughby 4 0 30 4 (2w)
Johnson 3 0 12 1
Andrew 3 0 33 0 (2nb)
Parsons 2 0 20 1 (1w)
White 2.1 0 18 1 (1w)
Suppiah 2 0 16 2
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