Vitality T20 Blast: Glamorgan thrash Middlesex
A review of Sunday's action in the Vitality T20 Blast as Glamorgan thrashed Middlesex and Surrey proved far too good for Essex.
Ruaidhri Smith marked his 24th birthday with astonishing figures of four for six to lift Glamorgan to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Middlesex in the Vitality Blast.
Smith accounted for Middlesex's top four at Richmond, bowling Paul Stirling, Stevie Eskinazi and England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan, recording the best-ever economy rate by a Glamorgan bowler in Twenty20 cricket in the process.
Middlesex were rolled over for just 131 and slid to their eighth defeat in nine games as their opponents cantered to their modest target in only 12.5 overs, completing their third straight victory and strengthening their chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Rikki Clarke hammered four sixes in an unbeaten 37 to carry Surrey to a comfortable six-wicket win over in Essex at Chelmsford.
Surrey recorded their fifth T20 win in seven games, reaching their target of 158 with 21 balls to spare. The game finished in a rush as the fifth-wicket stand of 64 in six overs between Nic Maddison and Clarke plundered 33 runs from the last nine deliveries.
Maddison, who came in at the end of the first over, finished unbeaten on 49 from 41 balls.
And Surrey inflicted Essex's third big defeat in four days without the need of another large contribution from either Jason Roy or Aaron Finch.
Laurie Evans' Twenty20-best 96 was in vain as Somerset clinched a tense three-wicket victory over Sussex Sharks to strengthen their position at the top of the South Group.
Evans creamed 10 fours and two sixes in his 67-ball knock to lift Sussex to 169 for five and it appeared the total would be enough when Somerset slipped to 134 for seven in the 17th over.
But David Wiese, whose four overs were hit for 52, conceded 16 in the 18th as Roelof van der Merwe (34no from 19 balls) hit him for two boundaries before depositing a full toss into the pavilion.
Five were needed off the final over by Chris Jordan and Van der Merwe, who edged the second ball to the fence before hitting the winning runs to backward point off the next to seal victory with three balls to spare at Brighton.
Somerset have now won seven and lost three of their matches in this season's competition and are well placed to progress to the quarter-finals.
Josh Cobb's maiden T20 hundred could not stop Northamptonshire remaining winless at the foot of the North Group.
Second bottom Birmingham Bears at home looked a winnable fixture but they fell 17 short of their opponents' 187 for seven.
Cobb was last man out for 103 in 62 balls but lacked support. Recalled England all-rounder Chris Woakes was wicketless but hit a rapid half-century.
Elsewhere, Gloucestershire were eight-wicket winners over Kent at Canterbury.
Joe Denly made 99no in a losing cause in a first-innings total of 160 for five, with Miles Hammond's 51 paving the way for a well-timed chase.
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