LONDON, Aug 1 AFP - Somerset's Australian captain Jamie Cox admitted he thought his cricket team's defence of the one-day Trophy tournament was about to end today during the course of a thrilling semi-final against Kent at Taunton.

Kent somehow failed to score the nine runs they needed for victory from 15 balls despite having four wickets in hand.

And their finish was all the more disappointing because for much of the innings, Kent looked on course to reach what would have been a domestic record score of 345 for victory.

Instead the visitors' challenge ended when former England all-rounder Mark Ealham was caught off the first ball of the final over, with Somerset winning by five runs.

"The game was lost there for a while - I still can't believe that we won," said Cox, the 32-year-old Tasmanian.

"But some magnificent bowling and fielding meant we managed to get it back.

"We believe we can win from any situation and that was shown today when we came through in that fashion.

"We have a very proud history in my time at the club in this competition and it will be special going back to Lord's."

Earlier Ian Blackwell's quickfire 86 off 53 balls took Somerset to their huge total.

And he followed that up by dismissing Kent's hard-hitting Queensland batsman Andrew Symonds for 55 and taking a fine midwicket catch to get rid of Matthew Walker.

But it was substitute fielder Simon Francis who swung the game Somerset's way.

In the penultimate over he produced a magnificent piece of fielding to stop James Golding's off-drive and then threw down the stumps to run him out at the bowler's end while lying prone on the outfield.

The Trophy final takes place at Lord's on Saturday, August 31.

But Somerset's opponents are still unknown after the semi-final between Surrey and Yorkshire at Headingley was completely washed out for a second successive day.

If no play is possible tomorrow, then a bowl-out will decide who the other finalists are in England's senior one-day competition.

© 2002 AAP

This report does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Cricket Board.