FRIENDS PROVIDENT t20 - SEMI-FINAL, The Rose Bowl:
Somerset 182-5 beat Notts 117-4 (D/L) by three runs
Match scorecard

Trescothick hit his 14th fifty in 49 Twenty20 innings for club and country

Somerset sneaked through to the FP t20 final in a weather-hit semi-final against Nottinghamshire at The Rose Bowl after rain had the last word.

Marcus Trescothick smashed 60 off 28 balls at the top of the order, followed by Jos Buttler's even more impressive 55 in 23 balls, as Somerset made 182-5.

With rain looming, Notts' main hope was to be ahead on Duckworth/Lewis.

But Kieron Pollard's boundary catch to remove Samit Patel left Notts on 117-4, allowing Somerset a three-run victory.

Somerset now meet hosts Hampshire in Saturday evening's final (1925 BST).

But it was Pollard's brilliant catch at long-on that proved the difference between the two sides.

Chasing a revised target of 152 from 16 overs, Patel and David Hussey shared a 64-run partnership as Notts recovered from 47-3.

But Pollard timed his jump superbly to dismiss Patel off Peter Trego for 39. And, when rain forced the players off shortly after, just ahead of the cut-off time (1835 BST), that earned victory for 2005 winners Somerset against the 2006 beaten finalists.

Earlier, Trescothick had dazzled, before handing centre stage to youngster Buttler.

Clearly spurred on by captain Hussey's decision to field first, Nottinghamshire's bowlers started aggressively, the very first delivery from Dirk Nannes crashing into Trescothick's helmet.

But it merely triggered Trescothick into life as he proceeded to hit the ball to all parts, bringing up his half-century, after Craig Kieswetter and Trego had perished, with a brilliant six over extra-cover off Steven Mullaney.

He was finally dismissed for 60 to a wonderful delivery by Graeme Swann, before Zander de Bruyn and James Hildreth (19) then departed to leave Somerset reeling on 118-5 after 16 overs.

Storm clouds gather over The Rose Bowl for Notts during Saturday evening's second FP t20 semi-final

But Buttler came up with a big finish, putting on 75 with Pollard, to hand Somerset the initiative.

In reply, Nottinghamshire decided to open with Swann and Ali Brown as they looked to make early inroads into their revised target.

They started well to reach 23 without loss after two overs, before Swann clubbed Pollard for six over midwicket. But the West Indian got his revenge to remove the England man for 11.

Alfonso Thomas, the leading wicket-taker in the competition, then enhanced his growing reputation by removing Brown and Alex Hales in the same over.

After struggling to work the spinners away and, with rain clouds closing in, Patel and Hussey stepped it up, with the latter launching Kartik into the stands over extra cover.

With both sides keeping an eye on the Duckworth-Lewis calculations, the intriguing contest between bat and ball continued with Nottinghamshire just edging ahead.

But, with a dramatic finale in prospect, Pollard's heroics nudged luckless Notts behind the clock again just before rain brought a cruel early end to proceedings.

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