Jamie Cox & Keith Dutch with the C&G Trophy Photo © CricInfo Ralph Dellor speaks to Cox and Trescothick

Somerset lifted the first C&G Trophy with a comfortable 41-run victory over Leicestershire in a sunlit finish at Lord's.

Leicestershire batting failed to live up to its reputation of possessing one of the strongest line-ups in limited-overs cricket with their Test batsmen Aftab Habib coming in at number eight.

Their hopes of seeing yet another explosive start to their innings through the buccaneering-style batting of their Pakistan star Shahid Afridi, were dashed with his dismissal as early as the fourth over.

Chasing a substantial target of 272, the Midlands side lost Afridi for 20 which he scored at the rate of two runs a ball in his typical, swashbuckling fashion with the help of three fours and a five.

But an attractive innings of 54 from Trevor Ward, off 65 balls, which included 10 boundaries, took them to 105 before Keith Parsons bowled him with a ball that cut back sharply. Six runs later the same bowler struck again having Vince Wells caught behind for three.

Halfway through their innings, on 129 for three, they had lost two more wickets than Somerset had at that stage but were 25 runs ahead. However, from then on wickets fell at regular intervals putting enormous pressure on the middle and lower order batting.

Darren Maddy played some delightful strokes during his 71-ball innings and was unlucky to miss his fifty by just one run. He was fifth to depart on 156. With pace bowler Steffan Jones, who finished with three for 40, taking the next two in a space of 11 runs, their task became increasingly difficult.

After Habib and Phil DeFreitas had contributed 15 and 14 respectively and James Ormond had provided an 18-run flourish at a run a ball, they finally submitted on 230 with 4.2 overs remaining.

In the Somerset innings, an excellent, unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 95 off just 82 balls between man-of-the-match Parsons and Rob Turner saw Somerset to 271 for five, with Parsons unbeaten on 60 from only 52 balls and Turner 37 not out off 42.

It was exhilarating batting towards the end of the innings with Parsons bringing up his half-century in style with a six over wide mid-wicket and again sending the next ball, the last of the innings, for six, to the same spot. They found the gaps in the field and ran well as they steadily picked up the runs to give their side a competitive total after they had been struggling halfway through their innings.

They had got off to a brisk start, after deciding to bat first, thanks to some erratic overs. They scored at eight an over from the first four overs and that prompted a swift bowling change by the Leicestershire captain.

Scott Boswell, whose two wayward overs had conceded 23, including nine wides - eight of them in his second over - was replaced by the experienced DeFreitas and the run flow was stemmed.

Marcus Trescothick, who had hit 18 at a-run-a-ball, had no intention of curbing his strokeplay and two balls after he had lashed out at James Ormond to pick up his third boundary, he mistimed a lofted shot to be held at mid-on by Afridi.

Peter Bowler kept the scoreboard moving along with Jamie Cox but there was a considerable drop in the run rate. The hundred came after 23 overs and at the halfway stage - 25 overs - of their innings Somerset were 104 for one.

Afridi was introduced into the attack and his brilliant leg spin reduced Somerset to 149 for four in the 32nd over. He took three wickets for 15 in an 18-ball spell.

Bowler, swinging to leg, was bowled for 42 which included six boundaries, and after bowling Ian Blackwell for fifteen, in his next over Afridi claimed the important wicket, hitting the off stump of Cox who, having survived a confident lbw appeal before he had opened his account, had hit 44 from 64 balls.

Somerset lost their fifth wicket as Michael Burns, attempting to lift the scoring rate, was superbly held by Maddy who took a running catch at wide mid-wicket with the total 176. Then came that fine, reviving sixth wicket partnership.

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