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Somerset Men clinch quarter final spot with big win
Somerset claimed a Vitality Blast quarter final spot with a comprehensive victory over Essex at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
Matt Henry and Tom Kohler-Cadmore inspired the home side to a 95-run win with 37 balls to spare.
After being invited to bat first by the visitors at the toss, Somerset started solidly with Tom Banton beautifully driving Charlie Bennett for back to back boundaries in the second over.
However, the Somerset opener didn’t fare as well against Mohammad Amir and chipped the Pakistan international to Luc Benkenstein at mid on to depart for 15 in the third over.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore replaced Banton at the crease and he looked to continue his recent rich vein of form as he raced to 21 from his first 11 balls.
The Somerset 50 arrived in the sixth over courtesy of a massive six from Kohler-Cadmore off Paul Walter.
The 50 partnership for the second wicket between Kohler-Cadmore and Will Smeed came from just 26 balls and the former looked to further increase the run rate by smashing back to back sixes in the eighth over which was bowled by Matt Critchley at a cost of 20 runs.
Another monster six took Kohler-Cadmore to his 50 from just 24 balls and also brought up the home side’s 100 in the 10th over.
The score had advanced to 109 when Smeed (32 off 20) miscued Benkenstein and Charlie Allison took a good catch on the run at long off.
Kohler-Cadmore and Tom Abell took their side to 150 in the 13th over and their 50 partnership for the third wicket came from 23 balls. All ggod things must come to an end and so it came to pass that Kohler-Cadmore fell for 90. His brilliant innings came from just 39 deliveries but he perished when he was caught at long off by Michael Pepper off the bowling of Simon Harmer at 164 for three.
Abell fell for 20 with the score on 178, caught in the deep by Pepper off Critchley, but the scoreboard kept ticking over as Sean Dickson and Lewis Gregory took 21 runs from 17th over, bowled by Harmer. The 200 came off the opening ball of the 18th over but Gregory (18 from 7) departed shortly thereafter when flicking Mohammad Amir to Noah Thain at deep mid wicket at 206 for five off the last ball of the 18th over.
Ben Green (13) was caught off the final ball of the innings as Somerset finished on 225 for six.
Essex needed to make a strong start and they did just that, Pepper and Walter plundering 15 runs off the opening over from Craig Overton. Indeed, the visitors had raced to 28 in the third over when Riley Meredith arrested their accumulation by snapping Pepper’s leg stump in half. The Essex opener departing for 13.
Green then took a stunning catch on the run over his shoulder to remove Jordan Cox for one off Matt Henry at 33 for two.
The score had advanced to 44 when Essex lost three wickets for just four runs. Allison (10) spooned Meredith to Abell, Walter (24) was caught at mid on by Gregory off Henry and then Benkenstein (0) skied Henry to Smeed in the deep to leave the visitors in disarray.
Critchley and Robin Das added 16 before the former was run out brilliantly by Abell for two to leave Essex on 64 for six in the eighth over.
Das in turn fell for 17 at 81 for seven 10th, picking out Dickson in front of the Somerset Stand boundary to give Lewis Goldsworthy a wicket.
Thain and Harmer shared a stand of 36 to frustrate the home attack but Thain (38 from 17) fell to Overton at 117 for eight when Matt Henry took an excellent catch running in from the boundary at long on in front of the Trescothick Pavilion.
The final two wickets fell on 130 as Somerset claimed a comprehensive win.
Matt Henry was the pick of the bowlers finishing with four for 21.
