Auckland's tilt at the Champions League Twenty20 cricket competition is over after they fell to a last-ball defeat to Somerset in their qualifying match in Hyderabad overnight.
It continues the poor run of New Zealand's teams at the Champions league; both Otago and Central Districts failed to win a match over the past two years.
Auckland came close, looking odds-on to beat Kolkata in their opening qualifying game yesterday only to lose by two runs and then being beaten by Somerset who hit the winning runs off the last ball of the match.
The Aces posted 125 for 7 in their 20 overs, with Lou Vincent again top-scoring. The former Black Cap scored an unbeaten 47 off 47 balls but he and captain Gareth Hopkins (22 off 22) had to rescue Auckland's innings after they slumped to 14-3 in 3.1 overs.
The pair put on 49 in seven overs with Andre Adams (13 off seven) providing some late hitting to ensure Auckland posted a competitive total.
Somerset were in trouble at 64-5 as Michael Bates and Roneel Hira squeezed the runs. Bates returned figures of 2-13 off his four overs, including a double-wicket maiden, but little-known batsman Steve Snell (34 from 24) and James Hildreth (34 from 34) arrested the initiative and took 12 runs from the 18th over bowled by Chris Martin and 15, including two streaky boundaries through third man, off Kyle Mills.
Somerset needed five runs from the final over bowled by Bates and skipper Alfonso Thomas duly obliged off the final ball of the match.
"It is gut-wrenching to go this close and fall short,'' Hopkins said. "We were just looking to play straighter, but I think we had enough with our experienced bowling line-up. The Somerset boys played really well in the end.''
The result might be welcomed by the New Zealand selectors with an extended national squad due to take part in a 10-day training camp in Lincoln. Martin Guptill, Chris Martin, Bruce Martin and Kyle Mills will join the camp on their return from India ahead of next month's tour of Zimbabwe.
Somerset 126-6 from 20 overs (J Hildreth 34, S Snell 34*, M Bates 2-13, R Hira 1-15) beat Auckland 125-7 from 20 overs (L Vincent 47*, G Hopkins 22, A Thomas 2-21, P Trego 2-26) by four wickets.
