Glamorgan have held on to beat Somerset by three runs and keep their T20 quarter-final hopes alive in the process.
The visiting side were up first and they managed to reach 170-4 at the County Ground, thanks in large to the work of Colin Ingram (96) who fell just short of a century.
Craig Meschede failed to register a run before he was sent packing, while Jacques Rudolph added just 16 before he was caught out.
Ingram helped pile on the runs, however, lifting his side up to 170 before he was eventually caught by Tom Cooper, with Chris Cooke the only other man to fall (18).
Graham Wagg (33*) also helped put Glam further ahead, in what turned out to be an unassailable lead.
Jim Allenby was the first to fall for the hosts with just five runs on the board, and things hardly improved for Somerset when Johann Myburgh (19) and Peter Trego (33) fell soon after to leave them stranded on 82-3.
Glamorgan were left looking over their shoulder, however, as their opponents fast closed in on their tally of 170. But while Ingram starred with the bat, Wayne Parnell impressed with his final-over bowling to keep the home side at bay.
Tim Groenewald had so very nearly snatched victory for Somerset with an unbeaten 27 from nine balls, until Parnell restricted the opposition to eight runs on the final over to secure the win.
Sunday 28 June 2015
Saturday 27 June 2015
Saturday's T20 Blast
Samit Patel and skipper James Taylor guided Nottinghamshire Outlaws to a seven-wicket victory over Northants Steelbacks at Trent Bridge, despite Josh Cobb's career-best 84 for the visitors.
The Steelbacks had won four of their past five matches, with the other one a washout at Leicestershire, and they looked in good shape as Cobb helped them to 173 for five.
But it wasn't to be enough as England pair Patel and Taylor guided the Outlaws side to their fourth T20 victory of the season. With the pressure on, the pair put on 95 from 52 balls as Notts scored 175 for three to win with nine balls to spare.
Northants were hoping to move into the top two of the North Group following the previous night's dramatic two-run win at Worcestershire Rapids.
Their bowlers, however, were unable to get them over the line again as Patel, who made an unbeaten 58, and Taylor, who was 38 not out, secured the victory for the Outlaws.
The Steelbacks had won four of their past five matches, with the other one a washout at Leicestershire, and they looked in good shape as Cobb helped them to 173 for five.
But it wasn't to be enough as England pair Patel and Taylor guided the Outlaws side to their fourth T20 victory of the season. With the pressure on, the pair put on 95 from 52 balls as Notts scored 175 for three to win with nine balls to spare.
Northants were hoping to move into the top two of the North Group following the previous night's dramatic two-run win at Worcestershire Rapids.
Their bowlers, however, were unable to get them over the line again as Patel, who made an unbeaten 58, and Taylor, who was 38 not out, secured the victory for the Outlaws.
Friday 26 June 2015
Friday's T20 Blast
Essex Eagles have moved to the top of the South Group in the T20 Blast with an emphatic 78-run win over Hampshire.
Mark Pettini and Jesse Ryder added an opening stand of 126 for the home side, with the latter going on to add 107 off 55 balls.
Hampshire struggled from the start as they tried to chase down a big total, with James Vince out for a duck while just four batsman made double figures.
A century from Luke Wright has helped Sussex Sharks close the gap to the top of the South Group with victory over Gloucestershire.
Michael Klinger hit 61 for the home side, while Hamish Marshall and Ian Cockbain also contributed as Gloucestershire set their opponents a big score for victory.
Chris Nash was back in the pavilion for just four, but his opening partner finished with an unbeaten 111 off just 56 balls, leading Sussex to victory.
Birmingham Bears held on to secure a two-run win over Lancashire Lightning to remain at the top of the North Group, with six wins from their eight outings so far.
Knocks from James Faulkner and Paul Horton left the home side in touching distance of victory, but Recordo Gordon picked up four wickets for just 20 runs, leaving Lightning needing three off the final delivery of the match, which Joshua Poysden could not get.
Worcestershire Rapids have been handed a two-run loss in a closely-fought match with Northamptonshire Steelbacks, preventing them from closing the gap to the North leaders.
A final stand of 62 from Rory Kleinveldt and Steven Crook helped the visitors post a promising score in the first innings.
Worcestershire had to recover from Moeen Ali edging the first ball of their reply to slip for a duck, before Daryl Mitchell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Colin Munro all added scores in the 30s to steady the ship. However, Ross Whiteley was unable to hit the winning runs off the final couple of deliveries.
Leicestershire Foxes have closed the gap to top of the table after sharing a tie with Yorkshire Vikings, with both teams posting a score of 142 runs of their 20 overs.
Jack Leaning and Jonny Bairstow led the reply for Yorkshire as they appeared to be chasing down Leicestershire's total with ease, but a run of late wickets saw the run-rate drop, allowing the Foxes to sit level on points in second place the North Group.
Middlesex Panthers' struggles continued as they slipped to their sixth defeat in eight outings, losing by nine wickets in their match against Somerset.
John Simpson top-scored for the home side, hitting an unbeaten 84 off just 51 balls, but James Allenby led the Somerset reply with 89 off the same number of deliveries, while Johan Myburgh added a half-century.
Derbyshire Falcons wrapped up a comfortable win over Nottinghamshire Outlaws, giving them just their third win of the campaign.
Chesney Hughes topped the scoring for the hosts, hitting a half-century, but the whole batting lineup contributed as Derbyshire posted a score of 201.
Mattheus Wessels helped the Outlaws recover from a poor start to their reply, as Alex Hales was bowled for a duck, but his 66 was not enough as a couple of runouts in quick succession saw the side slip from 136-3 to 167-9, while Nathan Rimmington completed the rout by claiming the 10th wicket with the first ball of the final over.
Surrey have moved off the bottom of the table in the South with their second win of the season, beating Glamorgan by 19 runs with just three balls to spare.
Dean Cosker finished with figures of 4-25 with the ball to restrict the visitors to 146, but Glamorgan were bowled out for 127, with opener Craig Meschede the only player adding more than 30.
Results in full: Leicestershire (142-7) tied with Yorkshire (142-8), Somerset 177-1 beat Middlesex (171-7) by nine wickets, Northamptonshire (193-8) beat Worcestershire (191-6) by two runs, Sussex (188-7) beat Gloucestershire (185-4) by three wickets, Birmingham (137-8) beat Lancashire (136-8) by one run, Surrey (146-8) beat Glamorgan (127 all out) by 19 runs, Essex (212-5) beat Hampshire (134 all out) by 78 runs, Derbyshire (201-7) beat Nottinghamshire (167 all out) by 34 runs
Mark Pettini and Jesse Ryder added an opening stand of 126 for the home side, with the latter going on to add 107 off 55 balls.
Hampshire struggled from the start as they tried to chase down a big total, with James Vince out for a duck while just four batsman made double figures.
A century from Luke Wright has helped Sussex Sharks close the gap to the top of the South Group with victory over Gloucestershire.
Michael Klinger hit 61 for the home side, while Hamish Marshall and Ian Cockbain also contributed as Gloucestershire set their opponents a big score for victory.
Chris Nash was back in the pavilion for just four, but his opening partner finished with an unbeaten 111 off just 56 balls, leading Sussex to victory.
Birmingham Bears held on to secure a two-run win over Lancashire Lightning to remain at the top of the North Group, with six wins from their eight outings so far.
Knocks from James Faulkner and Paul Horton left the home side in touching distance of victory, but Recordo Gordon picked up four wickets for just 20 runs, leaving Lightning needing three off the final delivery of the match, which Joshua Poysden could not get.
Worcestershire Rapids have been handed a two-run loss in a closely-fought match with Northamptonshire Steelbacks, preventing them from closing the gap to the North leaders.
A final stand of 62 from Rory Kleinveldt and Steven Crook helped the visitors post a promising score in the first innings.
Worcestershire had to recover from Moeen Ali edging the first ball of their reply to slip for a duck, before Daryl Mitchell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Colin Munro all added scores in the 30s to steady the ship. However, Ross Whiteley was unable to hit the winning runs off the final couple of deliveries.
Leicestershire Foxes have closed the gap to top of the table after sharing a tie with Yorkshire Vikings, with both teams posting a score of 142 runs of their 20 overs.
Jack Leaning and Jonny Bairstow led the reply for Yorkshire as they appeared to be chasing down Leicestershire's total with ease, but a run of late wickets saw the run-rate drop, allowing the Foxes to sit level on points in second place the North Group.
Middlesex Panthers' struggles continued as they slipped to their sixth defeat in eight outings, losing by nine wickets in their match against Somerset.
John Simpson top-scored for the home side, hitting an unbeaten 84 off just 51 balls, but James Allenby led the Somerset reply with 89 off the same number of deliveries, while Johan Myburgh added a half-century.
Derbyshire Falcons wrapped up a comfortable win over Nottinghamshire Outlaws, giving them just their third win of the campaign.
Chesney Hughes topped the scoring for the hosts, hitting a half-century, but the whole batting lineup contributed as Derbyshire posted a score of 201.
Mattheus Wessels helped the Outlaws recover from a poor start to their reply, as Alex Hales was bowled for a duck, but his 66 was not enough as a couple of runouts in quick succession saw the side slip from 136-3 to 167-9, while Nathan Rimmington completed the rout by claiming the 10th wicket with the first ball of the final over.
Surrey have moved off the bottom of the table in the South with their second win of the season, beating Glamorgan by 19 runs with just three balls to spare.
Dean Cosker finished with figures of 4-25 with the ball to restrict the visitors to 146, but Glamorgan were bowled out for 127, with opener Craig Meschede the only player adding more than 30.
Results in full: Leicestershire (142-7) tied with Yorkshire (142-8), Somerset 177-1 beat Middlesex (171-7) by nine wickets, Northamptonshire (193-8) beat Worcestershire (191-6) by two runs, Sussex (188-7) beat Gloucestershire (185-4) by three wickets, Birmingham (137-8) beat Lancashire (136-8) by one run, Surrey (146-8) beat Glamorgan (127 all out) by 19 runs, Essex (212-5) beat Hampshire (134 all out) by 78 runs, Derbyshire (201-7) beat Nottinghamshire (167 all out) by 34 runs
Thursday's T20 Blast
Durham v Lancashire
Lancashire Lightning have leapfrogged Durham Jets into fourth place in the T20 Blast North Group after defeating them by six wickets.
Ashwell Prince was the star of the show at Chester-le-Street, his unbeaten 63 allowing his side to dictate the pace of the contest.
Durham did not look in bad shape on 93 for three after 10 overs, but they were punished by Lancashire spinners Arron Lilley, Stephen Parry and Steven Croft.
They chalked up combined figures of four for 61 in 11 overs, which allowed Kyle Jarvis to take two late wickets and finish with three for 24 in his first T20 match.
Durham captain Mark Stoneman opened up with a 28-ball half-century, but it was downhill for the Jets from there.
With Lancashire needing 43 from their last five overs, James Faulkner hit Ryan Pringle high over mid-wicket for six to take the pressure off.
They put the match to bed when Faulkner did exactly the same to Usman Arshad.
Lancashire Lightning have leapfrogged Durham Jets into fourth place in the T20 Blast North Group after defeating them by six wickets.
Ashwell Prince was the star of the show at Chester-le-Street, his unbeaten 63 allowing his side to dictate the pace of the contest.
Durham did not look in bad shape on 93 for three after 10 overs, but they were punished by Lancashire spinners Arron Lilley, Stephen Parry and Steven Croft.
They chalked up combined figures of four for 61 in 11 overs, which allowed Kyle Jarvis to take two late wickets and finish with three for 24 in his first T20 match.
Durham captain Mark Stoneman opened up with a 28-ball half-century, but it was downhill for the Jets from there.
With Lancashire needing 43 from their last five overs, James Faulkner hit Ryan Pringle high over mid-wicket for six to take the pressure off.
They put the match to bed when Faulkner did exactly the same to Usman Arshad.
Wednesday 24 June 2015
Only T20 ENG V NZ
England have beaten New Zealand by 56 runs in their one-off Twenty20 international at Old Trafford.
Protecting a score of 191-7 underpinned by Joe Root's 68 from 46 balls, England dismissed New Zealand for 135 in 16.2 overs after taking the last five wickets for four runs.
The Kiwis started the chase ahead of the required run rate of 9.55. Kane Williamson (57) ran out of partners, however, before becoming one of three batsmen to depart over four balls in the 15th over.
This plunged New Zealand to 131-8 and David Willey (3-22) took the final two wickets in successive deliveries, leaving the Black Caps all out for 135.
The result means that England have earned victory in their final match before The Ashes begins on July 8.
Protecting a score of 191-7 underpinned by Joe Root's 68 from 46 balls, England dismissed New Zealand for 135 in 16.2 overs after taking the last five wickets for four runs.
The Kiwis started the chase ahead of the required run rate of 9.55. Kane Williamson (57) ran out of partners, however, before becoming one of three batsmen to depart over four balls in the 15th over.
This plunged New Zealand to 131-8 and David Willey (3-22) took the final two wickets in successive deliveries, leaving the Black Caps all out for 135.
The result means that England have earned victory in their final match before The Ashes begins on July 8.
Sunday 21 June 2015
Sunday's T20 Blast
Yorkshire 132/7 v Birmingham 136/4 (Birmingham won by 6 wickets)
Yorkshire set a score of 132, with Jack Leaning scoring 45 and Aaron Finch adding 30.
Tim Bresnan (16) and Rich Pyrah (13 not out) added more runs to the total but Recordo Gordon's bowling figures of 3-30 limited the score.
Ian Bell (5) and Varun Chopra (3) saw Birmingham slip to a score of 15-2 early in the innings but William Porterfield's 49 put Birmingham in prime position to win.
Laurie Evans scored 32 not out before Tim Ambrose's wicket fell at 46, just one run before victory. Rikki Clarke came on to score the final runs of the day, firing the ball past the boundary.
Glamorgan 115/9 v Sussex 116/0 (Sussex won by 10 wickets)
Sussex have thrashed Glamorgan by 10 wickets in the Twenty20 Blast.
Glamorgan batted first and dropped three wickets early. Openers Jacques Rudolph and Craig Meschede both went for a duck, with Colin Ingram out for one.
Chris Cooke's 45 boosted Glamorgan's hopes of victory and Graham Wagg later added 18. Wayne Parnell scored 32 as Glamorgan completed their innings at 115-9.
Oliver Robinson's hat-trick saw him finish the innings with bowling figures of 3-16.
Chris Nash and Luke Wright led Sussex to victory after just 10 overs. Nash scored 53 from 39 balls, with Wright adding 59 from 36 balls with a run rate of 9.43.
The victory sees Sussex leapfrog Glamorgan into fourth in the South division.
Yorkshire set a score of 132, with Jack Leaning scoring 45 and Aaron Finch adding 30.
Tim Bresnan (16) and Rich Pyrah (13 not out) added more runs to the total but Recordo Gordon's bowling figures of 3-30 limited the score.
Ian Bell (5) and Varun Chopra (3) saw Birmingham slip to a score of 15-2 early in the innings but William Porterfield's 49 put Birmingham in prime position to win.
Laurie Evans scored 32 not out before Tim Ambrose's wicket fell at 46, just one run before victory. Rikki Clarke came on to score the final runs of the day, firing the ball past the boundary.
Glamorgan 115/9 v Sussex 116/0 (Sussex won by 10 wickets)
Sussex have thrashed Glamorgan by 10 wickets in the Twenty20 Blast.
Glamorgan batted first and dropped three wickets early. Openers Jacques Rudolph and Craig Meschede both went for a duck, with Colin Ingram out for one.
Chris Cooke's 45 boosted Glamorgan's hopes of victory and Graham Wagg later added 18. Wayne Parnell scored 32 as Glamorgan completed their innings at 115-9.
Oliver Robinson's hat-trick saw him finish the innings with bowling figures of 3-16.
Chris Nash and Luke Wright led Sussex to victory after just 10 overs. Nash scored 53 from 39 balls, with Wright adding 59 from 36 balls with a run rate of 9.43.
The victory sees Sussex leapfrog Glamorgan into fourth in the South division.
1st Test PAK beat SL by 10 wickets
Pakistan have defeated Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the first Test between the two nations, mainly in part to a brilliant bowling display by Yasir Shah.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 206 in their second innings, after being 132-3, with Shah taking 7-76.
The teams went in early for teawith Sri Lanka setting a target of just 90 runs, and when they returned, Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad hit 46 and 43 respectively to emphatically beat their opponents.
The hosts were 132-3 when Wahab Riaz ended the stand between Lahiru Thirimanne and Dimuth Karunaratne before lunch. Angelo Mathews got a contentious decision immediately after the break before the rest of the order collapsed.
The second Test will be at Colombo and starts on Thursday, June 25.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 206 in their second innings, after being 132-3, with Shah taking 7-76.
The teams went in early for teawith Sri Lanka setting a target of just 90 runs, and when they returned, Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad hit 46 and 43 respectively to emphatically beat their opponents.
The hosts were 132-3 when Wahab Riaz ended the stand between Lahiru Thirimanne and Dimuth Karunaratne before lunch. Angelo Mathews got a contentious decision immediately after the break before the rest of the order collapsed.
The second Test will be at Colombo and starts on Thursday, June 25.
Saturday 20 June 2015
5th ODI ENG 192/7 beat NZ 283/9 by 3 wkts D/L
Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow is named man of the match after hitting 85 runs
"It's been fantastic to come back in. The guys have put in some great performances in this series so to top it off is very special. The way the guys have gone about their business in this series is wonderful. It's good to bat with Rash - he's the most chilled man in the world. I knew we had three overs of powerplay under our belt so we wanted to take it as deep as we could and see what happens."
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson is named man of the series.
He says: "It was an unbelievable series. England were outstanding, they deserved everything that they achieved for the style that they played. It was a great series to be a part of. I try to bat with a man at the other end and build those partnerships, and it was nice to contribute in this series. The pitches have made for great viewing and I think England will get a few more good wickets."
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum: "It's been a tremendous series. The Test series was keenly fought and some of the cricket we've seen in this ODI series has been sensational. Both teams have played their part.
"The wicket here wasn't as quick as others but we knew any score was going to be hard to defend. Credit to England, they held their nerve under pressure. They had the series on the line but managed to stay true to their attacking philosophies.
"I'm really excited about cricket in our country. We're in a good place but we have to keep striving to get better."
England captain Eoin Morgan: "There has been some incredible cricket played over the five games. All credit to New Zealand - they've played some fantastic cricket. We've come out of left-field. Jonny Bairstow was incredible - in what was our worst batting display of the series, he stuck his hand up and won us the game.
"Everything that has happened in this series has been stuff that we've been striving for over the past few years. As we've gone around the country the support has been magnificent and we've managed to deliver some entertaining cricket.
"I had an immensely dry spell up until this series and I managed to make some contributions which was great, but it was a huge team effort. Let's hope going into the Ashes that we maintain that level."
Sam Billings tells Sky Sports
"This series has been phenomenal. It's a childhood dream, it's what you get up for every morning. It's been with a group of mates who have been fantastic. New Zealand have played some unbelievable cricket and it's been a great advertisement for ODI cricket."
"It's been fantastic to come back in. The guys have put in some great performances in this series so to top it off is very special. The way the guys have gone about their business in this series is wonderful. It's good to bat with Rash - he's the most chilled man in the world. I knew we had three overs of powerplay under our belt so we wanted to take it as deep as we could and see what happens."
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson is named man of the series.
He says: "It was an unbelievable series. England were outstanding, they deserved everything that they achieved for the style that they played. It was a great series to be a part of. I try to bat with a man at the other end and build those partnerships, and it was nice to contribute in this series. The pitches have made for great viewing and I think England will get a few more good wickets."
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum: "It's been a tremendous series. The Test series was keenly fought and some of the cricket we've seen in this ODI series has been sensational. Both teams have played their part.
"The wicket here wasn't as quick as others but we knew any score was going to be hard to defend. Credit to England, they held their nerve under pressure. They had the series on the line but managed to stay true to their attacking philosophies.
"I'm really excited about cricket in our country. We're in a good place but we have to keep striving to get better."
England captain Eoin Morgan: "There has been some incredible cricket played over the five games. All credit to New Zealand - they've played some fantastic cricket. We've come out of left-field. Jonny Bairstow was incredible - in what was our worst batting display of the series, he stuck his hand up and won us the game.
"Everything that has happened in this series has been stuff that we've been striving for over the past few years. As we've gone around the country the support has been magnificent and we've managed to deliver some entertaining cricket.
"I had an immensely dry spell up until this series and I managed to make some contributions which was great, but it was a huge team effort. Let's hope going into the Ashes that we maintain that level."
Sam Billings tells Sky Sports
"This series has been phenomenal. It's a childhood dream, it's what you get up for every morning. It's been with a group of mates who have been fantastic. New Zealand have played some unbelievable cricket and it's been a great advertisement for ODI cricket."
Friday's T20 Blast 19th Jume
Darren Stevens scored an impressive 90 as Kent Spitfires moved top of the T20 Blast South Division with a 54-run win over Surrey at The Oval tonight.
The Spitfires recorded an impressive 231-7 - a target that proved too large for Surrey, with Stevens also taking four wickets to cap a fine all-round display.
They move above Hampshire at the summit after Dale Benkenstein's men lost by seven wickets to Sussex Sharks at the Rose Bowl.
Craig Cachopa and Matthew Machan both managed unbeaten efforts of 89 and 52 respectively to thwart Benkenstein's side and stay seventh in the standings.
Meanwhile, Essex Eagles moved joint second with Hampshire on 10 points after beating Glamorgan by 16 runs at the County Ground.
Ravi Bopara's knock of 52 was the pick of the bunch in an innings that was hindered by the bowling of Michael Hogan - who grabbed three wickets - but the hosts' 187-7 was enough.
Meanwhile, in the North division, Moeen Ali's 65 helped Worcestershire Rapids beat Derbyshire Falcons by eight wickets to stay top of their standings.
Steve Rhodes's side finished on 139-2 in a tight encounter that saw Ali also star with the ball by taking three wickets.
Elsewhere, second-placed Leicestershire - who lost to Derbyshire on Thursday - got back to winning ways with a seven-wicket win over Birmingham Bears.
The Spitfires recorded an impressive 231-7 - a target that proved too large for Surrey, with Stevens also taking four wickets to cap a fine all-round display.
They move above Hampshire at the summit after Dale Benkenstein's men lost by seven wickets to Sussex Sharks at the Rose Bowl.
Craig Cachopa and Matthew Machan both managed unbeaten efforts of 89 and 52 respectively to thwart Benkenstein's side and stay seventh in the standings.
Meanwhile, Essex Eagles moved joint second with Hampshire on 10 points after beating Glamorgan by 16 runs at the County Ground.
Ravi Bopara's knock of 52 was the pick of the bunch in an innings that was hindered by the bowling of Michael Hogan - who grabbed three wickets - but the hosts' 187-7 was enough.
Meanwhile, in the North division, Moeen Ali's 65 helped Worcestershire Rapids beat Derbyshire Falcons by eight wickets to stay top of their standings.
Steve Rhodes's side finished on 139-2 in a tight encounter that saw Ali also star with the ball by taking three wickets.
Elsewhere, second-placed Leicestershire - who lost to Derbyshire on Thursday - got back to winning ways with a seven-wicket win over Birmingham Bears.
Thursday 18 June 2015
Thursday's T20 Blast
Hampshire have moved top of the T20 Blast's South Group with a 21-run win over Middlesex Panthers at Lord's.
England's Michael Carberry made an unbeaten 72 while Owais Shah also scored 64 in 45 balls to leave the hosts unable to catch up.
In the same group, Kent skipper Sam Northeast scored 90 to help his side beat Essex by six-wickets at Canterbury.
The man of the match struck 12 fours and two sixes as Kent reached 174 for victory, which moved them up to second spot in division.
In the North Group, Derbyshire beat Leicestershire by 17 runs to secure only their second win of the competition, Wes Durston hitting 88 from 49 balls, with nine fours and four sixes, as his side made 189-9.
Meanwhile Worcestershire beat Lancashire by two wickets to remain at the top of their division in their game at Old Trafford.
England's Michael Carberry made an unbeaten 72 while Owais Shah also scored 64 in 45 balls to leave the hosts unable to catch up.
In the same group, Kent skipper Sam Northeast scored 90 to help his side beat Essex by six-wickets at Canterbury.
The man of the match struck 12 fours and two sixes as Kent reached 174 for victory, which moved them up to second spot in division.
In the North Group, Derbyshire beat Leicestershire by 17 runs to secure only their second win of the competition, Wes Durston hitting 88 from 49 balls, with nine fours and four sixes, as his side made 189-9.
Meanwhile Worcestershire beat Lancashire by two wickets to remain at the top of their division in their game at Old Trafford.
Wednesday 17 June 2015
4th ODI ENG V NZ
England have levelled their one-day series with New Zealand after cruising to a seven-wicket win in the fourth one-day international at Trent Bridge.
The hosts were set a difficult task after Kane Williamson top-scored with 90 as the tourists reached 349-7 for their 50 overs.
England raced to 69-0 after eight overs of their reply as Jason Roy and Alex Hales peppered the Trent Bridge boundary.
Their assault on the Kiwi bowling attack was halted by a bout of heavy rain in Nottingham, but Hales swiftly brought up his 50 off just 32 balls, soon after play resumed.
England brought up 100 off only 64 balls, the second fastest rate in ODI's, but lost Hales for 67 as he dragged Matt Henry delivery onto his stumps.
New Zealand slowed the home side's progress further when Henry took a blistering catch to dismissing Roy (38).
Joe Root was almost back in the pavillon as well when the Yorkshire right-hander flashed hard at Mitchell McClenaghan, but Ross Taylor at slip was unsighted as the ball flew for four.
However, Root and captain Eoin Morgan continued where Hales and Roy left off as the cruised towards their target of 350.
Morgan reached his century off 73 balls with a six over mid-wicket and Root also finished with an unbeaten 106 as England wrapped up victory with six overs remaining.
Their total of 350-3 was the highest successful run chase on English soil, and sets up a series decider at Chester-le-Street on Saturday.
The hosts were set a difficult task after Kane Williamson top-scored with 90 as the tourists reached 349-7 for their 50 overs.
England raced to 69-0 after eight overs of their reply as Jason Roy and Alex Hales peppered the Trent Bridge boundary.
Their assault on the Kiwi bowling attack was halted by a bout of heavy rain in Nottingham, but Hales swiftly brought up his 50 off just 32 balls, soon after play resumed.
England brought up 100 off only 64 balls, the second fastest rate in ODI's, but lost Hales for 67 as he dragged Matt Henry delivery onto his stumps.
New Zealand slowed the home side's progress further when Henry took a blistering catch to dismissing Roy (38).
Joe Root was almost back in the pavillon as well when the Yorkshire right-hander flashed hard at Mitchell McClenaghan, but Ross Taylor at slip was unsighted as the ball flew for four.
However, Root and captain Eoin Morgan continued where Hales and Roy left off as the cruised towards their target of 350.
Morgan reached his century off 73 balls with a six over mid-wicket and Root also finished with an unbeaten 106 as England wrapped up victory with six overs remaining.
Their total of 350-3 was the highest successful run chase on English soil, and sets up a series decider at Chester-le-Street on Saturday.
Monday 15 June 2015
ODI Series Matches 1-3 ENG V NZ
3rd ODI NZ won by 3 wkts
New Zealand have taken a 2-1 lead in the one-day international series with England by coming out on top in today's contest at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
New Zealand's Ross Taylor celebrates reaching a century not out during the third one-day international (ODI) cricket match between England and New Zealand at The Ageas Bowl cricket ground in Southampton on June 14, 2015
Hosts England won the toss this morning, opting to bat, and they were going along very strongly thanks to some big scores from the middle-order trio of Joe Root (54), Eoin Morgan (71) and Ben Stokes (68).
However, their innings came to an abrupt half as they lost their last five wickets for just 14 runs to be bowled out for 302 with 28 balls to spare.
New Zealand paceman Ben Wheeler took three wickets in his first international and there was joy for fellow bowler David Willey, who took his first wicket at ODI level for England by trapping Martin Guptill lbw for just two.
Mark Wood got Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum (11) the same way soon after, but Kane Williamson (118) and Ross Taylor (110) then stole the show for the tourists.
The pair put on 205 together at the crease - a New Zealand record third-wicket partnership and the highest third-wicket partnership ever against England.
Willey was able to remove both men in the closing stages, but the damage had already been done and New Zealand came home with an over to spare as Tim Southee hit the winning runs.
New Zealand can wrap up the five-match series if they win the fourth ODI at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.
2nd ODI NZ won by 13 runs on D/L method
New Zealand have defeated England by 13 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in the second one-day international to tie the series at 1-1.
The Three Lions needed 399 runs to win the second match of the series after the Kiwis managed to post a mammoth 398-5 in their innings thanks to a century from Ross Taylor.
England got off to a strong start in their reply as Jason Roy and Alex Hales took the attack to the tourists and managed to reach 85 without loss in the 12th over.
However, Roy soon departed for 39 when he was caught by Ross Taylor off the bowling of Nathan McCullum, while Joe Root followed him back to the pavilion for just six.
Alex Hales reached his half-century, but then went for one big shot too many as he was caught on the boundary for 54 to leave the Three Lions 100-3.
Skipper Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes got the innings back on track with lusty blows around the ground of the Kiwis' spinners, but Brendon McCullum moved to bring Mitchell McClenaghan back into the attack to remove Stokes for 28.
Morgan and Jos Buttler put on a good partnership to power England over the 250-run mark, but Trent Boult snagged the important scalp of Buttler to send him back to the pavilion for 41.
The Three Lions captain looked on pace to break the fastest century made by a England player, but he fell 12 runs short of his ton.
Sam Billings fell cheaply, but Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid led a late rally to bring the home side within striking distance of the victory total before rain interrupted play.
The delay brought about a change in the totals as England required 34 runs off 13 deliveries when play resumed. Although Plunkett hit one big six he was soon out for 44, while Rashid was spectacularly caught on the boundary following excellent teammwork by Tim Southee and Boult.
Steven Finn and Chris Jordan couldn't pull off an unlikely win off the final over as the Kiwis levelled the series at The Oval.
1st ODI ENG won by 210 runs
England have beaten New Zealand by a record 210 runs in the first one-day international at Edgbaston.
Eoin Morgan's side posted their highest ever score of 408-9, which proved far too much for their opponents, who finished the day on 198 all out.
England had made a poor start as Jason Roy was caught by Martin Guptill with the first ball of the game, but they soon took charge with captain Morgan hitting 50 off 46 balls.
Joe Root then smashed a hundred off 71 balls before going on to make 104, before Jos Buttler hit the second-fastest ODI century by an English batsman off 66 balls.
Adil Rashid added 69 in a stand of 177 with Butler to set a new seventh-wicket record, as England set a daunting target for the visitors.
It was too much for New Zealand, as they were bowled out for 198 with more than 18 overs to spare, with Rashid and Steven Finn both taking four wickets each.
The second match between the teams will take place at The Oval on Friday.
New Zealand have taken a 2-1 lead in the one-day international series with England by coming out on top in today's contest at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
New Zealand's Ross Taylor celebrates reaching a century not out during the third one-day international (ODI) cricket match between England and New Zealand at The Ageas Bowl cricket ground in Southampton on June 14, 2015
Hosts England won the toss this morning, opting to bat, and they were going along very strongly thanks to some big scores from the middle-order trio of Joe Root (54), Eoin Morgan (71) and Ben Stokes (68).
However, their innings came to an abrupt half as they lost their last five wickets for just 14 runs to be bowled out for 302 with 28 balls to spare.
New Zealand paceman Ben Wheeler took three wickets in his first international and there was joy for fellow bowler David Willey, who took his first wicket at ODI level for England by trapping Martin Guptill lbw for just two.
Mark Wood got Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum (11) the same way soon after, but Kane Williamson (118) and Ross Taylor (110) then stole the show for the tourists.
The pair put on 205 together at the crease - a New Zealand record third-wicket partnership and the highest third-wicket partnership ever against England.
Willey was able to remove both men in the closing stages, but the damage had already been done and New Zealand came home with an over to spare as Tim Southee hit the winning runs.
New Zealand can wrap up the five-match series if they win the fourth ODI at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.
2nd ODI NZ won by 13 runs on D/L method
New Zealand have defeated England by 13 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in the second one-day international to tie the series at 1-1.
The Three Lions needed 399 runs to win the second match of the series after the Kiwis managed to post a mammoth 398-5 in their innings thanks to a century from Ross Taylor.
England got off to a strong start in their reply as Jason Roy and Alex Hales took the attack to the tourists and managed to reach 85 without loss in the 12th over.
However, Roy soon departed for 39 when he was caught by Ross Taylor off the bowling of Nathan McCullum, while Joe Root followed him back to the pavilion for just six.
Alex Hales reached his half-century, but then went for one big shot too many as he was caught on the boundary for 54 to leave the Three Lions 100-3.
Skipper Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes got the innings back on track with lusty blows around the ground of the Kiwis' spinners, but Brendon McCullum moved to bring Mitchell McClenaghan back into the attack to remove Stokes for 28.
Morgan and Jos Buttler put on a good partnership to power England over the 250-run mark, but Trent Boult snagged the important scalp of Buttler to send him back to the pavilion for 41.
The Three Lions captain looked on pace to break the fastest century made by a England player, but he fell 12 runs short of his ton.
Sam Billings fell cheaply, but Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid led a late rally to bring the home side within striking distance of the victory total before rain interrupted play.
The delay brought about a change in the totals as England required 34 runs off 13 deliveries when play resumed. Although Plunkett hit one big six he was soon out for 44, while Rashid was spectacularly caught on the boundary following excellent teammwork by Tim Southee and Boult.
Steven Finn and Chris Jordan couldn't pull off an unlikely win off the final over as the Kiwis levelled the series at The Oval.
1st ODI ENG won by 210 runs
England have beaten New Zealand by a record 210 runs in the first one-day international at Edgbaston.
Eoin Morgan's side posted their highest ever score of 408-9, which proved far too much for their opponents, who finished the day on 198 all out.
England had made a poor start as Jason Roy was caught by Martin Guptill with the first ball of the game, but they soon took charge with captain Morgan hitting 50 off 46 balls.
Joe Root then smashed a hundred off 71 balls before going on to make 104, before Jos Buttler hit the second-fastest ODI century by an English batsman off 66 balls.
Adil Rashid added 69 in a stand of 177 with Butler to set a new seventh-wicket record, as England set a daunting target for the visitors.
It was too much for New Zealand, as they were bowled out for 198 with more than 18 overs to spare, with Rashid and Steven Finn both taking four wickets each.
The second match between the teams will take place at The Oval on Friday.
2nd Test ENG V NZ
New Zealand 350 & 454-8 dec
England 350 & 255
New Zealand won by 199 runs
England slipped to a 199-run defeat on the final day of the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley to draw the series 1-1.
Needing 455 to win or, more realistically, to bat through the day for a draw, the home side were bowled out for 255 an hour after tea.
Alastair Cook made 56 and Jos Buttler 73, but England failed to recover from losing 4-15 in the first hour.
Off-spinners Mark Craig and Kane Williamson each claimed three wickets, with Trent Boult taking 2-61.
A level series is deserved for the Black Caps, who fought back from 2-2 on day one to claim their first Test win in England since 1999.
Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special
"The way New Zealand play, they put you under pressure in every single session.
The bowling matches the batting in aggression. If you look at the 10 days of cricket, New Zealand won seven and a half. If we played a third Test, New Zealand would go on to win."
They stay third in the International Cricket Council Test rankings, two places above England.
"We've played like this for a while now, and I maintain a belief in that this is how we give ourselves the greatest chance in Test cricket," said Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum.
"There were times when we behind the eight-ball - we were 2-2 after losing the toss. But we got back in the game and were we able to push on with our aggressive intent from there.
"We haven't always been good enough to demand longer Test series, but the way we're playing at the moment, if we continue to improve then we'll give ourselves the opportunity to have longer series."
For Cook's side, defeat comes a week after a thrilling 124-run success in the first Test at Lord's and means they have won two, lost two and drawn one of their last five matches.
While inconsistency can be expected from an XI where six have played 13 Tests or fewer, there are causes for concern ahead of the Ashes, which begin on 8 July.
One is the form of Ian Bell, who has managed only 55 runs in eight innings since making 143 in the first Test against West Indies.
His dismissal for one was part of an 11-over spell in which the England top order folded in the Headingley wind.
How's stat?!
New Zealand's victory was their first in 12 Tests against England but their biggest in terms of runs, surpassing their 189-run win at Hamilton in 2008
The hosts had added three runs to their overnight 44-0 when the impressive Boult had a flat-footed Adam Lyth poking behind, with Gary Ballance then bowled off his pads to complete a series return of 36 runs in four innings.
Craig struggled for a consistent length in conditions that offered him plenty of assistance, but saw Bell turn a short ball to leg slip.
Two balls later, Joe Root, who claimed on day four that England were still aiming for victory, forced another shorter delivery to short leg, where he was brilliantly caught by Tom Latham.
Cook watched from the other end, batting with the calmness of a man who averages 64 in 2015, cutting and nudging his way to a 42nd Test half-century and 9,000 runs in Test cricket.
He found support from Ben Stokes, but both fell to part-time spinner Williamson, who posed more of a threat than Craig.
How's stat?!
New Zealand are now unbeaten in their past seven Test series
Stokes edged a cut shot behind, Cook missed a full ball to be lbw and when Moeen Ali shouldered arms to be bowled by Matt Henry, only Buttler and the tail remained.
Taking several blows on a pitch showing increasing uneven bounce, Buttler mixed patience with power through the leg side - he pulled Craig for six - in compiling a 111-ball half-century.
Stuart Broad and Mark Wood each provided spells of resistance, only for Broad to play on off Williamson and Wood to find second slip when Tim Southee took the second new ball.
And when Buttler left Craig to be lbw, England's second successive defeat at Headingley was sealed with 19.1 overs remaining.
"The ball was turning, and that four-wicket burst really hurt us," conceded Cook.
"But it's been a thoroughly enjoyable Test series, the spirit from both teams has been fantastic.
"Credit to the way New Zealand played in this second innings, we had chances in both these games."
England 350 & 255
New Zealand won by 199 runs
England slipped to a 199-run defeat on the final day of the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley to draw the series 1-1.
Needing 455 to win or, more realistically, to bat through the day for a draw, the home side were bowled out for 255 an hour after tea.
Alastair Cook made 56 and Jos Buttler 73, but England failed to recover from losing 4-15 in the first hour.
Off-spinners Mark Craig and Kane Williamson each claimed three wickets, with Trent Boult taking 2-61.
A level series is deserved for the Black Caps, who fought back from 2-2 on day one to claim their first Test win in England since 1999.
Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special
"The way New Zealand play, they put you under pressure in every single session.
The bowling matches the batting in aggression. If you look at the 10 days of cricket, New Zealand won seven and a half. If we played a third Test, New Zealand would go on to win."
They stay third in the International Cricket Council Test rankings, two places above England.
"We've played like this for a while now, and I maintain a belief in that this is how we give ourselves the greatest chance in Test cricket," said Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum.
"There were times when we behind the eight-ball - we were 2-2 after losing the toss. But we got back in the game and were we able to push on with our aggressive intent from there.
"We haven't always been good enough to demand longer Test series, but the way we're playing at the moment, if we continue to improve then we'll give ourselves the opportunity to have longer series."
For Cook's side, defeat comes a week after a thrilling 124-run success in the first Test at Lord's and means they have won two, lost two and drawn one of their last five matches.
While inconsistency can be expected from an XI where six have played 13 Tests or fewer, there are causes for concern ahead of the Ashes, which begin on 8 July.
One is the form of Ian Bell, who has managed only 55 runs in eight innings since making 143 in the first Test against West Indies.
His dismissal for one was part of an 11-over spell in which the England top order folded in the Headingley wind.
How's stat?!
New Zealand's victory was their first in 12 Tests against England but their biggest in terms of runs, surpassing their 189-run win at Hamilton in 2008
The hosts had added three runs to their overnight 44-0 when the impressive Boult had a flat-footed Adam Lyth poking behind, with Gary Ballance then bowled off his pads to complete a series return of 36 runs in four innings.
Craig struggled for a consistent length in conditions that offered him plenty of assistance, but saw Bell turn a short ball to leg slip.
Two balls later, Joe Root, who claimed on day four that England were still aiming for victory, forced another shorter delivery to short leg, where he was brilliantly caught by Tom Latham.
Cook watched from the other end, batting with the calmness of a man who averages 64 in 2015, cutting and nudging his way to a 42nd Test half-century and 9,000 runs in Test cricket.
He found support from Ben Stokes, but both fell to part-time spinner Williamson, who posed more of a threat than Craig.
How's stat?!
New Zealand are now unbeaten in their past seven Test series
Stokes edged a cut shot behind, Cook missed a full ball to be lbw and when Moeen Ali shouldered arms to be bowled by Matt Henry, only Buttler and the tail remained.
Taking several blows on a pitch showing increasing uneven bounce, Buttler mixed patience with power through the leg side - he pulled Craig for six - in compiling a 111-ball half-century.
Stuart Broad and Mark Wood each provided spells of resistance, only for Broad to play on off Williamson and Wood to find second slip when Tim Southee took the second new ball.
And when Buttler left Craig to be lbw, England's second successive defeat at Headingley was sealed with 19.1 overs remaining.
"The ball was turning, and that four-wicket burst really hurt us," conceded Cook.
"But it's been a thoroughly enjoyable Test series, the spirit from both teams has been fantastic.
"Credit to the way New Zealand played in this second innings, we had chances in both these games."
T20 Blast Fri 22nd May - Sun 14th June
Friday 22nd May 2015
A match-winning partnership between Sam Northeast and Alex Blake inspired Kent Spitfires to an unlikely win over Hampshire in the pick of tonight's T20 Blast matches.
Kent's captain and lower-order basher put on an unbeaten 108 for the sixth wicket after Hampshire had reduced them to 70-5 in their chase of 172-6, in which James Vince top scored for England's two-time T20 champions.
Northeast anchored the innings with 60 not out, but it was Blake's career-best 71 off 30 balls, including a six to win it with four balls to spare, which rescued a victory which takes the Spitfires to the top of the South Division.
There was another South-Division thriller at Taunton, where Sussex Sharks beat Somerset by five runs to join Kent on four points.
Captain Luke Wright (49) and overseas Mahela Jayawardene (36) got the Sharks off to a good start before Chris Jordan, released from the England squad to play for his county, thumped 37 off 23 balls to take Sussex to 175-6.
Jordan got some tap with the ball, going for 46 in his four overs, but crucially ran out Jim Allenby, who had led Somerset's response with a well-paced 79, to leave the home side's lower order with too much to do at the death.
Yorkshire Vikings and Durham Jets continued their 100% starts in the North Division with victories over Nottinghamshire Outlaws and Lancashire Lightning respectively.
In a clash between two of the tournament favourites, Yorkshire made the most of an Alex Hales-less Notts to restrict their hosts to 143-7, with Samit Patel (43) and Steven Mullaney (38) doing their bit in the absence of the England batsman.
Andrew Gale of Yorkshire Vikings hits the winning runs during the NatWest T20 Blast between Nottingham Outlaws and Yorkshire Vikings at Trent Bridge on May 22, 2015
Mullaney also took 2-27 with the ball, but Vikings skipper Andrew Gale batted through for 68 not out to see his side home in the 19th over with six wickets in hand.
Durham head Yorkshire on net run rate after two games of the campaign having beaten Lancashire by 16 runs at at Old Trafford.
After Mark Stoneman (57) and former England captain Paul Collingwood (30) put Durham into a strong position at 105-2, the Lightning pegged them back to 155 all out inside the 20 overs, but Ashwell Prince's 78 was a solo effort in response.
Elsewhere in the North Division, defending champions Birmingham Bears got off the mark with victory in their derby against Worcestershire Rapids, while there was also a first win for Leicestershire Foxes against local rivals Derbyshire Falcons.
Brett D'Oliveira's 2-21 kept Birmingham in check as they could only manage 144-5, in which William Porterfield and Thomas Lewis joint-top scored with 27.
However, three wickets apiece for Rikki Clarke and Recordo Gordon prevented Worcestershire from ever getting going and they fell 18 runs short.
Ireland wicket-keeper Niall O'Brien was the star for Leicestershire as he took three catches, including two in two balls off Jigar Naik, in Derby's effort of 163-6 before hitting 47 not out after brother Kevin O'Brien had earlier made 31.
Floodlight failure nearly thwarted Essex Eagles against Glamorgan, with the lights going down with the visitors needing 36 to win off five overs in their chase 144-8 at Cardiff.
After a long delay, Ravi Bopara picked up where he left off to see Essex comfortably home with a knock of 81 which included five fours and five sixes.
Sunday 24th May 2015
Gloucestershire beat Essex
Michael Klinger returned to English cricket with a bang by scoring his best ever Twenty20 score to lead Gloucestershire to a comfortable 34-run Natwest T20 Blast victory over the Essex Eagles.
The Australian hit seven fours and eight sixes on his way to a huge total of 126 not out from just 81 balls in Bristol.
The hosts lost the toss and were put into bat by Essex, but Klinger led from the front with his mighty total. Essex could have removed him earlier, but dropped the 34-year-old on three occasions.
Gloucestershire posted 199/4 from their 20 overs and Essex never threatened. They quickly fell to 10/2 early on as David Payne removed both Eagles openers in the second over.
The middle-order of Tom Westley (67), Ravi Bopara (24) and Ryan ten Doeschate (54) steadied the visitors' innings, but they were always going to come up short and in the end were bowled out 165 with eight balls remaining.
Gloucestershire are now top of the South Group on four points from three games, while Essex have won just one of their four outings.
Thursday 28th May 2015
Leicestershire v Durham
The Leicestershire Foxes eased to an eight-wicket win over the Durham Jets in Thursday's T20 Blast clash at Grace Road.
Kevin O'Brien scored 48 off 34 balls and put on Grant Elliott 34 from 23 deliveries in a partnership of 78 as the East Midlands side cruised past Durham's target of 124 for victory with 27 balls remaining.
The Ireland all-rounder was in good form with the ball as well, taking 2-20 including the key wicket of Durham top-scorer Phil Mustard for 45.
The 32-year-old was the fourth wicket to fall, but it had taken them more than 14 overs to get to that score as Leicestershire's attack kept them in check with some fine bowling.
The result is Durham's first defeat of the season as the Foxes got home with 4.3 overs to spare.
Middlesex v Kent
Eoin Morgan has struck a half-century on his return to domestic duty as Middlesex thrashed Kent Spitfires by 115 runs to claim their first win of the season in the T20 Blast.
England's one-day captain, who returned earlier this week from his stint in the Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad, hit three sixes and four boundaries in a sparkling 27-ball cameo.
His contribution, alongside a punishing 90 from 50 deliveries by opener Paul Stirling, powered Middlesex to a score of 205-5 at Lord's.
Kent were never in contention as James Franklin took 5-21, his best figures in the format, and they were bundled out for just 90 in 14.4 overs.
Friday 29th May 2015
Middlesex Panthers were dominant with the bat to record an emphatic win over Sussex Sharks to climb above their opponents in the south group standings.
Dawid Malan hit on unbeaten 115, while Paul Stirling added 88 as the duo put on an opening stand of 187, although Eoin Morgan was out for a golden duck.
Sussex battled hard to keep the run rate up to give themselves a chance of making their 222-run target, led by Luke Wright with 91, but Kyle Abbot claimed figures of 5-14 to ensure that the hosts could not match Middlesex's total.
Durham Jets survived a late surge from Yorkshire Vikings to inflict a first defeat of the season on the visitors.
Durham split the workload with the bat, with Phil Mustard, Paul Collingwood, Gordon Muchall and John Hastings all passing the 30-run mark
Yorkshire still needed 22 with just seven balls remaining after Keaton Jennings had ripped through the middle order, but Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid fell just short as they went for broke off the last over.
Birmingham Bears needed four runs off the final ball to secure a closely-fought win over Northamptonshire, leaving their opponents still looking for their first win of the season.
Richard Levi hit a half-century to get the home side off to a bright start, but Josh Cobb was the only other batsman to reach 20 for Northamptonshire.
Muhammad Azharullah gave the side a chance, taking three wickets in quick succession to limit Birmingham's reply, but Will Porterfield helped the defending champions draw the scores level in the final over.
Porterfield was on strike for the final ball, but byes from Azharullah's delivery handed the Bears the last-gasp win.
Derbyshire Falcons reached their target with 16 balls remaining to secure a victory over Lancashire Lightning.
Lancashire recovered from 28-3 as Alex Davies hit 41, while Paul Horton added a knock of 20, but the visitors could only post a total of 127.
Hashim Amla and Tillakaratne Dilshan ensured that Derbyshire started their reply well, adding 93 for the opening wicket before Amla fell for 51.
Dilshan was run out soon after for 38, but Chesney Hughes quickly secured the necessary runs to wrap up the victory.
Sam Northeast fell just short of a century to lead Kent Spitfires to a comfortable win over Surrey, hitting 96 off just 47 balls.
The captain led the home side to a score of 193 off their 20 overs before Moises Henriques and Kumar Sangakkara got Surrey off to a strong start in their reply, but neither remained at the crease long enough to complete the chase.
Worcestershire Rapids restricted Leicestershire Foxes to a low score on their way to their first win of the campaign.
Only Grant Elliott managed more than 30 for the visitors, allowing Daryl Mitchell to lead the Worcestershire run chase with 58, before Ross Whiteley hit the winning runs with almost three overs to spare.
Glamorgan fell short in their quest for a second win of the season as they were well beaten by Hampshire.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, Glamorgan restricted their opponents to 148, led by Sean Ervine with 49.
Kyle Hogg and Michael Hogan led the attack, each claiming for wickets for the home side, but the top order batsmen fell short as Glamorgan were quickly reduced to 13-3 in their reply.
Somerset picked up their first win of the season though, edging out Essex Eagles after surviving a run out appeal on the final ball of the match.
Jesse Ryder and Tom Westley both hit half-centuries as Essex were bowled out for 176, with Alfonso Thomas picking up four wickets for Somerset.
Chris Gayle led the reply for Somerset, hitting 92 off 59 deliveries, before Lewis Gregory and Max Waller scrambled for the winning run in the final over.
Results in full:
Kent Spitfires (193-8) beat Surrey (170-8) by 23 runs
Worcestershire Rapids (149-4)beat Leicestershire Foxes (147-6) by six wickets
Birmingham Bears (150-5) beat Northamptonshire (146-7) by five wickets
Hampshire (148-8) beat Glamorgan (127-8) by 21 runs
Derbyshire Falcons (128-5) beat Lancashire Lightning (127-9) by five wickets
Middlesex Panthers (221-2) beat Sussex Sharks (179-9) by 42 runs
Somerset (177-7) beat Essex Eagles (176) by three wickets
Durham Jets (182-4) beat Yorkshire Vikings (176-8) by six runs
Sunday 31st May 2015
Nottinghamshire 175/7 beat Durham 160/6 by 15 runs
Kent 227/7 beat Somerset 224/7 by 3 runs
Thursday 4th June 2015
Hampshire 172/3 beat Middlesex 153/6 by 19 runs
Friday 5th June 2015
ngland wicket-keeper Jos Buttler hit an unbeaten 71 to guide the Lancashire Lightning to a four-wicket win over Yorkshire Vikings in their Natwest T20 Blast match at Headingley.
The visitors won the toss and elected to field, but they were put on the back foot by as Australian Glenn Maxwell blasted 18 off the opening over, but he was to fall in the next over to George Edwards.
Joe Root rebuilt the innings and carved out a half-century as he smashed nine boundaries before falling for 55 off 39 deliveries to James Faulkner.
Gary Ballance returned to form as he hit three big sixes in an innings of 31, while Tom Leaning added a quick-fire 22 to propel Yorkshire to 186-6 from their 20 overs.
The Lightning's reply got off to a decent start as Ashwell Prince and Liam Livingstone were both able to find the boundary with regularity.
Maxwell pegged the visitors back as he took the scalps of Prince (32), Livingstone (29) and Ken Brown (21) to leave Lancashire in trouble in the 13th over at 89-3.
However, Buttler took over and smashed a quick-fire half-century to keep his side up with the rate, although they needed 17 off the final over to secure victory. Buttler hit 14 off the first three balls of Tim Bresnan's over before Arron Lilley hit a single off the last ball to win the game.
Durham Jets remain top of the North Group after a late surge in wickets guided them to a five-run victory over Derbyshire Falcons.
Paul Collingwood top scored with an innings of 41 off 31 balls, while Mark Stoneman 28) and Phil Mustard (20) also made decent knocks to guide the Jets to a total 147-7.
Tillakaratne Dilshan took the attack to the Durham seamers and was supported by Will Durston (21) and Chesney Hughes (21), but Scott Borthwick and Ryan Pringle dragged Durham back into the match.
The Sri Lankan fell for 54 and with his departure, Derbyshire were unable to reach their target as John Hastings and Usman Arshad wrapped up the tail to secure the victory for the visitors.
Leicestershire Foxes kept up the pressure on Durham at the top after they beat winless Nottinghamshire Outlaws by six wickets at Trent Bridge.
Alex Hales hit a half-century, which included seven boundaries, while Brendan Taylor scored an innings of 47 to help the home side post a total of 148-7 from their 20 overs.
Jake Ball made early inroads for the Outlaws to put the visitors on the back foot as Ned Eckersley, Mark Cosgrove and Ben Raine all fell cheaply.
However, Umar Akmal blasted the Nottinghamshire attack around the park with an unbeaten innings of 76 off just 49 balls to guide the Foxes to victory with seven balls to spare.
Moeen Ali scored 90 to help the Worcestershire Rapids secure a 14-run win over the Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
Ali blasted 90 runs off just 50 balls, including two sixes, while he was supported by Daryl Mitchell (43) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (30) as they posted 211-3 in their 20 overs.
Josh Cobb responded with an innings of 80 from 44 deliveries and Richard Levi scored 42, but the Steelbacks fell 15 runs short of their victory target as Saeed Ajmal claimed three vital wickets.
Gloucestershire Gladiators cruised to a nine-wicket win over the Kent Spitfires in the South Division.
The Spitfires were restricted to 156-6 in their 20 overs as Benny Howell recorded figures of 3-18 to keep the home side in check, despite an innings of 31 from Daniel Bell-Drummond.
Gloucestershire powered to victory when Michael Klinger (69*) and Ian Cockbain (54*) both notched rapid half-centuries by blasting the Kent attack around the park.
Chris Gayle smashed an unbeaten knock of 85 to guide Somerset to an eight-wicket victory over Hampshire at Taunton.
James Vince scored 64 not out with an impressive knock and Sean Ervine notched a quick-fire 30 to help their side post a total of 167-3 in their 20 overs.
However, the West Indian continued his imperious form as he blasted eight sixes in his 49-ball innings to get his side over the line, while Peter Trego also scored 51 off 31 balls.
Glamorgan Dragons edged out Middlesex by four runs to claim victory at Sophia Gardens.
Jacques Rudolph top scored for the home side with an innings of 60 from 43 deliveries, while Chris Cook (39) and Craig Meschede (33) also contributed to push their side to a total of 169-5.
Dawid Malan continued his good form with a knock of 70, but Eoin Morgan notched just 15 as his side's chase faltered. John Simpson tried to rally late on, but the home side held out for the victory.
Essex Eagles recorded a six-wicket victory over Surrey at the Oval, despite England captain Alastair Cook being dismissed for just eight.
The home side posted a 169-8 in their 20 overs thanks to a fine innings of 58 from Kumar Sangakkara from 38 balls, while Zafar Ansari blasted four sixes late on to help bolster his side's total.
Cook fell for eight to the bowling of Matt Dunn, but Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara put the visitors in control with half-centuries during a partnership of 115.
Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster edged their side over the line to claim victory with four balls to spare.
Results in full:
Lancashire Lightning (186-6) beat Yorkshire Vikings (185-8) by four wickets
Durham Jets (147-7) beat Derbyshire Falcons (142-9) by five runs
Leicestershire Foxes (152-4) beat Nottinghamshire Outlaws (148-8) by six wickets
Worcestershire Rapids (211-3) beat Northamptonshire Steelbacks (197-7) by 14 runs
Gloucestershire Gladiators (157-1) beat Kent Spitfires (156-6) by nine wickets
Somerset (173-2) beat Hampshire (167-3) by eight wickets
Glamorgan Dragons (169-5) beat Middlesex (165-5) by four runs
Essex Eagles (170-4) beat Surrey (169-8) by four wickets
Saturday 6th June 2015
Warwickshire 164/3 beat Durham 163/7 by 7 wkts
Sunday 7th June 2015
Nottinghamshire 169/5 beat Worcestershire 158 by 11 runs
Thursday 11th June 2015
Northants 167/4 beat Derbyshire 166/7 by 6 wkts
Essex 181 beat Gloucestershire 163/7 by 18 runs
Friday 12th June 2015
Essex Eagles have moved top of the Natwest T20 Blast South Group courtesy of a seven-wicket win over Sussex Sharks at Hove.
The home side had a bright start to the match as Chris Nash and Luke Wright found the boundary with regularity before both fell to leave their side 52-2.
Mahela Jayawardene showed his class at the crease as he made a half-century, but his teammates failed to support his efforts as only one other player reached double figures leaving the home side with 140 in their 20 overs.
Mark Pettini and Tom Westley played composed knocks to guide Essex to victory as they put on a partnership of 99 before Ravi Bopara and Nick Browne got their side over the line.
Saeed Ajmal took 3-16 in his four overs to help the Worcestershire Rapids defeat the Durham Jets by three runs in their clash at the Riverside.
Moeen Ali made a brisk 26 before he was dismissed by Chris Rushworth, but half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Tom Kohler-Cadmore moved the Rapids to a total of 159.
Durham skipper Mark Stoneman got his team off to a fast start but he fell for 35. An innings of 43 from Phil Mustard kept the home side up with the rate, but Ajmal put the clamps on the batsman to guide his team to victory, despite the best efforts of Gordon Muchall (41*).
Birmingham Bears put the pressure on Durham at the top of the North division as they moved level on points with the Jets following their seven-wicket win over the Nottinghamshire Outlaws via the Duckworth-Lewis method.
Riki Wessels was the only bright spot of the Outlaws' innings as he made 39 from 19 deliveries, although James Taylor (23) and Darren Sammy (23) also contributed to push their side to 149-9 from their 20 overs.
A rain delay reduced the target of victory to 98 for the Bears, and an innings of 38 from Ian Bell and an unbeaten 37 from William Porterfield was enough to earn the win.
James Vince hit an unbeaten 99 to guide the Hampshire Hawks to a six-wicket victory over the Kent Spitfires at Canterbury.
Sam Northeast shone for the home side as he blasted 54 off just 33 balls, while Alex Blake (49*) added late runs to see the Spitfires post an imposing total of 183-5.
However, Vince smashed five sixes and eight fours in his innings and was supported by Sean Ervine (37), who hit three sixes of his own, to reach the victory target with 13 balls to spare.
Glamorgan defeated Gloucestershire by 19 runs as Jacques Rudolph's unbeaten century proved to be decisive in guiding his side to victory.
The South African hit his ton off 70 deliveries and was supported by decent knocks from Craig Meschede, Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke to set the home side 192 to win.
Michael Klinger responded with a century of his own as he blasted 10 fours and three sixes to reach the milestone, but only two other players made double figures to leave the hosts 20 runs short of their target.
An unbeaten innings of 94 from Steven Croft was crucial in guiding the Lancashire Lightning to a 67-run win over the Derbyshire Falcons.
Croft hit nine boundaries and two sixes, while James Faulkner also took the attack to the Falcons with an unbeaten knock of 47 off just 30 balls as the home side posted 201-3 in their 20 overs.
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chesney Hughes blasted early runs, but both players departed without passing 50, while Stephen Parry wrapped up the innings with figures of 4-16.
The match between the Northamptonshire Steelbacks and the Leicestershire Foxes ended without a result as rain ended the game in the home side's reply at Grace Road.
Meanwhile, the match between Somerset and Surrey was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Results in full:
Glamorgan 191-3 beat Gloucestershire 172-6 by 19 runs
No result between Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Leicestershire Foxes
No result between Somerset and Surrey
Lancashire Lightning 201-3 beat Derbyshire Falcons 134 ao by 67 runs
Worcestershire Rapids 159-5 beat Durham Jets 156-7 by three runs
Hampshire Hawks 187-4 beat Kent Spitfires 183-5 by six wickets
Birmingham Bears 101-3 beat Notts Outlaws 149-9 by seven wickets by D/L method
Essex Eagles 144-3 beat Sussex Sharks 140-9 by seven wickets
Saturday 13th June 2015
Glamorgan 43/1 beat Somerset 159/5 by 2 runs on D/L method
Sunday 14th June 2015
Gloucestershire 214/4 beat Middlesex 171 by 43 runs
Sussex v Surrey no result due to injuries on field
Northants 85/2 beat Yorkshire 82/7 by 8 wkts on D/L method
A match-winning partnership between Sam Northeast and Alex Blake inspired Kent Spitfires to an unlikely win over Hampshire in the pick of tonight's T20 Blast matches.
Kent's captain and lower-order basher put on an unbeaten 108 for the sixth wicket after Hampshire had reduced them to 70-5 in their chase of 172-6, in which James Vince top scored for England's two-time T20 champions.
Northeast anchored the innings with 60 not out, but it was Blake's career-best 71 off 30 balls, including a six to win it with four balls to spare, which rescued a victory which takes the Spitfires to the top of the South Division.
There was another South-Division thriller at Taunton, where Sussex Sharks beat Somerset by five runs to join Kent on four points.
Captain Luke Wright (49) and overseas Mahela Jayawardene (36) got the Sharks off to a good start before Chris Jordan, released from the England squad to play for his county, thumped 37 off 23 balls to take Sussex to 175-6.
Jordan got some tap with the ball, going for 46 in his four overs, but crucially ran out Jim Allenby, who had led Somerset's response with a well-paced 79, to leave the home side's lower order with too much to do at the death.
Yorkshire Vikings and Durham Jets continued their 100% starts in the North Division with victories over Nottinghamshire Outlaws and Lancashire Lightning respectively.
In a clash between two of the tournament favourites, Yorkshire made the most of an Alex Hales-less Notts to restrict their hosts to 143-7, with Samit Patel (43) and Steven Mullaney (38) doing their bit in the absence of the England batsman.
Andrew Gale of Yorkshire Vikings hits the winning runs during the NatWest T20 Blast between Nottingham Outlaws and Yorkshire Vikings at Trent Bridge on May 22, 2015
Mullaney also took 2-27 with the ball, but Vikings skipper Andrew Gale batted through for 68 not out to see his side home in the 19th over with six wickets in hand.
Durham head Yorkshire on net run rate after two games of the campaign having beaten Lancashire by 16 runs at at Old Trafford.
After Mark Stoneman (57) and former England captain Paul Collingwood (30) put Durham into a strong position at 105-2, the Lightning pegged them back to 155 all out inside the 20 overs, but Ashwell Prince's 78 was a solo effort in response.
Elsewhere in the North Division, defending champions Birmingham Bears got off the mark with victory in their derby against Worcestershire Rapids, while there was also a first win for Leicestershire Foxes against local rivals Derbyshire Falcons.
Brett D'Oliveira's 2-21 kept Birmingham in check as they could only manage 144-5, in which William Porterfield and Thomas Lewis joint-top scored with 27.
However, three wickets apiece for Rikki Clarke and Recordo Gordon prevented Worcestershire from ever getting going and they fell 18 runs short.
Ireland wicket-keeper Niall O'Brien was the star for Leicestershire as he took three catches, including two in two balls off Jigar Naik, in Derby's effort of 163-6 before hitting 47 not out after brother Kevin O'Brien had earlier made 31.
Floodlight failure nearly thwarted Essex Eagles against Glamorgan, with the lights going down with the visitors needing 36 to win off five overs in their chase 144-8 at Cardiff.
After a long delay, Ravi Bopara picked up where he left off to see Essex comfortably home with a knock of 81 which included five fours and five sixes.
Sunday 24th May 2015
Gloucestershire beat Essex
Michael Klinger returned to English cricket with a bang by scoring his best ever Twenty20 score to lead Gloucestershire to a comfortable 34-run Natwest T20 Blast victory over the Essex Eagles.
The Australian hit seven fours and eight sixes on his way to a huge total of 126 not out from just 81 balls in Bristol.
The hosts lost the toss and were put into bat by Essex, but Klinger led from the front with his mighty total. Essex could have removed him earlier, but dropped the 34-year-old on three occasions.
Gloucestershire posted 199/4 from their 20 overs and Essex never threatened. They quickly fell to 10/2 early on as David Payne removed both Eagles openers in the second over.
The middle-order of Tom Westley (67), Ravi Bopara (24) and Ryan ten Doeschate (54) steadied the visitors' innings, but they were always going to come up short and in the end were bowled out 165 with eight balls remaining.
Gloucestershire are now top of the South Group on four points from three games, while Essex have won just one of their four outings.
Thursday 28th May 2015
Leicestershire v Durham
The Leicestershire Foxes eased to an eight-wicket win over the Durham Jets in Thursday's T20 Blast clash at Grace Road.
Kevin O'Brien scored 48 off 34 balls and put on Grant Elliott 34 from 23 deliveries in a partnership of 78 as the East Midlands side cruised past Durham's target of 124 for victory with 27 balls remaining.
The Ireland all-rounder was in good form with the ball as well, taking 2-20 including the key wicket of Durham top-scorer Phil Mustard for 45.
The 32-year-old was the fourth wicket to fall, but it had taken them more than 14 overs to get to that score as Leicestershire's attack kept them in check with some fine bowling.
The result is Durham's first defeat of the season as the Foxes got home with 4.3 overs to spare.
Middlesex v Kent
Eoin Morgan has struck a half-century on his return to domestic duty as Middlesex thrashed Kent Spitfires by 115 runs to claim their first win of the season in the T20 Blast.
England's one-day captain, who returned earlier this week from his stint in the Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad, hit three sixes and four boundaries in a sparkling 27-ball cameo.
His contribution, alongside a punishing 90 from 50 deliveries by opener Paul Stirling, powered Middlesex to a score of 205-5 at Lord's.
Kent were never in contention as James Franklin took 5-21, his best figures in the format, and they were bundled out for just 90 in 14.4 overs.
Friday 29th May 2015
Middlesex Panthers were dominant with the bat to record an emphatic win over Sussex Sharks to climb above their opponents in the south group standings.
Dawid Malan hit on unbeaten 115, while Paul Stirling added 88 as the duo put on an opening stand of 187, although Eoin Morgan was out for a golden duck.
Sussex battled hard to keep the run rate up to give themselves a chance of making their 222-run target, led by Luke Wright with 91, but Kyle Abbot claimed figures of 5-14 to ensure that the hosts could not match Middlesex's total.
Durham Jets survived a late surge from Yorkshire Vikings to inflict a first defeat of the season on the visitors.
Durham split the workload with the bat, with Phil Mustard, Paul Collingwood, Gordon Muchall and John Hastings all passing the 30-run mark
Yorkshire still needed 22 with just seven balls remaining after Keaton Jennings had ripped through the middle order, but Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid fell just short as they went for broke off the last over.
Birmingham Bears needed four runs off the final ball to secure a closely-fought win over Northamptonshire, leaving their opponents still looking for their first win of the season.
Richard Levi hit a half-century to get the home side off to a bright start, but Josh Cobb was the only other batsman to reach 20 for Northamptonshire.
Muhammad Azharullah gave the side a chance, taking three wickets in quick succession to limit Birmingham's reply, but Will Porterfield helped the defending champions draw the scores level in the final over.
Porterfield was on strike for the final ball, but byes from Azharullah's delivery handed the Bears the last-gasp win.
Derbyshire Falcons reached their target with 16 balls remaining to secure a victory over Lancashire Lightning.
Lancashire recovered from 28-3 as Alex Davies hit 41, while Paul Horton added a knock of 20, but the visitors could only post a total of 127.
Hashim Amla and Tillakaratne Dilshan ensured that Derbyshire started their reply well, adding 93 for the opening wicket before Amla fell for 51.
Dilshan was run out soon after for 38, but Chesney Hughes quickly secured the necessary runs to wrap up the victory.
Sam Northeast fell just short of a century to lead Kent Spitfires to a comfortable win over Surrey, hitting 96 off just 47 balls.
The captain led the home side to a score of 193 off their 20 overs before Moises Henriques and Kumar Sangakkara got Surrey off to a strong start in their reply, but neither remained at the crease long enough to complete the chase.
Worcestershire Rapids restricted Leicestershire Foxes to a low score on their way to their first win of the campaign.
Only Grant Elliott managed more than 30 for the visitors, allowing Daryl Mitchell to lead the Worcestershire run chase with 58, before Ross Whiteley hit the winning runs with almost three overs to spare.
Glamorgan fell short in their quest for a second win of the season as they were well beaten by Hampshire.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, Glamorgan restricted their opponents to 148, led by Sean Ervine with 49.
Kyle Hogg and Michael Hogan led the attack, each claiming for wickets for the home side, but the top order batsmen fell short as Glamorgan were quickly reduced to 13-3 in their reply.
Somerset picked up their first win of the season though, edging out Essex Eagles after surviving a run out appeal on the final ball of the match.
Jesse Ryder and Tom Westley both hit half-centuries as Essex were bowled out for 176, with Alfonso Thomas picking up four wickets for Somerset.
Chris Gayle led the reply for Somerset, hitting 92 off 59 deliveries, before Lewis Gregory and Max Waller scrambled for the winning run in the final over.
Results in full:
Kent Spitfires (193-8) beat Surrey (170-8) by 23 runs
Worcestershire Rapids (149-4)beat Leicestershire Foxes (147-6) by six wickets
Birmingham Bears (150-5) beat Northamptonshire (146-7) by five wickets
Hampshire (148-8) beat Glamorgan (127-8) by 21 runs
Derbyshire Falcons (128-5) beat Lancashire Lightning (127-9) by five wickets
Middlesex Panthers (221-2) beat Sussex Sharks (179-9) by 42 runs
Somerset (177-7) beat Essex Eagles (176) by three wickets
Durham Jets (182-4) beat Yorkshire Vikings (176-8) by six runs
Sunday 31st May 2015
Nottinghamshire 175/7 beat Durham 160/6 by 15 runs
Kent 227/7 beat Somerset 224/7 by 3 runs
Thursday 4th June 2015
Hampshire 172/3 beat Middlesex 153/6 by 19 runs
Friday 5th June 2015
ngland wicket-keeper Jos Buttler hit an unbeaten 71 to guide the Lancashire Lightning to a four-wicket win over Yorkshire Vikings in their Natwest T20 Blast match at Headingley.
The visitors won the toss and elected to field, but they were put on the back foot by as Australian Glenn Maxwell blasted 18 off the opening over, but he was to fall in the next over to George Edwards.
Joe Root rebuilt the innings and carved out a half-century as he smashed nine boundaries before falling for 55 off 39 deliveries to James Faulkner.
Gary Ballance returned to form as he hit three big sixes in an innings of 31, while Tom Leaning added a quick-fire 22 to propel Yorkshire to 186-6 from their 20 overs.
The Lightning's reply got off to a decent start as Ashwell Prince and Liam Livingstone were both able to find the boundary with regularity.
Maxwell pegged the visitors back as he took the scalps of Prince (32), Livingstone (29) and Ken Brown (21) to leave Lancashire in trouble in the 13th over at 89-3.
However, Buttler took over and smashed a quick-fire half-century to keep his side up with the rate, although they needed 17 off the final over to secure victory. Buttler hit 14 off the first three balls of Tim Bresnan's over before Arron Lilley hit a single off the last ball to win the game.
Durham Jets remain top of the North Group after a late surge in wickets guided them to a five-run victory over Derbyshire Falcons.
Paul Collingwood top scored with an innings of 41 off 31 balls, while Mark Stoneman 28) and Phil Mustard (20) also made decent knocks to guide the Jets to a total 147-7.
Tillakaratne Dilshan took the attack to the Durham seamers and was supported by Will Durston (21) and Chesney Hughes (21), but Scott Borthwick and Ryan Pringle dragged Durham back into the match.
The Sri Lankan fell for 54 and with his departure, Derbyshire were unable to reach their target as John Hastings and Usman Arshad wrapped up the tail to secure the victory for the visitors.
Leicestershire Foxes kept up the pressure on Durham at the top after they beat winless Nottinghamshire Outlaws by six wickets at Trent Bridge.
Alex Hales hit a half-century, which included seven boundaries, while Brendan Taylor scored an innings of 47 to help the home side post a total of 148-7 from their 20 overs.
Jake Ball made early inroads for the Outlaws to put the visitors on the back foot as Ned Eckersley, Mark Cosgrove and Ben Raine all fell cheaply.
However, Umar Akmal blasted the Nottinghamshire attack around the park with an unbeaten innings of 76 off just 49 balls to guide the Foxes to victory with seven balls to spare.
Moeen Ali scored 90 to help the Worcestershire Rapids secure a 14-run win over the Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
Ali blasted 90 runs off just 50 balls, including two sixes, while he was supported by Daryl Mitchell (43) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (30) as they posted 211-3 in their 20 overs.
Josh Cobb responded with an innings of 80 from 44 deliveries and Richard Levi scored 42, but the Steelbacks fell 15 runs short of their victory target as Saeed Ajmal claimed three vital wickets.
Gloucestershire Gladiators cruised to a nine-wicket win over the Kent Spitfires in the South Division.
The Spitfires were restricted to 156-6 in their 20 overs as Benny Howell recorded figures of 3-18 to keep the home side in check, despite an innings of 31 from Daniel Bell-Drummond.
Gloucestershire powered to victory when Michael Klinger (69*) and Ian Cockbain (54*) both notched rapid half-centuries by blasting the Kent attack around the park.
Chris Gayle smashed an unbeaten knock of 85 to guide Somerset to an eight-wicket victory over Hampshire at Taunton.
James Vince scored 64 not out with an impressive knock and Sean Ervine notched a quick-fire 30 to help their side post a total of 167-3 in their 20 overs.
However, the West Indian continued his imperious form as he blasted eight sixes in his 49-ball innings to get his side over the line, while Peter Trego also scored 51 off 31 balls.
Glamorgan Dragons edged out Middlesex by four runs to claim victory at Sophia Gardens.
Jacques Rudolph top scored for the home side with an innings of 60 from 43 deliveries, while Chris Cook (39) and Craig Meschede (33) also contributed to push their side to a total of 169-5.
Dawid Malan continued his good form with a knock of 70, but Eoin Morgan notched just 15 as his side's chase faltered. John Simpson tried to rally late on, but the home side held out for the victory.
Essex Eagles recorded a six-wicket victory over Surrey at the Oval, despite England captain Alastair Cook being dismissed for just eight.
The home side posted a 169-8 in their 20 overs thanks to a fine innings of 58 from Kumar Sangakkara from 38 balls, while Zafar Ansari blasted four sixes late on to help bolster his side's total.
Cook fell for eight to the bowling of Matt Dunn, but Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara put the visitors in control with half-centuries during a partnership of 115.
Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster edged their side over the line to claim victory with four balls to spare.
Results in full:
Lancashire Lightning (186-6) beat Yorkshire Vikings (185-8) by four wickets
Durham Jets (147-7) beat Derbyshire Falcons (142-9) by five runs
Leicestershire Foxes (152-4) beat Nottinghamshire Outlaws (148-8) by six wickets
Worcestershire Rapids (211-3) beat Northamptonshire Steelbacks (197-7) by 14 runs
Gloucestershire Gladiators (157-1) beat Kent Spitfires (156-6) by nine wickets
Somerset (173-2) beat Hampshire (167-3) by eight wickets
Glamorgan Dragons (169-5) beat Middlesex (165-5) by four runs
Essex Eagles (170-4) beat Surrey (169-8) by four wickets
Saturday 6th June 2015
Warwickshire 164/3 beat Durham 163/7 by 7 wkts
Sunday 7th June 2015
Nottinghamshire 169/5 beat Worcestershire 158 by 11 runs
Thursday 11th June 2015
Northants 167/4 beat Derbyshire 166/7 by 6 wkts
Essex 181 beat Gloucestershire 163/7 by 18 runs
Friday 12th June 2015
Essex Eagles have moved top of the Natwest T20 Blast South Group courtesy of a seven-wicket win over Sussex Sharks at Hove.
The home side had a bright start to the match as Chris Nash and Luke Wright found the boundary with regularity before both fell to leave their side 52-2.
Mahela Jayawardene showed his class at the crease as he made a half-century, but his teammates failed to support his efforts as only one other player reached double figures leaving the home side with 140 in their 20 overs.
Mark Pettini and Tom Westley played composed knocks to guide Essex to victory as they put on a partnership of 99 before Ravi Bopara and Nick Browne got their side over the line.
Saeed Ajmal took 3-16 in his four overs to help the Worcestershire Rapids defeat the Durham Jets by three runs in their clash at the Riverside.
Moeen Ali made a brisk 26 before he was dismissed by Chris Rushworth, but half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Tom Kohler-Cadmore moved the Rapids to a total of 159.
Durham skipper Mark Stoneman got his team off to a fast start but he fell for 35. An innings of 43 from Phil Mustard kept the home side up with the rate, but Ajmal put the clamps on the batsman to guide his team to victory, despite the best efforts of Gordon Muchall (41*).
Birmingham Bears put the pressure on Durham at the top of the North division as they moved level on points with the Jets following their seven-wicket win over the Nottinghamshire Outlaws via the Duckworth-Lewis method.
Riki Wessels was the only bright spot of the Outlaws' innings as he made 39 from 19 deliveries, although James Taylor (23) and Darren Sammy (23) also contributed to push their side to 149-9 from their 20 overs.
A rain delay reduced the target of victory to 98 for the Bears, and an innings of 38 from Ian Bell and an unbeaten 37 from William Porterfield was enough to earn the win.
James Vince hit an unbeaten 99 to guide the Hampshire Hawks to a six-wicket victory over the Kent Spitfires at Canterbury.
Sam Northeast shone for the home side as he blasted 54 off just 33 balls, while Alex Blake (49*) added late runs to see the Spitfires post an imposing total of 183-5.
However, Vince smashed five sixes and eight fours in his innings and was supported by Sean Ervine (37), who hit three sixes of his own, to reach the victory target with 13 balls to spare.
Glamorgan defeated Gloucestershire by 19 runs as Jacques Rudolph's unbeaten century proved to be decisive in guiding his side to victory.
The South African hit his ton off 70 deliveries and was supported by decent knocks from Craig Meschede, Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke to set the home side 192 to win.
Michael Klinger responded with a century of his own as he blasted 10 fours and three sixes to reach the milestone, but only two other players made double figures to leave the hosts 20 runs short of their target.
An unbeaten innings of 94 from Steven Croft was crucial in guiding the Lancashire Lightning to a 67-run win over the Derbyshire Falcons.
Croft hit nine boundaries and two sixes, while James Faulkner also took the attack to the Falcons with an unbeaten knock of 47 off just 30 balls as the home side posted 201-3 in their 20 overs.
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chesney Hughes blasted early runs, but both players departed without passing 50, while Stephen Parry wrapped up the innings with figures of 4-16.
The match between the Northamptonshire Steelbacks and the Leicestershire Foxes ended without a result as rain ended the game in the home side's reply at Grace Road.
Meanwhile, the match between Somerset and Surrey was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Results in full:
Glamorgan 191-3 beat Gloucestershire 172-6 by 19 runs
No result between Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Leicestershire Foxes
No result between Somerset and Surrey
Lancashire Lightning 201-3 beat Derbyshire Falcons 134 ao by 67 runs
Worcestershire Rapids 159-5 beat Durham Jets 156-7 by three runs
Hampshire Hawks 187-4 beat Kent Spitfires 183-5 by six wickets
Birmingham Bears 101-3 beat Notts Outlaws 149-9 by seven wickets by D/L method
Essex Eagles 144-3 beat Sussex Sharks 140-9 by seven wickets
Saturday 13th June 2015
Glamorgan 43/1 beat Somerset 159/5 by 2 runs on D/L method
Sunday 14th June 2015
Gloucestershire 214/4 beat Middlesex 171 by 43 runs
Sussex v Surrey no result due to injuries on field
Northants 85/2 beat Yorkshire 82/7 by 8 wkts on D/L method
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