Tom Kohler-Cadmore powered his way to a match-winning half century as Somerset beat Vitality Blast South Group leaders Surrey by six-wickets under the floodlights at Taunton.
Surrey’s innings of 182-5 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.
Set 183 to win, the cider county 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 Abel.
Academy product George Thomas impressed on his debut, raising an eye-catching 25-ball 40, while Sean Dickson scored an unbeaten 20 at the death to see Somerset home in front of a sell-out crowd at the Cooper Associates Ground.
Somerset made light work of the chase to achieve a victory that cemented their position in the top four and kept them on track for a place in the quarter-finals. Despite losing for only the second time this season, Surrey remain top of the table and on course to reach the knockout stages.
Surrey won the toss, elected to bat and quickly plummeted to 24-3 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, 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 77-3 at halfway. 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 105-3 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, 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 2 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 3 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 61-1 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. 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. The Yorkshireman 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 Abel raised a 50 partnership from 31 balls to bring the required rate down below eight an over for the first time. But Surrey refused to lie down, Jordan and Jacks removing Kohler-Cadmore and Abel 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 in an unbroken partnership of 34.
