More misery for Northants as Somerset cruise to big victory

Henry, player of the match in Saturday’s Vitality Blast triumph, continued to prosper with red ball in hand, finishing with figures of five for 73 and eight in the match.

Northants had resumed still 20 runs behind and six wickets down after following on the previous afternoon.

They finished on 224 thanks to skipper Luke Procter’s highest score of the season.

But while Procter’s battling undefeated 87 off 128 balls (13 fours) ensured Somerset needed to bat again, it was not enough to set the visitors a challenging target.

Somerset duly knocked off the 54 runs required inside 11 overs before lunch to continue their winning ways, with Tom Lammonby powering six boundaries in an undefeated innings of 30.

Earlier Procter and Tom Taylor (32) extended their seventh wicket partnership to 53 to ensure Somerset would need to bat again before Henry trapped Taylor lbw to claim his fourth scalp of the innings.

With Australian overseas batter Sam Whiteman absent following the birth of his daughter last night, Northants were effectively eight wickets down and only six runs ahead.

Procter, the last recognised batter, had already reached his half-century off 94 balls, and joined by Ben Sanderson, decided to take the offensive option against Henry and Craig Overton.

He quickly switched from rearguard mode into Bazball territory, hooking and powering balls through midwicket and mid-on.

He played an audacious upper cut over the keeper’s head off Overton, as well as playing some perfectly timed late cuts behind square.

Sanderson also played some expansive shots before he chipped a Henry delivery back to the bowler, the Kiwi taking a tumbling return catch to claim his fifth wicket.

Jack White supported Procter for a while but became Overton’s third wicket when he pushed at a ball on off-stump and Tom Abell pouched the catch at first slip.

When Somerset began the chase, Lammonby drove Sanderson’s second delivery down the ground for four, but he was dropped at third slip when he offered a difficult chance later in the over.

Sean Dickson drove White firmly through the covers for four but did not add any more to his total thanks to a lazy push outside off to a ball from Sanderson, keeper Lewis McManus taking a tumbling catch.

Abell took consecutive boundaries off White before Lammonby sealed the win by smashing Sanderson down the ground for four.