T20 Blast: Smeed fires Somerset past Glamorgan

Will Smeed’s 66 helped Somerset past Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens.

Southern Group leaders Somerset continued their fine form with an eight-wicket victory over Glamorgan.

Craig Overton and Jack Brooks took three wickets apiece for the in-form visitors.

Will Smeed's 66 led the way for Somerset, while Kiran Carlson top scored for Glamorgan with 71.

Glamorgan will need to win their last three matches with other results going their way to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.

Somerset won the toss and elected to bowl on a Sophia Gardens wicket that has started to favour the bowlers as the summer rolls on.

Will Smale made a fast start for Glamorgan, clubbing two fours before being bowled by Brooks for nine, off just seven balls.

The early wickets kept falling as Overton caught and bowled Billy Root for just two, before Brooks bowled Sam Northeast for a duck.

Captain Carlson and Chris Cooke made a brief stand to end the power play on 52-3 before Kasey Aldridge made a phenomenal one-handed catch on the boundary off Overton to dismiss Cooke for seven.

Overton, who bowled his four overs straight through taking 3-21, dismissed Cam Fletcher two balls later as the visitors looked to take control of the innings.

Carlson remained the anchor, bringing up his half century in the 11th over on the way to a T20 personal best of 71.

The Glamorgan captain put together a 91 partnership with Timm van der Gugten for the sixth wicket, before being dismissed by Josh Davey in the 16th over.

Van der Gugten also scored a T20 personal best of 48 before Davey took his wicket later in the same over.

Peter Hatzoglou and Andy Gorvin put together a late partnership of 23 as they tried to raise the total, but Glamorgan were bowled out in the final over.

As Harry Styles took to the stage down the road at the Principality Stadium, Somerset's chase of 171 was only going in one direction.

Smeed's 66 top scored for the visitors, forming a partnership of 84 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore to propel the visitors towards victory.

Billy Root had a chance to remove Smeed on 17, but dropped a routine catch over the boundary for six.

Tom Banton was dismissed by Ruaidhri Smith as he attempted to play a ramp shot, caught by Gorvin at short fine leg.

Smeed was finally caught at long-on off Smith for 66, having put his team in touching distance of the win.

Kohler-Cadmore finished just short of top scorer Smeed on 62, and finished off the chase in the 18th over with acting captain Tom Abell (20), who is bound for Welsh Fire in the Hundred.

The victory keeps Somerset on course to host a quarter-final at Taunton.

Somerset's Craig Overton told BBC Radio Somerset:

"It was great to get those five early wickets but we let it slip a little bit and they got 20-30 more than they should have after those early wickets, but Kiran and Timm struck it nicely.

"Credit to the bowlers at the back end who picked up those wickets again, to keep them to 170 we felt pretty confident.

"Bants and Smeedy started pretty well, and the boys are striking the ball so nicely, you feel you can chase anything. Smeedy has got going the last few games and he's one of those destructive batters no-one fancies bowling to.

"It's going in the right direction, though we're not 100 per cent yet. We definitely want a home quarter final, maybe one more win does it, definitely two."

Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson told BBC Sport Wales:

"We weren't far off a par score, but the pitch got better and they're a quality team, their batters at the top broke the back of the chase.

"We just went ball by ball, me and Timmy batted really well and got us up to a score we thought was defendable if we bowled really well and things went our way, but it wasn't to be.

"It's not much satisfaction getting a career-best, I want to win cricket games. We got outplayed by two quality teams (Surrey and Somerset), so we've got to bounce back on Friday (against Sussex)."