Surrey, Leicestershire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Worcestershire, Northants and Kent triumph in Vitality Blast on Friday night, while Notts and Derbyshire play out thrilling draw; Ollie Robinson plays first first-team game since being suspended by England but cannot prevent Sussex losing
Saturday 26 June 2021 12:42, UK
Ollie Pope finished unbeaten on 52 from 35 balls and Jamie Overton blasted three late sixes as Surrey secured a five-wicket victory over Middlesex in the Vitality Blast with an over to spare.
Overton's 24 from 10 balls turned the game after Surrey looked to be struggling in reply to Middlesex's 174-7, with the hosts having faded from 74-0 in the eighth over to 115-5 in the 15th once Will Jacks (47 off 26) was out to part-time leg-spinner Nick Gubbins (1-22 from four overs).
Pope and Overton, though, combined for an unbroken stand of 60, taking 22 from Luke Hollman's 17th over and then 19 from Tom Helm's 19th, which proved the last of the match.
Pope struck back-to-back fours off Helm, the second of which took him to a half-century, and then sealed Surrey's victory next ball as they completed a Blast double over their London rivals. Surrey vs Middlesex scorecard
Sol Budinger let the chance of a dramatic victory slip through his hands as Nottinghamshire Outlaws tied with Derbyshire Falcons in a pulsating game at Derby. Derbyshire vs Notts scorecard
Derbyshire needed five off the last ball from Calvin Harrison which skipper Matt Critchley drove to long-on but Budinger dropped the catch and the ball squirted behind him for four to leave the teams level on 137-9.
Derbyshire had been 128-5 in the 18th over but then lost four wickets in five balls for just one run to set up a thrilling climax.
Arron Lilley (99no off 55 balls) and Callum Parkinson (4-35) dealt a blow to Yorkshire Vikings' hopes of topping the North Group as Leicestershire Foxes won by 34 runs. Leics vs Yorkshire scorecard
Gary Ballance and Harry Brook briefly threatened for Yorkshire as they tried to top Leicestershire's Lilley-inspired 207-3 but both fell in the thirties and no other batsman could sufficiently pick up the pace as the Vikings were bowled out for 173.
Glenn Phillips scored an unbeaten 94 for the second successive game as Gloucestershire beat Sussex Sharks by 27 runs at Hove in Ollie Robinson's first first-team game since he was suspended by the ECB for historical offensive tweets.
Phillips' 58-ball innings led Gloucestershire's recovery from 35-4 to 162-5 against the previously unbeaten Sharks, for whom Robinson took 1-38 from four overs. Sussex vs Gloucs scorecard
Sussex slumped to 135 all out in reply - Benny Howell taking 4-15 - but the hosts would have fared even worse had Robinson (31) and Tymal Mills (27) not added 42 for the ninth wicket from 78-8.
Tom Banton returned to form in style to lead Somerset to a seven-run win over Hampshire at Taunton. Somerset vs Hants scorecard
The hosts made 172-9, with Banton striking 77 from 37 deliveries and teenager Will Smeed contributing 63 not out from 44.
Hampshire replied with 165-8 - Colin De Grandhomme hit 66 and D'Arcy Short struck 37, but it was not enough for the visitors.
Brett D'Oliveira (67) and Jake Libby (78no) powered Worcestershire Rapids to a first win in five matches as they beat Durham by eight wickets. Worcs vs Durham scorecard
Their partnership was worth 145 in 15 overs as the Rapids chased down the target of 179 with three balls remaining - Ben Stokes earlier made a run-a-ball 20 in Durham's 178-8.
Ricardo Vasconcelos top-scored as Northamptonshire secured a second successive victory, overcoming Lancashire by seven wickets. Northants vs Lancs scorecard
Vasconcelos struck 41 from 38 balls before Mohammad Nabi and Rob Keogh completed Northamptonshire's victory with an unbroken stand of 54 from 40 deliveries - Northants reaching their target of 131 with 10 balls to spare.
Daniel Bell-Drummond hammered 50 off 29 balls as Kent Spitfires beat Essex Eagles by 18 runs on DLS after lightning and rain brought an early conclusion.
Bell-Drummond clubbed his third fifty of the competition during an 89-run stand for the first wicket with Zak Crawley (43 of 26) before Kent collapsed to 167-9.
Simon Harmer snared 4-26, including his 50th Blast wicket for Essex, and Dan Lawrence claimed four catches in the innings. Essex vs Kent scorecard
Essex were 31-4 after five overs, short of the DLS target of 59, so Kent bagged a sixth win of the season.
