Surrey will be joined by three-time winners - and defending champions - Hampshire Hawks, Somerset and Essex on Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday, July 15; Surrey will play Somerset in the semi-finals, while Hampshire face Essex
Saturday 8 July 2023 13:33, UK
Surrey booked their spot at Finals Day after beating Lancashire Lightning by 13 runs in their Vitality Blast quarter-final at Emirates Old Trafford.
Surrey will be joined by three-time winners - and defending champions - Hampshire Hawks and Somerset after their won their respective quarter-final ties against Worcestershire Rapids and Notts Outlaws on Friday night.
Essex beat Birmingham Bears on Thursday to also progress to Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday, July 15. They'll face Hampshire in their semi-final, while Surrey will play Somerset.
Surrey inflicted a first home T20 defeat upon the Lightning in 22 games, dating back to late 2020, with the hosts - in pursuit of Surrey's 187-5 - slipping from 124-2 in the 14th over to finish on 174-6.
Surrey's total, having elected to bat first after winning the toss, was underpinned by 70 off 41 balls for opener Laurie Evans and 50 off 34 for Jason Roy.
England white-ball captain Jos Buttler seemed to put the game in Lancashire's favour with an opening 42 off 32 balls. Veteran Steven Croft also made 55 off 41 deliveries, but it proved not to be enough.
Surrey captain and seamer Chris Jordan excelled, taking 2-28 from his four overs, as his side ultimately restricted Lightning.
Lewis Gregory and Ben Green fired the in-from Somerset to a five-wicket victory over Notts Outlaws at Taunton after an earlier batting collapse threatened their Finals Day dreams.
The Outlaws posted what looked a below-par total of 157-6 after winning the toss, Matthew Montgomery top-scoring with 51 off 38 balls, Imad Wasim cracking 31 not out off 15 deliveries and Samit Patel contributing 30 off 26.
Craig Overton claimed 2-23 for Somerset, while New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi conceded only 22 from his four overs.
But Somerset lost five wickets by the midway point of their reply, leaving them reeling at 62-5, before all-rounders Gregory (57no) and Green (35no) put together an unbroken partnership of 96 to see their side to Edgbaston with three balls to spare.
Defending champions Hampshire Hawks hammered Worcestershire Rapids by five wickets in their quarter-final, with Nathan Ellis claiming career-best figures to bowl out the visitors for 100 at the Ageas Bowl.
Ellis claimed 4-6, with Chris Wood and John Turner also picking up two scalps each in a supreme bowling performance.
The Rapids had an enterprising 70-run stand between Usama Mir and Ed Pollock - but it was bookended by slumping to 29-6 and then losing their last four wickets for one run.
In reply, the Hawks sputtered somewhat to their target to win by just five wickets but with 27 balls to spare.
