TEENAGER Jack Taylor showed maturity beyond his years to inspire Gloucestershire to a thrilling two-wicket over local rivals Somerset in the Friends Provident T20 at Bristol.

The 19-year-old took 4-16 as Somerset were restricted to 121-9 and then displayed supreme confidence with the bat to score 38 off 28 balls on his Twenty20 debut to put the Gladiators on the brink of victory before Richard Coughtrie hit the winning runs with three balls to spare.

It was Gloucestershire’s first win at Bristol in the competition this season and keeps their slim hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive.

The signs looked ominous for Gloucestershire when Marcus Trescothick hit his first ball for four off Kane Williamson and then hit Jon Lewis for a huge six over long off.

David Payne made the breakthrough when Peter Trego (3) hit one high in the air to Lewis at mid-on and Trescothick (28 off 17 balls) followed in similar fashion to the same bowler when he mis-timed a shot, giving Ian Cockbain an easy catch at mid-on.

Gloucestershire were now in the ascendancy and Muttiah Muralitharan found the edge of Craig Meschede (13) before James Hildreth (6) swept in the air to Hamish Marshall deep on the leg side to give Jack Taylor his first wicket as Somerset slumped to 53-4 at the halfway stage.

In his next over Taylor got two wickets in three balls, bowling dangerous West Indian Kieron Pollard (15) with a full delivery and then having Jos Buttler (8) caught behind by Richard Coughtrie.

Arul Suppiah and Lewis Gregory steadied things with a partnership of 30 but they found boundaries hard to come by as Gloucestershire kept the pressure on.

A Taylor-made combination accounted for the next two wickets in the penultimate over by Jack as Chris caught Gregory (15) at long-off and then provided the throw for his namesake to take off the bails in the run out of Murali Kartik (0).

Suppiah fell for 23 in the final over when he drove to Williamson, who took a good low catch off Lewis, and Somerset finished on 121-9.

Gloucestershire needed to go at a little over a run-a-ball but they made a poor start when Kevin O’Brien (4) clipped a ball off his legs straight to Pollard in the deep to give Gregory his first wicket.

Youngster Gregory (4-15) took a double wicket maiden in his next over with Meschede taking two catches at mid-on as Marshall (10) skied one and Williamson (0) hit a shorter delivery straight to the Somerset man to leave the Gladiators in trouble on 18-3.

Chris Taylor and Ian Cockbain put Gloucestershire in a stronger position as they added 41 for the fourth wicket before the former was bowled by Kartik (1-27).

Cockbain then smashed the ball straight down Kartik’s throat at mid-wicket off Pollard to fall for 19 in the 13th over with Gloucestershire still requiring 47 to win.

They continued to throw away their wickets as Jon Lewis (2) swung and missed a quick and full delivery by Gregory and Ed Young (2) sliced one to substitute fielder Alex Barrow at backward point off Max Waller (1-12).

Jack Taylor looked assured at the crease and hit seven fours before he was run out in the penultimate over when he blocked out a yorker by Steve Kirby and in a moment of panic got caught out of his crease, allowing his former Gloucestershire team-mate to take off the bails.

Muralitharan, not renowned for his batting during his illustrious career, then hit seven off three balls, including a four behind his own stumps to leave Gloucestershire needing four to win from the last over.

Coughtrie hit Pollard’s first ball in the last over down to third man for one and they gained another single in the next delivery when Muralitharan (8*) kept out a Yorker and Pollard missed in his attempts to throw down the stumps with Coughtrie well short.

Coughtrie (9*) then hit Pollard straight over the top for four to secure the win.