Somerset ride into quarter-finals on back of Tom Kohler-Cadmore 90

Tom Kohler-Cadmore smashed a brilliant half-century to propel Somerset to a convincing 95-run victory over Essex Eagles at the Cooper Associates Ground and guarantee the runaway South Group leaders a place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast.

In scintillating form beneath the Taunton floodlights, Kohler-Cadmore staged a breathtaking innings of 90 from just 39 balls, striking eight fours and seven sixes and dominating stands of 88 and 55 with Will Smeed and Tom Abell for the second and third wickets respectively as Somerset ran up an imposing 225 for 6 after Essex had won the toss. Smeed scored 32, Sean Dickson weighed in with 28 not out and, amid the carnage, Mohammad Amir emerged as the only Essex bowler to escape punishment, the Pakistan international returning stand-out figures of 3 for 22 from four overs.

Undermined by overseas bowlers Matt Henry and Riley Meredith, who claimed 4 for 21 and 2 for 22 respectively, the Essex chase came up well short as the visitors were dismissed for 130 in 14.1 overs, Noah Thain top-scoring with 38. This latest victory moves Somerset 12 points clear of nearest rivals Surrey, while Essex remain rooted to the foot of the South Group after suffering a ninth defeat in 11 games.

Tom Banton looked as though he meant business, plundering three boundaries at the expense of debutant Charlie Bennett to move to 15 in quick time, only to then chip Amir to mid-on in the third over as Somerset lost their first wicket with 21 on the board. There was no loss of momentum though, Kohler-Cadmore and Smeed taking 16 off the next over, sent down by Thain, while Bennett again proved expensive when switching to the River End and Paul Walter conceded 19 off the sixth as Somerset raced to 67 for 1 by the end of the powerplay.

Essex turned to spin in an attempt to stem the flow, but Kohler-Cadmore continued to trade in boundaries, smiting a brace of sixes off successive deliveries from Matt Critchley and then straight hitting Luc Benkenstein for another to raise a blistering 24-ball half century in the grand manner.

The visitors did little to help themselves, Bennett dropping Smeed on 20 at deep midwicket off the bowling of Critchley as the eighth over haemorrhaged 20 runs. Smeed had contributed 32 to a stand of 88 from 44 balls when he hit Benkenstein to long-off as the home side reached halfway on 114 for 2.

There was no let-up in the scoring rate, Kohler-Cadmore applying further pressure by hoisting Benkenstein for a towering six over long-off as the Essex bowling wilted in the face of heavy firepower. Kohler-Cadmore was within 10 runs of what would have been a magnificent hundred when a loss of concentration saw him hit Simon Harmer high to long-off to afford Essex overdue relief.

Critchley removed Abell for 20, but there was precious little breathing space for the visitors, Dickson and Lewis Gregory picking up the cudgels in a stand of 28 from 12 balls. Dickson was still there at the end, unbeaten on 28 made from 17 balls.

Required to score at 12.5 an over, Essex made a decent enough start, Walter taking Craig Overton for a six and a brace of fours in a first over that yielded 15 runs. But Meredith redressed the balance, clean bowling the swinging Michael Pepper with 28 on the board in the third.

Somerset struck another blow in the next over, Ben Green taking a startling diving catch at long-on to send back Jordan Cox and give Henry a wicket on his final appearance before returning to New Zealand, while Meredith accounted for Charlie Allison. Henry then struck twice in three balls, removing Walter for 24 and Benkenstein without scoring to reduce Essex to 48 for 5, their prospects of pulling off an unlikely victory in tatters before the powerplay had even ended.

Critchley was then run out by Abell's direct hit and Lewis Goldsworthy had Robin Das held on the deep midwicket boundary with the score 81 for 7 as the home side exerted a vice-like grip on proceedings. Only Thain attempted to carry the fight to Somerset, the former England Under-19 international crashing a four and four sixes in a defiant innings of 38 off 17 balls. His dismissal - caught by Henry at long-on off the bowling of Overton - signaled the end of meaningful Essex resistance.