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Somerset power to 6-wicket win over Surrey
Somerset bounced back perfectly from the recent defeat against Gloucestershire by comprehensively beating top of the table Surrey at a sold out Cooper Associates County Ground.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore powered his way to a match-winning half century and George Thomas played beautifully on his Vitality Blast debut as the hosts dominated the side from the Kia Oval from start to finish.
Set 183 to win, Lewis Gregory’s side chased down their target with six balls to spare thanks to a forthright knock of 51 in 32 balls from Kohler-Cadmore, who hit three sixes and a trio of fours and shared in a crucial stand of 67 for the third wicket with Tom Abell.
Thomas made an impressive bow in the competition with an eye-catching 25-ball 40, while Sean Dickson scored a nerveless unbeaten 20 at the death to see Somerset home and to send the capacity crowd home happy.
Surrey’s innings of 182 for five was built around a partnership of 107 in 12.2 overs between Sam Curran and Rory Burns. Returning from England duty, Curran raised 59 from 42 balls, Burns top-scored with 62 off 44 deliveries and Jamie Overton smashed a quickfire unbeaten 30 at the death.
Somerset made light work of the chase to achieve an inside-the-distance victory that keeps them on track for a place in the quarter-finals.
Surrey won the toss, elected to bat and quickly plummeted to 24 for three inside four overs. Making his first T20 appearance at Taunton, Jack Leach saw off Dom Sibley, persuading him to hole out to Dickson on the mid-wicket boundary. Dickson again demonstrated safe hands when Will Jacks hoisted the next ball, sent down by Riley Meredith, to deep third man, while Laurie Evans miss-cued high to cover as Craig Overton made further in-roads.
Curran and Burns made a decent fist of repairing the damage, advancing the score to 44 by the end of the powerplay, achieving a 50 partnership in 36 balls and lifting Surrey to 77 for three at halfway. Although boundaries were in relatively short supply by Taunton standards, the fourth wicket pair ran hard and Curran suggested a change in tempo when depositing Jake Ball over the long-on boundary for six and hoisting a Ben Green full toss high over square.
With the innings still in the balance at 105 for three at the end of the thirteenth, Curran attempted to force the issue, going to 50 from 34 balls, guiding Meredith behind square to attain the landmark with his fourth four. Although less expansive in his approach, Burns nevertheless proved mightily effective, the former England man raising his 50 from 38 balls.
Somerset badly needed a breakthrough and skipper Lewis Gregory obliged at the start of the seventeenth over, Curran finding Overton at long-on with the score on 131, having dominated a revitalising partnership. Burns departed in the penultimate over, offering a return catch to Ball, but former Somerset all-rounder Jamie Overton ensured there was no respite for the home side, mustering two sixes and a brace of fours in a hard-hit innings of 30 not out from 13 balls.
Somerset needed to win to be sure of preserving their place in the top four and Tom Banton plundered three boundaries in one Tom Lawes over to set the tone. Encouraged by his partner’s example, debutant Thomas made a mockery of his rookie status by taking Dan Worrall for a six and three fours in an opening stand that yielded 42 in 3.2 overs.
Surrey responded, Jordan Clark having Banton caught at mid-on for 17, but Thomas continued to take a liking to Worrall, harvesting another six and a further two fours off the Australian as Somerset advanced to 618 for one at the end of the powerplay.
Chancing his arm once too often, Thomas hit Cameron Steel high to mid-on and departed for a 24-ball 40, having announced himself on the Blast stage in style. Tom Kohler-Cadmore now took up the cudgels, greeting the advent of Chris Jordan by hoisting the England man high over backward square for six as the home side continued to exert pressure. He smashed a straight six and two fours off Lawes, whose first two overs went for 35, as Somerset moved menacingly to 104-2, requiring a further 79 off 10 overs.
Kohler-Cadmore went to his half century via 28 deliveries and he and Abell raised a 50 partnership from 31 balls to bring the required rate down below eight an over for the first time. However, Surrey refused to lie down, Jordan and Jacks removing Kohler-Cadmore and Abell in quick succession to ask questions of the home side.
Casting all doubt aside, Dickson struck an authoritative 20 off 12 balls with two fours in partnership with Gregory, who contributed 12 off seven deliveries, including the winning boundary, in an unbroken partnership of 34.
