Tom Kohler-Cadmore unleashed a brutal assault on Essex’s bowlers with a blistering 90 off just 39 balls to power Somerset to a 95-run victory and secure their place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast at Taunton. His explosive innings, filled with eight fours and seven sixes, lit up the Cooper Associates Ground as Somerset posted a mammoth 225 for 6 after being put in to bat.
The Somerset opener dominated partnerships of 88 with Will Smeed (32) and 55 with Tom Abell (20), leaving the Essex bowlers shell-shocked. While most visiting bowlers came under heavy fire, Mohammad Amir stood out with figures of 3 for 22, providing the only resistance in an otherwise torrid innings for Essex.
In reply, Essex folded meekly for 130 in just 14.1 overs, with Matt Henry (4 for 21) and Riley Meredith (2 for 22) dismantling the top and middle order. Noah Thain offered the lone counterpunch with a quickfire 38 off 17 balls, but it was nowhere near enough as Essex crashed to their ninth defeat in 11 games, firmly rooted to the bottom of the South Group.
After the early loss of Tom Banton, Kohler-Cadmore took charge, racing to a 24-ball fifty and continuing to attack all corners of the ground. Despite some resistance from Amir and late wickets, Somerset’s innings never lost momentum, thanks to cameos from Sean Dickson (28*) and Lewis Gregory.
With this dominant win, Somerset now sit 12 points clear at the top of the South Group, continuing their remarkable Blast campaign with ruthless efficiency.