Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the standout performer as Somerset secured a flawless start to their Vitality Blast South Group campaign with a seven-wicket victory over Sussex on Friday night.
After restricting Sussex—unbeaten until this match—to 166 for eight, Kohler-Cadmore teamed up with Tom Lammonby to dominate the chase. The pair added a crucial 89 runs from just 45 balls for the second wicket following an early loss of Will Smeed in the first over.
Kohler-Cadmore led the way with a top score of 64, marking his 42nd career fifty in T20 cricket. Lammonby contributed a solid 35, while Tom Abell remained unbeaten on 36 as Somerset, last season’s beaten finalists, secured victory with 12 balls to spare.
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Reflecting on the win, Kohler-Cadmore said, “Sussex are a strong side who have already played some good cricket in this season’s competition, so this win will give us a lot of confidence. As a bowling attack, we keep taking wickets, so to restrict them to 166 was always going to give us a chance. The way that Lammers (Lammonby) has played in his last two innings has been great to see, and from a personal point of view, it was nice to get a score.”
Somerset’s bowling laid a solid foundation early on. Sussex managed just 36 runs in the powerplay for the loss of three wickets. The visitors turned the screw further when skipper John Simpson, who top-scored with 58, was dismissed in the 16th over. This triggered a collapse, with Sussex losing four wickets for just 26 runs as Somerset seamers, led by Matt Henry’s impressive three wickets for 29 runs, applied relentless pressure.
Sussex’s innings faltered early with openers Dan Hughes and Harrison Ward falling cheaply. Henry then claimed James Coles in the sixth over, leaving Sussex 29 for three. Simpson forged a fighting partnership of 63 runs off 35 balls with Tom Alsop, but Somerset’s bowlers continued to restrict the opposition’s momentum.
Only one over of spin was bowled by Lewis Goldsworthy, which went for 13 runs, prompting Somerset to rely heavily on their seamers for breakthroughs. Henry picked up another wicket in the 11th over when Alsop was caught behind. Simpson, promoted to number three this season, notched his tenth T20 fifty off 34 balls and found support from Tom Clark, adding 41 runs for the fifth wicket. However, a dropped catch and a caught-out dismissal curtailed Sussex’s innings.
In reply, Somerset’s run chase began with a setback as Smeed was dismissed by Ollie Robinson early on. Yet, the Kohler-Cadmore and Lammonby partnership expertly blended power and precision to drive the hunt. Lammonby was eventually caught at extra cover, but not before accelerating the innings. Kohler-Cadmore fell in the 14th over, scoring 64 from 43 balls, but Somerset required only 34 runs at that point.
Two more Toms, Abell and Rew, saw Somerset home with a minimum of fuss, with Abell sealing victory by hitting a boundary off Coles with 12 balls to spare.