Ruaidhri Smith takes T20 career-best 4-6 as Glamorgan flatten Middlesex
Monday 6 August 2018 09:48, UK
Ollie Pope's quickfire 24 helped Surrey beat Essex Eagles by six-wickets in the Vitality Blast at Chelmsford, hours after being called up to the England squad for the second Test against India.
The batsman struck four boundaries in his innings - including a big six off spinner Adam Zampa - before he was caught off Ashar Zaidi.
A half-century from Varun Chopra anchored Essex's innings, as the opener struck six boundaries in his innings to bring up his fifty off 36 balls before he was caught off Rikki Clarke for 52 but a swift 24 off eight balls from Zaidi helped the hosts finish on 157-5.
The away side's reply got off to a poor start as England T20 opener Jason Roy was stumped for a duck off a wide delivery first ball and Aaron Finch was caught off fellow Australian Peter Siddle's fourth delivery with Surrey slipping to 26-2.
However, Nic Maddinson (49 not out) and Pope shared a 34-run fourth-wicket partnership before Clarke came in and sealed victory with 21 balls spare for the London club with consecutive sixes.
Ruaidhri Smith's sensational T20 career-best 4-6 saw Glamorgan earn a simple seven-wicket win against Middlesex at Richmond. SCORECARD
The visitors' seamer had Nick Gubbins caught at mid-on off his first ball before bowling Stevie Eskinazi in the same over and then clattering Eoin Morgan and Paul Stirling's stumps in consecutive overs as the hosts collapsed to 20-4.
George Scott (32) and James Fuller (46 not out) offered some respite but spinner Timm van der Gugten picked up 4-31 as Middlesex were bowled out for 131 from their 20 overs.
Steven Finn had Craig Meschede caught for a second-ball duck but the away side eased to victory as returning captain Colin Ingram hit an unbeaten 46 off 30 balls to seal the win in 12.5 overs.
Laurie Evans hit a T20 career-best 96 but Sussex Sharks fell to a three-wicket loss to Somerset at Hove. SCORECARD
The 30-year-old, who has a previous 20-over high score of 69, smashed 10 fours and two sixes in his 67-ball innings but was caught in the deep by Roelof van der Merwe in the final over of the hosts' innings searching for his century, as the Sharks posted 169-5.
No.1 ranked T20 bowler Rashid Khan picked up three wickets and Jofra Archer took 2-24 but Van der Merwe struck an unbeaten 34 off 19 balls to see the away side home with three balls spare and take them to the summit of the South Group.
Gloucestershire sealed an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Kent Spitfires at Canterbury despite Joe Denly hitting an unbeaten 99 for the hosts. SCORECARD
Denly hit the final ball of the home side's innings for four to finish one run short of a second Blast century for the season, as Kent managed a par 160-5.
Visitors' captain Michael Klinger and Miles Hammond put on 76 for the first wicket as the latter reached his maiden T20 half-century off just 28 balls - having hit five fours and three sixes before falling to Calum Haggett for 51.
Klinger was caught off spinner Imran Qayyum four short of his half-century but Ian Cockbain (32 not out) and Benny Howell (20 not out) saw their side home with four balls spare to put them level with The Spitfires on 13 points.
Chris Woakes, who was also called up for the second Test squad as a replacement for Ben Stokes, smashed an unbeaten 57 off 23 balls - striking six fours and four sixes in his innings - to fire Birmingham Bears to a 17-run win over Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Wantage Road in the North Group. SCORECARD
The all-rounder's innings saw the away side smash 98 runs off the final 46 balls of their innings to set the winless hosts 188 for victory but Woakes struggled with the ball, finishing with figures of 0-42 from his four overs.
Josh Cobb's 103 proved to be in vain with Ricardo Vasconcelos (18) and Brett Hutton (15 not out) the only other Steelbacks players to make double figures to leave the home side without a win in their 10 group matches.
