Birthday boy Ruaidhri Smith strikes blow for Glamorgan

Ruaidhri Smith returned stunning figures of four for six as Glamorgan romped to victory over Middlesex in the Vitality Blast.

The Scotsman marked his 24th birthday with a wonderful show, dismissing Nick Gubbins, Stevie Eskinazi, England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan and Paul Stirling in an inspired spell which effectively settled the game at Richmond.

Next to the cheapest four-over spell in the county’s T20 history, Timm van der Gugten’s four for 31 was shunted to second fiddle status, though James Fuller’s 46 ushered the hosts to the relative respectability of 131 all out.

That still proved easy pickings with Colin Ingram’s 46 not out sealing a seven-wicket win with 43 balls remaining.

South Group pace-setters Somerset notched up their seventh win from 10 games, denying Sussex a first home victory of the campaign in Brighton.

Laurie Evans’ 96 left Sussex defending 169 for five and they appeared on course to do so when their visitors were 134 for seven with three overs left.

That is when number eight Roelof van der Merwe stepped up, finishing 34no in 19 balls to finish the job.

Surrey had far too much for rock bottom Essex.

Varun Chopra made 52 in a first-innings score of 157 for five, but the visitors hunted that down halfway through the 17th over.

England’s latest Test recruit Ollie Pope clubbed a breezy 24 but Nic Maddinson’s unbeaten 49 and four sixes from all-rounder Rikki Clarke – who earlier took two wickets – were the key contributions.

Josh Cobb’s maiden T20 hundred could not stop Northamptonshire remaining winless at the foot of the North Group.

Second bottom Birmingham Bears at home looked a winnable fixture but they fell 17 short of their opponents’ 187 for seven.

Cobb was last man out for 103 in 62 balls but lacked support. Recalled England all-rounder Chris Woakes was wicketless but hit a rapid half-century.

Elsewhere, Gloucestershire were eight-wicket winners over Kent at Canterbury.

Joe Denly made 99no in a losing cause in a first-innings total of 160 for five, with Miles Hammond’s 51 paving the way for a well-timed chase.