Surrey maintain impressive Blast form with victory against Somerset
Hampshire bowler Chris Wood showed great sporting behaviour when he chose not to run out Kent’s Matt Parkinson in their three-wicket win.
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Your support makes all the difference.Surrey made it three wins from three in the Vitality Blast after Jamie Smith plundered 87 off 38 balls to continue his fine form and inspire a 57-run victory over current champions Somerset.
England hopeful Smith had struck 76 against Glamorgan on Friday after he already enjoyed a strong start to red-ball season and followed it up with more fireworks at Kia Oval on Sunday.
It was largely a one-man show with the bat for Surrey after nine of their batters were out for single-figure scores, but Ollie Pope (40) stuck around with Smith to put on 111 for the fourth wicket.
Smith smashed seven sixes and scored 87 at a strike rate of 228.95 to help Surrey to 163 all out.
Ben Green’s four for 32 did the bulk of the damage for Somerset, but the visitors were skittled for 106 with Sean Abbott able to take three for eight and claim the key wicket of Tom Kohler-Cadmore for 25 with a superb run-out to keep Surrey at the top of South Group.
Elsewhere, Essex got up and running in the tournament after a sparkling hundred by Michael Pepper downed Middlesex at Chelmsford.
Middlesex made 203 for seven after Max Holden smashed 85 not out, but Pepper added much-needed spice to the campaign of the 2023 runners-up with 101 off 44 balls.
Pepper hit 10 fours and six maximums to help Essex win by four wickets after back-to-back defeats to Gloucestershire and Somerset in the format.
Hampshire staged an impressive recovery to beat Kent by three wickets at the Ageas Bowl, but Chris Wood stole the show with an excellent display of sporting behaviour.
Wood bowled the final over of Kent’s innings and from the penultimate ball Joey Evison accidentally struck team-mate Matt Parkinson, who had started to charge down the pitch to get a quick single.
Parkinson was left floored by the blow but instead of running out the Kent spinner, Wood picked up the ball and walked back to his mark as Hampshire restricted the visitors to 165 for nine after Daniel Bell-Drummond (42) and Sam Billings (43) made it into the forties but failed to kick on.
Hampshire required 42 off the last three overs before James Fuller (30) hit three sixes in a row to turn the tide and Liam Dawson got the hosts over the line with another maximum.
Sam Northeast’s unbeaten 61 helped Glamorgan make 183 for seven, which proved too many for Sussex in Cardiff despite Tymal Mills’ four for 33.
James Coles struck 69 not out in reply for Sussex but they were restricted to 158 for six after Mason Crane sent down an economical four-over spell of two for 22.
Lancashire are top of North Group after Chris Green claimed a four-wicket haul to inspire a 57-run win over Derbyshire.
Josh Bohannon’s 39 was the foundation for Lancashire’s total of 179 for seven and Green recorded figures of four for 12 to dismiss Derbyshire for 122.
Joe Root hit 35 and Jordan Thompson starred with bat and ball in Yorkshire’s 29-run victory over Northamptonshire.
Root and Dawid Malan (41) put on 67 for the first wicket, with Yorkshire able to make 186 for six from their 20 overs.
Ravi Bopara claimed four wickets for new club Northamptonshire and struck 35, but Thompson’s three for 18 helped restrict the home team to 157 for eight to give Yorkshire a second win of the campaign.