Somerset maintained their 100 per cent record in the Vitality Blast after cruising to a seven-wicket win over previously unbeaten Sussex Sharks at Hove.
Having restricted them to 166 for eight after putting Sussex in, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Tom Lammonby broke the back of Somerset’s chase when they added 89 off 45 balls for the second wicket after Will Smeed departed in the first over.
Kohler-Cadmore top scored with 64 – his 42nd fifty in the format – while Lammonby made 35 and Tom Abell an unbeaten 36 as last season’s beaten finalists sealed their third victory in this season’s competition with 12 balls to spare. Once again they look the team to beat in the south group, although strangely this was only their third win at the 1st Central County Ground in T20 history.
Somerset laid the foundations with good bowling at the start and end of the Sussex innings. The Sharks could only score 36 in the powerplay and lost three wickets.
And they couldn’t regain momentum when skipper John Simpson, who top scored with 58, was dismissed in the 16th over, the first of four wickets to fall for 26 as Somerset’s seamers, led by Matt Henry (3 for 29) turned the screw.
Sussex had already lost openers Dan Hughes and Harrison Ward cheaply when Henry had James Coles caught at wide mid-on off a leading edge, leaving Sussex 29 for three in the sixth over.
Simpson led a spirited response, first in partnership with Tom Alsop with whom he added 63 off 35 balls. Somerset only bowled one over of spin by Lewis Goldsworthy which went for 13 and were in need of a breakthrough, which Henry provided in the 11th over when Alsop was caught behind off an under-edge for 23.
Simpson, promoted to No3 for Sussex this season, lodged the tenth T20 fifty of his career from 34 balls and found another useful ally in Tom Clark, who helped his captain add 41 for the fifth wicket after being dropped in the deep by Riley Meredith when he’d made just four.
Simpson was trying to clear the rope for the seventh time when he was caught at deep backward square off Craig Overton’s bouncer and when both Jack Carson and Clark failed to clear long on as the innings gently declined.
Somerset suffered an early blow in their reply when Smeed, having hit two boundaries, lost his off stump to Ollie Robinson. But Kohler-Cadmore and Lammonby displayed impressive power and placement in their ball striking. They took 68 from the powerplay to lay the platform for victory.
Lammonby (35) was caught at extra cover in the 11th over giving himself room to hit off-spinner Carson over the top and Kohler-Cadmore, who was dropped on 59, played on to Tymal Mills in the 14th over for 64 off 43 balls (7 fours, 3 sixes).
But Somerset only needed a further 34 at that stage and two more Toms – Abell and Rew – got the job done with a minimum of fuss, Abell hitting Coles to the extra-cover boundary off the final ball of the 18th over to seal victory.
