Toby Albert's stellar performance, scoring an unbeaten 96, propelled Hampshire to a second victory in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, defeating Somerset by five wickets.
Albert, stepping in after an early top-order collapse, anchored Hampshire's chase of 243 with his highest List A score. He formed a crucial 100-run partnership with Felix Organ, ensuring his team reached the target with 23 balls to spare.
Somerset, opting to bat first, posted 242, which seemed insufficient on a good batting pitch. Andy Umeed top-scored with 84, following his century in the opening match, while Josh Thomas contributed to a solid start, with the openers putting up 85 runs in 19 overs.
Umeed, who scored 613 runs in the previous year's One-Day Cup, continued his fine form, displaying a clear strategy of accumulating runs, mainly through singles on the leg side and boundaries on the off side. However, Somerset struggled to build momentum after a strong start, losing wickets regularly during the middle overs against Hampshire's spinners.
Notably, Dom Kelly and Joe Eckland's efforts helped break the opening partnership, and Somerset's innings faltered, with contributions from players like Sean Dickson and Ned Leonard providing some late resistance. Leonard's 16-ball 28, featuring a straight six, was vital in pushing the total to 242.
In response, Hampshire faced early setbacks, losing wickets to catches taken by wicketkeeper James Rew, and were 20 for 3 and later 61 for 4. Ben Brown, Tom Prest, and Nick Gubbins fell cheaply, but Albert, along with Middleton and later Organ, steadied the innings.
Middleton reached a half-century before being dismissed, ending a 40-run partnership. Albert, consistently proactive, reached his third fifty in the format and, with Organ, steered Hampshire to victory. Their unbeaten 100-run stand broke the series of partnerships ending in the 40s, as they calmly accumulated the necessary runs, cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd.
The only drama towards the end was whether Albert would reach a century, which was thwarted by a no-ball with just three runs needed and Organ on strike, leaving Albert at 96 and Organ at 46.