Macai Simmons, the St George’s captain, praised veteran pair Lionel Cann and Rodney Trott after their unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 46 in the final hour prevented Somerset from clinching a dramatic Cup Match victory.

The duo, opponents two weeks ago in the Eastern Counties first-round match, came together at a critical stage at 58 for five with the dismissal of Allan Douglas at 6.40pm, still 20 minutes before the final 20 overs and with the challengers still needing another 64 to avoid the possibility of an innings defeat.

Somerset captain Jordan DeSilva dropped a chance from Trott in the slips off spinner Derrick Brangman, but otherwise the experienced pair were hardly troubled and when the umpires offered to end the match with seven overs left and light fast fading, the champions agreed.

“I feel they showed their maturity today, showed why they are Cup Match players,” new captain Simmons said of Cann and Trott.

It was always going to be difficult to get a result in the match after only 35 minutes play and 6.2 overs was possible on the first day after the forecast of rain proved accurate and the heavens opened up. There was always only going to be one likely winner after St George’s, 27 for two overnight, slumped to 89 all out early yesterday before Somerset replied with 211 for seven declared, hoping to bowl St George’s out cheaply again in the second innings.

“How do I feel about today? It could always be better,” Simmons said. “It was one of those days when we just didn’t bring our A game. We didn’t bat well at all.

“We have 365 days to sort it out, there is definitely some work to be done.

“We were 13 for two and it didn’t really call for rash shots, it called for players to stay to the wicket. We didn’t apply ourselves like we should but that’s cricket. It was good that Lionel and Rodney saved us.”

Simmons admitted that St George’s finished the match second best. Somerset held the upper hand after winning the toss and sending the hosts in to bat.

“They have been building, building, building and now Somerset have a team that on paper looks brilliant,” Simmons said. “It’s been a good experience for me, a learning experience and without a defeat. However, we don’t have the cup so it feels like a loss at the same time. I think I’ll go from strength to strength after this. I wanted to make a game of it, at the end of the day we’re here to entertain. I want to show people that Cup Match still means something. The rain definitely spoilt it but people still enjoyed themselves.”

Cann, the game’s oldest player at 44, has not made a decision on retirement and could continue playing after showing his team-mates how to apply themselves when under pressure. He is now the third-highest runscorer in Cup Match behind Janeiro Tucker and Charlie Marshall, moving ahead of Wendell Smith’s 1,143 runs in the Classic.

“I definitely want to finish at home, so I’ll take some time to think about it,” Cann said when asked about his future. “The youngsters gravitated to me and they want me to be around. “With the experience that I showed today I think cricket still needs some senior players around.

“I’m definitely going to think about it because too many senior players are retiring and our youngsters need the experience around. By showing them today what experience is it can only help them in the long run.”

Cann believes the two teams provided some good entertainment in the rain-shortened match.

“I think it was a good game, with the rain on the first day the spectators didn’t get what they wanted,” he said. “Somerset won a good toss, the wicket was wet and it was always going to be hard for us to get a good score because we have a very inexperienced team.

“Somerset came ‘well-dressed’, they had Malachi [Jones], Kamau [Leverock], Jordan [DeSilva], Greg Maybury, a good team of bowlers so it was going to be a struggle on that wicket. Obviously our boys fought back once the wicket dried out and I felt we bowled well but I don’t think we carried enough energy. I knew going into the second innings that we would be up against it.

“We couldn’t win, it was just a matter of me just applying myself and taking the pressure off and using my experience from over the years.”

n Allan Douglas won the Safe Hands award for the second straight year following his outstanding fielding which included an outstanding catch on the square leg boundary to dismiss Stephen Outerbridge. He also ran out Jekon Edness with an outstanding piece of field.

n St George’s will be involved in tomorrow’s only league match when they take on Warwick in a One First Division game at Wellington Oval.