Yorks beat Foxes, Somerset stun Northants - T20 Blast round-up

T20 Blast: Yorks beat Foxes, Somerset stun Northants

Veteran opener Adam Lyth struck an undefeated 131 from 63 balls – the highest score of this year's Vitality Blast – as Yorkshire closed in on a quarter-final place with a 41-run win over Leicestershire Foxes at Headingley.

Lyth's innings, the second T20 hundred of his career, keeps the Tykes on course to qualify from the North Group although they remain second behind Notts Outlaws, who squeezed past Durham by two runs for a sixth straight victory.

Northamptonshire Steelbacks' 100% record finally came to an end in comprehensive fashion as they fell to a 105-run defeat at home to holders Somerset, although they stay eight points clear at the top of the Central & West Group.

Second-placed Gloucestershire lost to Warwickshire Bears by 30 runs, while Worcestershire Rapids strengthened their quarter-final prospects, leapfrogging Glamorgan in the table after a 15-run win in a low-scoring affair at Cardiff.

Hampshire Hawks' England paceman Sonny Baker captured four wickets to maintain their momentum at the top of the South Group, holding off Kent Spitfires by 19 runs.

In the same group, Middlesex all-rounder Luke Hollman starred with bat and ball to end his side's run of five successive losses as they defeated Essex by four wickets at Chelmsford.

North Group: Tye and Hassan send Foxes packing

Lyth and Jonny Bairstow gave Yorkshire a strong base against Leicestershire Foxes, sharing an opening stand of 91 before England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed (3-33) slowed the Tykes' progress by pinning Bairstow leg before.

But Lyth's wicket proved elusive and the opener posted a 55-ball hundred with a straight six off Ben Green before plundering 24 from Josh Hull's final over to lift his side to 207-4.

Rishi Patel (34 from 14 balls) gave the Foxes' chase a blistering start, but they shed four wickets for just nine runs – three of them to AJ Tye (4-15) and, despite Ben Cox's valiant 47 from 34, came up short at 166-9 as Hassan Ali (4-25) wrapped up the contest.

Notts Outlaws looked well-placed at 88-1 against Durham at Chester-le-Street, with skipper Joe Clarke (56 from 35) posting his first half-century of the tournament, but they lost momentum after spinner Callum Parkinson (2-34) removed Tom Moores and Clarke in the same over.

Matthew Potts (3-32) finished off the innings in style, with two wickets sandwiching the run-out of Liam Patterson-White as the Outlaws stumbled to 166-8 – and Durham looked clear favourites when Graham Clark and Alex Lees put on 64 for the first wicket.

But spin duo Patterson-White, whose two overs brought him 2-7 and George Linde (2-19) dragged Notts back into it and, with 12 needed from the final over, David Bedingham and Kasey Aldridge could only manage nine.

Central & West Group: Somerset spinners shock Steelbacks

Northamptonshire Steelbacks found themselves on the back foot as Somerset openers Thomas Rew, whose 57 from 30 was his maiden T20 half-century, and Will Smeed racked up a quickfire partnership of 104 before Daniel Sams, with an unbeaten 48 from just 16, propelled the visitors to a commanding 223-4.

The Steelbacks were in contention at 65-1, but Lewis Goldsworthy (3-32) wrecked their hopes with three wickets in an over and fellow left-armer Josh Thomas then took centre stage with a career-best 4-6 in three overs as Somerset rolled their hosts for 118.

Gareth Roderick top-scored with 71 from 43 in Worcestershire Rapids' total of 161-9 at Cardiff, with Glamorgan appearing well-placed after a strong effort by spinners Ben Kellaway (3-24) and Mason Crane (2-24).

However, the Rapids' spin contingent responded well as Usama Mir (2-17) and Fateh Singh (3-17) kept up the pressure on Glamorgan, with Beyers Swanepoel taking 3-36 and, despite Kellaway's 43 from 26, the home side were bowled out for 146.

Warwickshire Bears all-rounder Beau Webster maintained his status as the Blast's leading run-scorer with 78 from 44 against former side Gloucestershire to set up his side's 30-run victory at Edgbaston.

Webster was backed up by Dan Mousley, whose unbeaten 72 included six sixes as the Bears posted 203-5 before restricting Gloucestershire to 173-6, with spinner Usman Tariq taking 3-12.

South Group: Hawks hold off Kent, Middlesex seal rare win

Hampshire Hawks captain James Vince (63 from 40) shared a century partnership with Joe Weatherley, whose unbeaten 61 was backed up by a brisk 41 from Tristan Stubbs as last year's Blast runners-up totalled 190-3 at home to Kent Spitfires.

The Spitfires blazed away at the start of their reply, with the returning Tawanda Muyeye hitting 50 from 30 and Zak Crawley bludgeoning three sixes in his 33 from 17 to shave off 82 from the target in just 7.1 overs.

But the Hampshire seamers hit back and Scott Currie (3-30) tilted the contest back in their favour before Baker (4-25) finished Kent off for 171 with two wickets in successive balls in the final over.

Middlesex reduced Essex to a perilous 69-8 at Chelmsford, with Naavya Sharma dismissing both openers before leg-spinner Hollman took 4-21 – but Simon Harmer's maiden T20 half-century led a recovery by the tail.

Harmer, who hit 56 not out from 28 balls, shared a stand of 73 with Mackenzie Jones (19 not out) to lift Essex to 142-8 – and then heaped pressure on the visitors with 2-15 to leave them wobbling at 74-5.

Leus du Plooy (38) and Joe Cracknell (35) steadied Middlesex and Hollman's unbeaten 32 from 27 balls hauled them over the line with six balls to spare, lifting his side off the foot of the table.

Next fixtures

Monday 6 July: North Group

Lancashire Lightning v Derbyshire Falcons (18:30)

Wednesday 8 July: North Group

Leicestershire Foxes v Durham (18:30)

Central & West Group

Glamorgan v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (18:30)

South Group

Surrey v Sussex Sharks (18:30)

Hampshire Hawks v Middlesex (19:00)

Inter-group fixture

Derbyshire Falcons v Somerset (18:30)

Related topics

Cricket

County Cricket

Durham

Essex

Glamorgan

Gloucestershire

Hampshire

Kent

Leicestershire

Middlesex

Northamptonshire

Nottinghamshire

Somerset

Warwickshire

Worcestershire

Yorkshire