T20 Blast: Somerset strengthen grip on South Group after dominant victory over Essex

Somerset opener Will Smeed hit five sixes against Essex at Chelmsford

Somerset strengthened their grip on the T20 Blast's South Group with a dominant win at Essex.

Robin Das (72) and Paul Walter (51) shared 94 for Essex's fourth wicket but the hosts were dismissed for 186.

The visitors bludgeoned 16 sixes to cruise home by seven wickets thanks to Tom Banton (42), Tom Abell (42*) and Will Smeed (36).

Somerset have a six-point cushion with four group games remaining while Essex remain third, now two points back.

After winning the toss, Somerset made a lightning start with 39-year-old Jack Brooks and Matt Henry sharing three wickets in the opening 16 balls to reduce Essex to 15-3.

Walter and Das steadied the ship to reach 52-3 at the end of the six-over powerplay and Walter's fourth six took him to 40 from 20 deliveries in the 10th over.

• T20 Blast scores and fixtures

A Das maximum brought up three figures and Walter reached a 26-ball half-century with another, but Ben Green got revenge with the next ball, tempting Walter into slicing to Tom Kohler-Cadmore at point to end the 11th over with the score 109-4.

Das brought up his fifty with his ninth four and walloped a Roelof van der Merwe full toss out of the ground to move to 70 from 36 balls but the South African sent him packing after holding a catch at deep mid-wicket off Henry, who finished with 3-24.

Van der Merwe bowled Daniel Sams (4) before having a dislocated right index finger relocated by the physio, but the hosts' final six wickets fell for the addition of only 43 runs in 31 balls with Matt Critchley (30) the only man other than Das and Walter to reach double figures.

Banton and Smeed raced to 45-0 from four overs with Smeed hitting three consecutive sixes off Shane Snater, whose two overs went for 42.

After hitting his fifth six Smeed holed out to Walter off Sams for 36 off 16 to make it 64-1 at the start of the sixth over but the onslaught continued.

Kohler-Cadmore clubbed four sixes in his 28 from 11 before being caught in the deep off Simon Harmer but Somerset were 106-2 off eight overs.

Banton was trapped leg before by a Sams yorker for 42 from 30 deliveries to make it 121-3 at the midway point but Abell and Sean Dickson (30* from 17) guided Somerset home with 21 balls to spare.

Tuesday's fixtures

• Worcestershire Rapids v Lancashire Lightning (17:30 BST)

• Durham v Birmingham Bears (18:30 BST)

• Leicestershire Foxes v Notts Outlaws (18:30 BST)

• Yorkshire Vikings v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (18:30 BST)

• Gloucestershire v Hampshire Hawks (18:30 BST)

• Surrey v Glamorgan (18:30 BST)

• Sussex Sharks v Kent Spitfires (19:00 BST)