Result: Surrey 201-6 beat Somerset 134 all out by 67 runs
By Jon Batham at the Kia Oval
SURREY booked a home tie in the Vitality Blast knockout stages as they thrashed Somerset by 67 runs in the battle of the South Group’s top two at the Kia Oval.
Reece Topley (3-20) led the charge for wickets, while Jamie Overton, Sam Curran and Adam Zampa all got two apiece as Somerset collapsed from 73-2 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 with four sixes provided the backbone of Surrey’s 201-6, Migael Pretorius the pick of the visitors’ attack with 1-28.
Jacks lofted the second ball of the match from England spinner Jack 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 Lewis 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 127-4.
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 splayed Tom Lammonby’s stumps with 13 on the board, but five fours from Jordan’s first over, four of them from the bat of Kohler-Cadmore put the Cidermen on the charge.
A collector’s item followed as Ben Foakes dropped Kohler-Cadmore on 20 from an attempted ramp off Topley.
In search of a momentum shift skipper Sam Curran brought himself on and struck immediately, Will Smeed slapping the first delivery straight to cover.
A tight following over from Overton lifted the rate over 11, but Kohler-Cadmore’s response was to spank one from Zampa into the JM Finn Stand for 6. The Australian leg-spinner’s revenge was swift as three balls later Kohler-Cadmore skied a top edge into the gloves of Foakes.
And top edges were catching with Abell following suite from the bowling of Overton, Lawrence the catcher on this occasion.
As the rate soared, Overton caught and bowled Tim Dixon and while skipper Lewis Gregory sent one from Sam Curran high into the seats, he perished trying to repeat the feat and Somerset collapsed.
“We were very good,” Overton said. “The way Jacksy and Patsy set us off at the top said we’d come to play today. The chat in the changing room beforehand was we wanted to win the two powerplays and we did that pretty well.
“I think potentially we left a few out there with the bat, but I felt like we had enough. With our pace attack and with Zamps as well we feel we can pretty much confine any side to any score.
“In the last couple of years I’ve pretty much bowled in the middle, so that sort of stuff is my bread and butter and I feel quite natural and easy doing it.
“If you look at Somerset, they are normally very hot in the outfield, but it was one of those days where it didn’t go quite there way and there were one or two miss-fields. But they are the benchmark we want to try and get up to and today was very good.”
Surrey are in Hove this Friday to take on Sussex Sharks at 6.30pm.
