The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action from the latest round of matches in the 2024 Vitality Blast
Northampton: Durham 140, Northamptonshire 141-5 - Northamptonshire won by five wickets
Lewis McManus and Ashton Agar held their nerve to take Northamptonshire Steelbacks to victory in the last over of this Vitality T20 Blast thriller at Wantage Road.
Northamptonshire needed 10 runs an over in the last five after falling behind the rate chasing 141 to win, but McManus showed just how much his batting has improved this season, hitting 25 off 16 balls. The hosts went into the last over needing eight to win, but a huge six from Agar, playing his first game for the Steelbacks, took his side to the brink of victory.
Earlier Ben Sanderson returned career-best T20 bowling figures of 4 for 15, including two in just three balls as Durham slumped to four for three in the opening three overs, the top three batters all falling without scoring.
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Trent Bridge: Birmingham Bears 61-1, Notts Outlaws 57 - Birmingham won by nine wickets
North Group leaders Birmingham Bears stamped their authority on this season's Vitality Blast as they thrashed Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge, winning by nine wickets after bowling the home side out for just 57.
The home side's total is comfortably their lowest in the competition's history - the next lowest being 91 - and the fourth lowest among all the counties since Twenty20 cricket entered the domestic calendar in 2003.
The Bears' batters needed only 32 balls to finish the job, Rob Yates top-scoring with four fours and two sixes in a 20-ball unbeaten 35, cracking the winning boundary through the off side as the contest ended in just 100 minutes.
It gave the Bears a sixth consecutive win and an eighth overall as they seek to win the competition for the first time since 2014.
Old Trafford: Worcestershire 181-4, Lancashire 182-8 - Lancashire won by two wickets
Luke Wood hit the fifth ball of the last over for six to ensure that Lancashire Lightning defeated Worcestershire Rapids by two wickets in their tense Vitality Blast T20 match at Emirates Old Trafford.
Wood's blow over square-leg off Tom Taylor ensured the home side strengthened their hopes of a home quarter-final and enabled Lancashire to chase down the 182 runs they needed to prevent Rapids achieving their first T20 double over Lancashire.
However, defeat was hard on Josh Cobb. who made 74 in Worcestershire’s 181 for four, and also on Matthew Waite, who took three for 19 in Lancashire's innings. But Tom Bruce’s first T20 half-century for Lancashire – the New Zealander finished on 50 not out – kept his side in the hunt even as wickets were falling.
Essex's Adam Rossington appeals for an lbw (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 131-3, Yorkshire 130-9 - Derbyshire won by seven wickets
Alex Thomson took three wickets in an over to put Derbyshire Falcons on course for a crushing seven wicket Vitality Blast victory over Yorkshire Vikings in front of a 5,200 sell-out crowd at Chesterfield.
Vikings collapsed to 21 for 5 on a ground where they have now lost their last seven T20 games and although Donovan Ferreira made 44 off 32 balls, they could only manage 130 for nine.
On a two paced pitch, Thomson's off-spin claimed 3 for 26 and Pakistan pace ace Mohammad Amir took 2 for 23 while skipper Samit Pate conceded only 15 from his four overs.
Falcons made short work of chasing down the target with skipper David Lloyd scoring 50 off 32 balls and Wayne Madsen a composed unbeaten 30 to take the home side to 131 for 3 in 15 overs.
Taunton: Gloucestershire 196-5, Somerset 194-6 - Gloucestershire win by 5 wickets
Ben Charlesworth hit the penultimate ball of the match for six to give Gloucestershire a thrilling five-wicket Vitality Blast South Group victory over arch-rivals Somerset at Taunton.
The visitors chased down a target of 195, including 13 off the final over bowled by Ben Green, Charlesworth hitting an unbeaten 24 off 13 balls at the death. Miles Hammond contributed 42 and Beau Webster 39.
The home side had posted 194 for 6, 32 of them coming off a last over that saw Josh Shaw removed from the attack for two full-toss no-balls above waist height.
Tom Banton hit 6 fours and 4 sixes in his 77 and shared a sixth-wicket stand of 88 in 6.4 overs with Green, who blasted 47 off just 25 deliveries.
Gloucestershire's pair celebrate their win over Somerset (Harry Trump/Stringer via Getty Images)
Cardiff: Glamorgan 182-8, Essex 156 - Glamorgan won by 26 runs
Glamorgan made it back-to-back wins in the Vitality Blast with a 26-run victory over Essex in Cardiff.
Middle order runs and a brilliant bowling display helped them close out their fourth win of the tournament.
Having been put in to bat, Glamorgan scored 182 for eight with Colin Ingram top scoring with 47. He was well supported by Marnus Labuschagne and Chris Cooke to set Essex a stiff target.
An excellent stand between Adam Rossington and Paul Walter looked to be taking Essex to victory before Labuschagne and Mason Crane choked the life out of the chase to give Glamorgan the win.
Kia Oval: Surrey 103-5, Kent 81-3 - Surrey won by 5 runs (DLS Method)
South Group leaders Surrey held their nerve in a tense finish to beat Kent Spitfires by five runs in a rain-shortened Vitality Blast contest at the Kia Oval.
Surrey, put in and with an unfamiliar batting line-up, did well to reach 103 for five from 10 overs after play finally got under way two hours and 25 minutes late.
And then more rain, arriving just as Kent were about to start their reply, left them needing 87 from eight overs under the Duckworth/Lewis calculations.
Despite late hitting from Feroze Khushi, who made 35, and Sam Billings, who swept Reece Topley for six in a seventh over costing 20 and in which Khushi also bludgeoned a six over long on, Kent could only finish on 81 for 3.
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