Somerset 159 for 4 (Dickson 78, Rew 62*) beat Surrey 153 for 9 (Sibley 48, Gregory 3-15, Davey 3-34) by six wickets
The match between Surrey and Somerset was expected to be exciting, as both teams are top contenders in the County Championship and had faced each other in the semi-finals of last year’s T20 Blast Finals. Somerset, who won the T20 trophy in 2023, kept their dream of defending the title alive after a brilliant partnership of 144 runs from Sean Dickson and James Rew. This helped them recover from a tough position of 7 for 3 and win the game easily.
It was Surrey’s second tough loss of the week against their main rival, Somerset, after losing a close match at Taunton, which hurt their chances of winning the Championship title again. Surrey was missing four key players due to England’s call-ups, and their batting didn’t look strong after being put in to bat first. Lewis Gregory took 3 for 15 to put them under pressure. Despite this, Surrey seemed in control when Dan Worrall and Tom Curran removed Somerset’s top three batsmen in just 13 balls at the start of Somerset’s run chase.
However, Dickson and 20-year-old Rew, playing only his second professional T20 game, turned the match around. They built the highest-ever partnership on a Finals Day, allowing Somerset fans at Edgbaston to relax and enjoy the end of the match. Both players hit their best T20 scores, with Dickson scoring 78 from 57 balls before being dismissed with just three runs left to win, while Rew remained unbeaten on 62 off 44 balls. Their performance kept Somerset on track for a historic domestic treble, as they have already reached the One-Day Cup final.
Surrey’s Struggle with the Bat
Surrey’s batting didn’t flow smoothly, but they still managed to put a total on the board. Chasing 154 wouldn’t normally scare a team like Somerset, especially with their strong top-order, although they were missing Tom Banton, their leading run-scorer, due to an injury. Then, Somerset had a bad start when Worrall’s first ball swung sharply and trapped Tom Kohler-Cadmore out LBW (leg before wicket).
At the other end, Tom Curran got his breakthrough with his third ball, getting Tom Abell to edge the ball for an easy catch. Worrall then removed Will Smeed, who edged the ball to the keeper, leaving Somerset in trouble at 3 wickets down with just 7 runs on the board after three overs. They now had a huge challenge to overcome.
Dickson Saves Somerset Once Again
At the 2023 Finals Day, Somerset won two low-scoring matches by defending small totals of 142 and 145, with Dickson being the top scorer in both games. This time, he stepped up again, leading the partnership with Rew to take Somerset from a tough spot to a commanding position.
Dickson got going by hitting two boundaries off Jordan Clark, taking Somerset to 29 for 3 by the end of the powerplay. Although they were behind the required run rate, they quickly started catching up when facing Surrey’s spinners. Dickson hit Cameron Steel for a six, and Rew followed up by smashing Dan Lawrence over deep midwicket for another six. Rew then hit another boundary past extra cover, with Surrey captain Chris Jordan unable to stop it despite a dive.
Dickson continued his powerful hitting, launching another six just beyond the reach of Dominic Sibley and followed it with a clean strike over long-off to bring up his half-century from 31 balls. Rew added a six of his own, pulling Clark over deep square leg. With boundaries flowing, the required run rate dropped below a run per ball, and Rew reached his fifty from 38 balls, by which time Surrey’s hopes of winning were nearly gone.
In the end, Somerset easily won by six wickets, and their title defense continued strongly.
Sibley Shows His Skills
Surrey batted first in tricky September conditions, and their early push came from Dan Lawrence. He was one of three England Test players back in the team, though they were missing key players like Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, and Reece Topley, who were on T20I duty. Lawrence attacked from the start, hitting 19 runs off 11 balls in the first two overs before he hit a high catch to cover off Josh Davey.
At the other end, Sibley had only faced one ball and was cautiously batting at 4 from 6 balls before showing off some of the skills that made this his best T20 season since 2017. He hit Davey for a big six over long-on, then greeted Jake Ball’s arrival with a clever ramp shot to fine leg. With Ollie Pope hitting three boundaries from his first 10 balls, Surrey reached 62 for 1 by the end of the powerplay, setting a solid platform.
Gregory’s Game-Changing Over
Lewis Gregory’s first big moment in the game came after he skipped a diving attempt at mid-off, allowing Lawrence to pick up his third boundary. But Gregory, at 32, probably knew better than to risk injury, saving his energy for when it mattered. When he came on to bowl in the eighth over, he quickly made a huge impact.
Gregory’s medium-pace bowling was perfect for the slow Edgbaston pitch. His skill was clear when he bowled Ollie Pope with a leg-cutter that knocked over the stumps. Jamie Smith was next, getting bowled by a slightly fuller delivery. In just two balls, Surrey’s strong start had slipped to 69 for 3, as Gregory’s accurate bowling turned the game in Somerset’s favor.
Surrey Struggles to Set a Big Total
Surrey tried to rebuild their innings with a gritty partnership between two former England openers, Sibley and Rory Burns. Burns, the only left-hander in the line-up, came in at No. 5, ahead of Laurie Evans. Together, they added 36 runs from 28 balls, helping to stabilize Surrey. However, both were dismissed within eight balls of each other—Sibley became Gregory’s third victim when he hit a catch to deep midwicket.
Laurie Evans helped push Surrey’s score closer to 150 with a big six off Jake Ball, smashing the ball flat into the Hollies Stand. But unlike Somerset’s chase, Surrey’s innings lacked clean, aggressive shots. They managed just six boundaries after the powerplay, while Somerset, in contrast, hit 16 boundaries during their chase, highlighting the difference in firepower between the two teams.
