three tail-end wickets to leave a target of 18 runs with more than a day to spare, and Somerset knocked off the runs inside six overs to win by ten wickets. (Cricinfo scorecard) Northamptonshire v Somerset (18 July) Somerset beat Northamptonshire by four wickets to progress to the Semi-Finals of the Twenty20 Cup Northamptonshire Steelbacks failed to take full use of their home advantage, and Somerset Sabres escaped with a four-wicket win to reach their first semi-final of the Twenty20 Cup. Northamptonshire's batsmen made quick scores between 20 and 30, but Ian Blackwell's spell mid-match of three for 16 pegged Northamptonshire back to 118 for 6. Ben Phillips then made an unbeaten 27 to lift his team to 154 for 8, however, but he couldn't take a wicket while bowling. Despite three run-outs, Somerset made it through on the penultimate ball, as Matthew Wood recorded 58 and Blackwell a 16-ball 31 to lay the foundation before Keith Parsons set the pace late on with an unbeaten 38. (Cricinfo scorecard) Kent v Somerset (24 July) Somerset (4pts) beat Kent (0pts) by eight wickets The match between Kent Spitfires and Somerset Sabres at St Lawrence Ground was shortened to 16 overs owing to bad weather. Kent were sent in to bat, and lost three early wickets, two to Andy Caddick and one to Richard Johnson, for only 11 runs. Robert Key and Justin Kemp both made 17, and James Tredwell smacked two sixes for his nine-ball 22 as Kent came back to 90 for 6, which was still below six runs an over. Tredwell also took two for 19 with his off breaks, but Graeme Smith hit nine fours as he made his way to an unbeaten 56, and James Hildreth won the match for Somerset with a six off Tredwell, with 20 balls potentially remaining in their chase. (Cricinfo scorecard) Somerset v Durham (26–29 July) Durham (22pts) beat Somerset (5pts) by 207 runs Durham continued their march through Division Two of the County Championship, recording their sixth win of the season thanks mainly to Paul Collingwood and spineless batting from Somerset. Collingwood made 181, for his second successive match with a century, and along with half-centuries from Mike Hussey, Gordon Muchall and Gareth Breese it lifted Durham to 476 for 9 declared seven overs into day three after the second day had been broken up by the rain. Jamaican spinner Gareth