Match Centre

Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network.

Rampant Somerset made it five victories from as many Vitality Blast South Group games with a nine-wicket demolition of winless Middlesex at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.

On a sunny evening in front of a packed crowd, the visitors were bowled out for a modest 136 in 18.4 overs after losing the toss, Ben Green claiming four for 20 and Josh Davey three for 34. Wicketkeeper Jack Davies top scored with 32.

In reply, Somerset breezed to 142 for one off just 13.3 overs, Tom Kohler-Cadmore leading the way with 64, off 31 balls, with 7 fours and 4 sixes, and Tom Banton making 27 before retiring hurt.

The victory was as emphatic as the formbook suggested it would be and left Middlesex without a point from their first five group matches.

Having been rested for the previous game against Kent, a refreshed Craig Overton steamed in from the River End at the start of the game, bowling four fiery overs for just 15 in a single spell.

The accurate Davey profited at the other end, scattering the stumps of Joe Cracknell and Pieter Malan in his first two overs to leave Middlesex 14 for two.

Max Holden threatened briefly, hitting a straight six and 2 fours in the sixth over, bowled by Davey, but despite his efforts the power play ended with his side 40 for two.

Holden also pulled a six off Peter Siddle, who ended his nine-ball frenzy by bowling him for 22, attempting a big shot through the off side.

It was 59 for four when Roelof van der Merwe’s second delivery of left-arm spin saw Stephen Eskinazi, on 18, loft a catch to long-off and 68 for five when Green struck in the following over, the 11^th of the innings, Ryan Higgins being caught at long-on for six.

Five runs later, Luke Hollman chipped a catch to mid-off to give Lewis Gregory his first wicket. Davies and Martin Andersson then produced the most substantial stand of the innings, adding 43 before Andersson, who had struck a six and 2 fours in his 25, aimed a reverse pull off Davey and guided the ball straight to Tom Abell at backward point.

Davies hit sweetly-timed sixes off van der Merwe and Siddle, as well as 3 fours, before departing in the 19^th over, caught at deep mid-wicket off Green.

Toby Roland-Jones fell to the next delivery and Green wrapped up the innings by dismissing Nathan Fernandez via a boundary catch by Kohler-Cadmore.

A target of 137 never looked likely to test a Somerset team brimming with confidence. So it proved, as Banton and Will Smeed set about the task in typically positive fashion.

Smeed has struggled for runs in the early group games and the scorer of the first ever century in The Hundred was relieved to survive a loud lbw appeal from Roland-Jones with his score on five.

The response was a straight six and pulled four in the same over from the talented 21-year-old, who had another scare in Roland-Jones’ next over when dropped by Hollman, a low chance running in from deep mid-wicket.

Smeed’s luck ran out at the start of the fifth over when bowled by Tom Helm for 26 off 14 balls. By then the scoreboard read 39 for one and he was replaced by Kohler-Cadmore, making his 150^th T20 appearance.

Another catch went down when Banton, on 18, top-edged a pull shot off Helm and Roland-Jones spilled a skyer. With such a small score to defend, Middlesex could not afford such generosity.

At the end of six overs, Somerset were 58 for one and in command. Kohler-Cadmore audaciously uppercut Helm for six and also hit 2 fours as 17 came off the seventh.

At 75 for one, Banton had to hobble off with a suspected side strain, but by then the outcome was almost beyond doubt. Kohler-Cadmore signalled as much with a straight six off Roland-Jones as Somerset reached the halfway stage of their innings needing only a further 31.

The former Yorkshire player reached his half-century off 28 balls before ending the game with a huge six off Roland-Jones, Tom Abell (25) providing solid support in an unbroken stand of 67.