New Zealand international puts on 130 with Benny Howell to outgun Glamorgan; Essex win last-ball thriller against Middlesex at Lord's, while Falcons inflict five-wicket defeat on Bears
Thursday 24 June 2021 23:11, UK
Glenn Phillips crashed an unbeaten 94 from 41 balls to power Gloucestershire to victory by 34 runs over Glamorgan and send them top of the Vitality Blast South Group.
Phillips' fifth-highest score of his career, and a first half-century in the T20 competition, included nine fours and six sixes.
After being put into bat, Phillips' aggressive innings helped Gloucestershire post 216-2, with Benny Howell making a rapid unbeaten 53 in a third-wicket stand worth 130 off 64 balls with the New Zealand international.
Glamorgan gave game chase for a while, but could only reply with 182-8 despite an impressive start as David Lloyd hit 44 off 22 balls, with four sixes, while Marnus Labuschagne was out for 33, yorked walking across his stumps by David Payne.
Essex won on the last ball against Middlesex at Lord's, where Stevie Eskinazi's maiden Blast hundred proved in vain.
Eskinazi hit two sixes and 11 fours in an unbeaten 102 as Middlesex, bottom of the South Group, scored 183-2.
The Eagles had looked well set for a comfortable victory at 170-3 with 11 balls remaining.
However, Dan Lawrence's dismissal on 59 sparked a collapse during which New Zealander debutant Daryl Mitchell took three wickets in four balls.
Simon Harmer, though, had the final say, as an outside edge flew off to the boundary to secure Essex victory by two wickets.
New captain Matt Critchley guided Derbyshire Falcons to a five-wicket victory over Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.
In the first match since Critchley replaced Billy Godleman, the Falcons impressed in the field to restrict the hosts to 167-9.
George Scrimshaw took 3-23 as Ed Pollock hit a rapid 46 and Michael Burgess made 41.
Derbyshire's reply opened with 19 off the first over, with Leus du Plooy going on to make 57 and Tom Wood an unbeaten 63 as they wrapped up victory with five balls to spare which preserves some slender hope of qualification from the North Group.
Our live Vitality Blast coverage continues at 6.15pm on Saturday on Sky Sports Cricket when Surrey entertain Middlesex.
