Sean Dickson Steers Somerset to Fifth Consecutive Finals Day in Thrilling Blast Quarter-Final
TAUNTON – Sean Dickson’s late-innings heroics secured Somerset a place in a fifth straight T20 Blast Finals Day, overcoming a tense chase against Birmingham Bears at the Cooper Associates County Ground. In a match notable for a historic batting anomaly – the first time a side has completed a T20 innings at Taunton without hitting a six – Somerset prevailed after a dramatic finish.
Birmingham Bears, fielding a team without an overseas player and featuring Olly Hannon-Dalby in his first Blast appearance since 2023, seized early control of the match.Davies’ boundary off the final ball of Craig Overton’s opening over ignited a blistering powerplay, yielding a tournament record 18 fours and racing the Bears to 82-1 after six overs. Davies continued his aggressive approach,reaching 71 from 39 balls with 13 fours,before falling to Ben Green (2-30). However, the Bears’ momentum stalled, managing only 63 runs from the remaining 8.3 overs, and remarkably failing to clear the boundary rope once in their completed innings.
Somerset’s response began sluggishly, with the home side struggling to gain traction and losing wickets at regular intervals, leading to an unusually quiet atmosphere amongst the Taunton crowd. When Dickson joined Tom Abell at the crease, Somerset still needed 111 runs from under 10 overs. Abell’s dismissal for 51 left Somerset requiring a further 57 runs, seemingly diminishing their hopes of a third title.
Despite the mounting pressure, Dickson remained resolute, supported by Hannon-Dalby’s economical 3-24 despite limited recent experience in the format. Dickson navigated the final overs skillfully, bringing Somerset to the brink.A wide from Barnard and a single from Craig Overton set the stage for Dickson to deliver the decisive blows, securing victory and a Finals Day berth for the home side.
