Somerset finally bowed out of the Champions League today, losing by six wickets to a New South Wales side who reached their target with more than eight overs to spare.

The Sabres needed to win by a big margin and then hope Trinidad and Tobago would beat the Eagles in the second game. But it soon became clear that Somerset were going home.

The match was Justin Langer's final game in professional cricket but he could only make five as Stuart Clark decimated their top order with three early wickets.

Somerset's total of 111-7 was never going to be enough. Their batting wasn't helped when they decided to demote Wes Durston, their top scorer against the Eagles, to number eight.

The Sabres enjoyed their best opening stand of the tournament but, with the score on 24, Craig Kieswetter tried to hit Stuart Clark over the top and holed out for 13.

And fellow opener Langer went two balls later, without adding to the total, when he tried to lift Clark over deep mid-wicket and failed to clear the fielder.

The Australian's final innings was five from eleven balls and contained one pulled four off a Doug Bollinger free hit.

Clark claimed a third wicket when James Hildreth (six) pulled him straight into the hands of fine leg.

And Somerset's nightmare continued when Arul Suppiah (eight) was run out by a direct hit from David Warner  to make the score 39-4.

Pete Trego's poor run with the bat continued when he tried to smash off-spinner Nathan Hauritz's first ball over deep mid-wicket and found only the hands of Phil Hughes for three.

Omari Banks added 37 for the sixth wicket with Zander de Bruyn before he bottom-edged a pull at Brett Lee onto his stumps for 15.

When Durston arrived he was bounced by a vociferous Lee. The Glastonbury man responded by lofting the Australian quick over extra cover for four.

De Bruyn was then yorked by Moises Henriques for 23 before Durston pulled the Portugal-born bowler over long-on for the only six of the innings.

Durston finished 20 not out from just 13 balls while Twenty20 debutant Jos Buttler did not look out of place in making an unbeaten six.

When Somerset bowled, NSW's openers took 17 from the first two overs and then David Warner, who had already hit four fours, lofted Banks' off-spin straight for six.

Warner eventually struck Banks high into the hands of a running Buttler at long-off to go for 40 from a mere 16 deliveries.

That only brought in Daniel Smith, who mauled 15 from Trego's first over before Hughes pulled de Bruyn's first ball into the hands of Hildreth at deep mid-wicket for 18.

The South African had two wickets in two balls when he dug one in and found the shoulder of Smith's bat and was delighted to see Suppiah dive forward at gully to take the catch.

Henriques kept out the hat-trick ball but it was 88-4 when he tried to pull a lifter from Charl Willoughby and wicketkeeper Kieswetter ran back to take a good diving catch.

But skipper Simon Katich saw NSW home with 49 balls to spare.

For more details see tomorrow's Evening Post or Western Daily Press.