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
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