Veteran all-rounder Rodney Trott was outstanding with the bat at the top of the innings and then had a crucial spell with the ball late in Somerset’s innings as Bailey’s Bay made it four Twenty20 League wins from four with a 15 run victory at White Hill Field yesterday.

Bay, who aim for a total in the region of 150 or 160 when batting first, reached 155 for five from their allotted 20 overs with Trott leading the way with 61.

Trott then picked up three wickets for 18 runs from four overs at a crucial period in the Somerset run chase to restrict the west enders to 140 for six after they found themselves on the same score - 95-5 - as Bay after 15 overs.

However, while Bay managed to post 60 runs in those five overs, thanks to some aggressive late batting from Zeko Burgess and Kyle Hodsoll, Somerset could not match the task of scoring 28 in the last two overs.

Burgess scored 32 off three sixes and a four and Hodsoll with two sixes in the last over to bring up the 150 in his 15 not out. They were then left to hold their nerves in the final three overs of Somerset’s innings.

Burgess conceded 14 runs in the 18th over before controversy ensued in the following over from Trott when Terrence Corday was caught on the boundary by Jordan Burgess who then stepped on the rope.

Umpires Emmerson Carrington and Alex Knight conferred before awarding the six, but Corday was out two balls later, trapped lbw for a valuable 25.

His dismissal brought back Dalin Richardson, who had earlier gone off with a hamstring injury after scampering through for a quick single and falling over at the bowler’s end.

The final over saw Somerset needing 21 for victory, with Hodsoll bowling two dot balls and then giving up a single which effectively ended Somerset’s hopes of victory, barring a couple of boundaries off no-balls.

Captain Jordan DeSilva hit a four on the fourth ball before two dot balls ended the match in Bay’s favour, four straight wins ahead of next weekend’s crucial match with champions Southampton Rangers.

“Yeah, Rodney had a great game today, came good with the bat and came good with the ball,” captain Terryn Fray acknowledged afterwards.

“Again just all round good performances, guys chipping in in the batting and every week it is somebody putting their hand up with the bat. As I have said before, we back ourselves to get 150 plus and defend it, that’s just our goal.

“The young guys are bowling well and of course we have Rodney, one of the island’s premier bowlers. The young guys, especially Sancho Jackson is putting his hand up and doing what he has to do. Big respect to the young guys who are having their first full season.”

Fray added: “We’ll go again next weekend against Rangers in a top of the table clash so we are looking forward to that.”

Fray scored a useful 20 at No 4 for Bay before he was out on 91 for three in the 14th over. He added 63 for the third wicket with Trott who hit six fours before being dismissed on 113 for four in the 18th over.

Burgess and Hodsoll then added 29 quick runs for the fifth wicket before Burgess was bowled by Dalin Richardson in the last over.

Somerset made their intention known by opening with left-handers Kamau Leverock and Chris Douglas who put on 33 before a couple of crucial catches held at mid-on by Sharye Tavares in successive overs pegged them back.

Tavares caught Leverock (24) off the bowling of Hodsoll in the fifth over and then next over from Jordan Burgess he held another good catch to remove Douglas for four.

Alje Richardson and Dalin Richardson at three and four made valuable contributions of 19 and 22 before Alje was bowled by Zeko Burgess in the tenth over.

Corday, who had earlier taken two for 18 to lead the Somerset bowling, was also top bat with 25 in the middle order. Hodsoll gave up just 16 runs in his four overs, taking one wicket.