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Somerset Men fall short at the Oval
Surrey booked a home tie in the Vitality Blast knockout stages after coming out on top against Somerset by 67 runs in the battle of the South Group’s top two at the Kia Oval.
Reece Topley claimed three for 20, while Jamie Overton, Sam Curran and Adam Zampa all got two apiece as Somerset slipped from 73 for two to 134 all out in pursuit of 202 to win, Tom Kohler-Cadmore top-scoring with 38.
Earlier Will Jacks with 57 in 37 balls provided the backbone of Surrey’s 201 for six, whilst Jack Leach and Lewis Goldsworthy claimed two wickets each..
Jacks lofted the second ball of the match from Leach into the crowd. Pace too got the treatment early on as Ryan Patel sent one from Riley Meredith over the ropes and Jacks planted the last ball of the over into the crowd at cow corner as 61 came from the powerplay.
Leach broke the stand a run later, luring Patel down the pitch to be stumped, but another six helped Jacks to 50 in only 30 balls as he and Jason Roy kept up the pressure with a second-wicket stand of 49.
Jacks’ departure lbw to Goldsworthy sparked a slump, the all-rounder then castling  Surrey skipper Sam Curran first ball.
Roy thumped another huge six and looked to be moving into overdrive, but when he under-clubbed  another from Leach and found the hands of Tom Abell in the deep Surrey were 127 for four.
Lawrence threatened to pick up from his century two days earlier with two maximums in a breezy 16-ball 32, but it needed a last-over six into the sightscreen from Chris Jordan to set Somerset 202.
That target looked larger 15 balls into the chase when Topley bowled Tom Lammonby with 13 on the board, but five fours from Jordan’s first over, four of them from the bat of Kohler-Cadmore put the visitors on the charge.
Ben Foakes dropped Kohler-Cadmore on 20 from an attempted ramp off Topley, and in search of a momentum shift skipper Sam Curran brought himself on and struck immediately, Will Smeed slapping the first delivery to cover.
A tight following over from Overton lifted the rate to more than 11, but Kohler-Cadmore’s response was to spank one from Zampa into the JM Finn Stand for six. The Australian leg-spinner’s revenge was swift as three balls later Kohler-Cadmore skied a top edge into the gloves of Foakes.
Abell fell in similar fashion from the bowling of Overton, Lawrence the catcher on this occasion.
As the rate soared, Overton caught and bowled Sean Dixon and while skipper Lewis Gregory sent one from Sam Curran high into the seats, he perished trying to repeat the feat and the game was up for Somerset.
