T20 Blast: Somerset maintain 100% record, Yorkshire & Essex win
- Published
Tom Kohler-Cadmore helped Somerset to a fourth win as many games
Somerset brushed off a series of rain delays to maintain their 100% record in this year's T20 Blast, with victory over Kent at Canterbury.
They have now won four out of four and have extended their lead over Surrey at the top of the South Group.
Ben Green (3-19) helped wrap up a 13-run DLS victory after Kent had been set a revised target of 126 in 15 overs.
Elsewhere, Yorkshire earned their first victory, defeating Notts, while Essex picked up a win over Gloucestershire.
Somerset dig in to stay unbeaten
Somerset batted first and posted 154 all out, with Tom Lammonby top-scoring with 34, before persistent inclement weather in Canterbury meant Kent were given a revised total.
They lost Tawanda Muyeye and Joe Denly early but Sam Billings (29) offered some resistance before Green's spell put Somerset in firm control and they wrapped up the win with room to spare.
Somerset did not get off to the best of starts as Tom Banton went for 12 before fellow opener Will Smeed departed for a four-ball duck.
But Tom Kohler-Cadmore's assured 23 from 11 balls and Lammonby's contribution helped the visitors push the total on, with Green's quickfire 22 also helping matters.
Kent restricted their run-scoring late on, with Wes Agar (3-18) and Michael Hogan (3-33) impressing with the ball.
But the hosts made an awful start to their response as Josh Davey had Muyeye caught via a leading edge before Matt Henry bowled Denly for one.
From 7-2, Daniel Bell-Drummond and Billings steadied the ship before the former was dismissed with a peach of a ball from former Australia international Peter Siddle.
Kent had reached 56 when Jordan Cox was caught at long-on off Roelof van der Merwe and then Lewis Gregory claimed the prize wicket of Billings in the 10th over to leave the hosts on 61-5 before the rain arrived again.
When the covers came off, Kent required 54 from 4.1 overs but Green's spell ensured victory for the visitors.
Malan helps Yorkshire break duck
An unbeaten 95 from Dawid Malan saw Yorkshire break their duck in this year's T20 Blast with an eight-run victory over Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge.
Opener Malan batted throughout the 20 overs and he ended five short of a century, with skipper Shan Masood also batting well for his 34.
Jack Brooks was expensive yet effective on his Notts debut as he took 4-51 from four overs as Yorkshire, who won the toss and elected to bat, posted 182-7.
Alex Hales (53) and Colin Munro (46) looked to be setting Notts on course to chase down the target, but their departures saw Notts lose their momentum, with Yorkshire doing enough to pick up their first win at the fourth time of asking.
Dawid Malan struck 95 not out from 56 balls to help Yorkshire to their first win of the competition
Malan was excellent throughout, hitting eight fours and four sixes, with the dangerous Masood hoisting Matthew Montgomery for six to bring up the 50 partnership, before hitting straight to Lyndon James at deep mid-wicket.
David Wiese joined the action and helped the total to 100 after 13 overs but fell in similar fashion to Masood, with Samit Patel claiming the scalp to reach his 200th T20 Blast wicket.
Brooks, on loan from Somerset, was the main beneficiary of some miscued skyward shots but Malan remained calm throughout, hammering a six off the penultimate ball and scrambling two from the last.
Hales started well as he became the first English batter score 11,000 T20 runs, before Wiese forced fellow opener Joe Clarke to sky one to be caught for eight.
Hales' and Munro's partnership reached 50 in 38 balls before the former got to a half-century of his own from 30 balls, before Yorkshire finally got their man, caught at point off Wiese.
Munro fell four short of a half-century and Montgomery scored quickly for his 28 before falling to a Malan catch off Ben Mike in the 19th over.
Jordan Thompson smashed James for a six in the final over, but it was too little, too late.
Essex start with win
A maiden T20 Blast half-century from Robin Das helped as Essex belatedly began their campaign in style with a three-wicket win over Gloucestershire.
Essex started the competition late after facing Ireland in a three-day match and 21-year-old Das' stylish 69 saw them get off to the perfect start as they chased down a target of 196.
Gloucestershire began in confident fashion after their opening win of the season against Middlesex on Monday and their high score was largely down to an excellent innings from Ben Charlesworth, who hit 52 from just 20 balls.
Grant Roelofsen (29) and Chris Dent had put 61 on the board before the former was dismissed by Paul Walter, and Miles Hammond followed him back to the pavilion soon after.
Essex's Robin Das struck 11 fours and two sixes in a fine innings of 69
Essex then seized the momentum, taking the wickets of Dent (33) and Ollie Price while restricting the runs, until Charlesworth came to the crease to add some much-needed fuel to the fire.
James Bracey fell cheaply before Marchant de Lange and Danny Lamb's late partnership of 29 moved Gloucestershire onto a total of 195-7.
Essex lost Adam Rossington early but fellow opener Feroze Khushi was in fine form, hammering 34 off 14 balls, with two fours and three sixes.
Das then took on responsibility for run-scoring and he batted excellently to score 69 from 33 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes, before Price took his crucial wicket.
His innings put Essex in a strong position and even though Tom Smith dismissed Simon Harmer to take the game to the final over, Tom Westley (31 not out) remained calm to hit a four to win the game with five balls to spare.