If Somerset Sabres were going to record a victory in their opening Norwich Union match of the season, it appeared that they needed to get off to a good start and then match the quality of batting seen from Yorkshire Phoenix as they had rattled up 307 for four from their 45 overs at a rate of 6.82 runs an over.

That was not the way it worked out, for they lost Marcus Trescothick to the fifth ball of the innings, lbw to Matthew Hoggard, but the way in which they kept going in search of such a large total was heroic – and tragic in that they just failed after a supreme effort.

Peter Bowler joined Jamie Cox, and they laid the foundation for a decent effort at keeping up with the required rate after the early setback. They put on 112 for the second wicket, with Bowler bringing up his own fifty and the team's hundred with a delightful flick over mid-wicket as he tried to lift the scoring rate. However, he then went down the wicket to Craig White, got the ball high on the bat and sent an easy catch to Hoggard at deep mid-off.

It was not the end of the chase, as might have been the case in different circumstances. Ian Blackwell came in to join Cox and they simply assaulted the bowling by adding 103 before Cox was out on 99. He had faced 83 balls, hit eight fours and two sixes, and deserved his century.

So to did Blackwell who went even quicker. His innings of 79 took only 54 balls with nine fours and a six and he was not out until the total had reached 247. The Sabres needed to go at a run a ball or thereabouts from there to the end and, with Michael Burns and Keith Dutch together, it looked as if they would get there.

Hoggard's last over proved crucial as he produced yorker after yorker to take two wickets and restrict scoring opportunities. Darren Lehmann elected to bowl the penultimate over himself and did a good containing job, the previously expensive Ryan Sidebottom bowled the last and bowled Andrew Caddick. In the end, the fact that it was a dot ball was as important as the fact that it took the wicket and Yorkshire Phoenix just stole home with the result.

Earlier, the competition's leading run scorer last season, Lehmann, had obviously lost none of his liking for the competition during the winter. He took some time to find the boundary rope, but he greeted Blackwell into the attack with three sumptuous cut shots. Late, square and so late as to be virtually posthumous, they had the result of launching a blitz against the home bowlers as Lehmann went to 104 from just 74 balls with 11 fours and two sixes.

The magnitude of the total was not all the result of the Australian's batting. At the other end the very promising Matthew Wood also got to three figures. The fact that he was a little more sedate – he was 105 not out at the end from 126 balls – takes nothing away from the value of the innings.

For much of the time he was playing the supporting role to perfection. He was content to give the strike to his captain as between then they put on 170 for the fourth wicket. And there was no respite for the Somerset Sabres even when Lehmann was out, for Anthony McGrath came in to plunder 20 from 14 balls while only reaching the boundary once. As things turned out, it was a crucial contribution.

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