Jos Buttler blitz helps Lancashire chase down 199

NORTH GROUP

Worcestershire vs Lancashire

A blistering 22-ball 57 by Jos Buttler and Karl Brown's unbeaten 62 off 40 helped Lancashire chase down a target of 199 comfortably against Worcestershire at the County Ground in New Road, Worcester. The visitors won by seven wickets with 11 deliveries to spare to move up to the fifth spot on the North Group table.

Asked to bat first, Worcestershire got off to a positive start before losing Joe Leach for 14. Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Joe Clarke and Brett D'Oliveira came up with brisk knocks, but quick wickets in the middle overs reduced the hosts to 99 for 5 at one stage. Ben Cox and Whiteley though ensured that there wasn't a collapse as they added 77 runs for the sixth wicket. Their quick-fire stand, which lasted for 5.3 overs, provided the platform for the home team's imposing total, despite the fact that they lost three wickets in the final over to be bowled out.

In reply, Lancashire made a strong start to the chase thanks to Buttler and Alviro Petersen. Buttler, who blasted four sixes and seven fours during his knock, scored at a strike rate in excess of 250 to power Lancashire to 96 in the sixth over, before he was bowled by Kyle Abbott. Petersen followed after a short while, departing for 34 off 20, while Liam Livingstone (7) did not have a productive outing. However, Brown and Steven Croft (23 not out) ensured that Buttler's efforts did not go in vain as they put on an unbeaten 68-run stand for the fourth wicket to help Lancashire go past the line in the penultimate over.

Brief scores: Worcestershire 198 in 19.4 overs (Ben Cox 44, Ross Whiteley 38, Brett D'Oliveira 30; Luis Reece 2-29, George Edwards 2-37) lost to Lancashire 200/3 in 18.1 overs (Karl Brown 62*, Jos Buttler 57, Alviro Petersen 34; Daryl Mitchell 1-21) by 7 wickets.

Leicestershire vs Derbyshire

An unbeaten 71 by Mark Pettini, a quick-fire 52 by Mark Cosgrove and a brisk knock of 38 not out by Cameron Delport helped Leicestershire to a comfortable nine-wicket win against Derbyshire at the County Ground in Grace Road, Leicester.

Put into bat, Derbyshire lost Wes Durson and Hamish Rutherford early, with Ben Raine dismissing both the openers. While Neil Broom was trying to hold the innings together, he saw Chesney Hughes also departing cheaply, becoming Raine's third scalp. Broom and Wayne Madsen then put on a watchful 54-run stand before both fell in successive overs. While wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, James Neesham hit a 23-ball 45 to propel Derbyshire to a total of 158 even as Clint McKay finished with a three-wicket haul.

Leicestershire hardly faced any problems in the chase as openers Pettini and Cosgrove sent the Derbyshire bowlers on a leather hunt en route to a partnership worth 106 runs. However, the stand came to an end in the 10th over, when Cosgrove, who had managed two sixes off Durson, was out caught and bowled. It was only a momentary respite for Derbyshire as Delport came out all guns blazing and put on an unbeaten 58-run stand with Pettini to help the hosts reach the target in the 16th over.

Brief scores: Derbyshire 158 in 19.5 overs (Neil Broom 59, James Neesham 45; Clint McKay 3-20, Ben Raine 3-43) lost to Leicestershire 164/1 in 15.5 overs (Mark Pettini 71*, Mark Cosgrove 52, Cameron Delport 38*; Wes Durston 1-22) by 9 wickets.

Northamptonshire vs Nottinghamshire

Imran Tahir, Steven Mullaney and Samit Patel starred with the ball while Daniel Christian scored a half-century as Nottinghamshire registered a six-wicket win against North Group table-toppers Northamptonshire to move up to the third spot.

Asked to bat first, Northamptonshire got off to a positive start thanks to Richard Levi and Adam Rossington, who put on a brisk fifty-run stand. However, the hosts lost wickets at regular intervals after that. Only Ben Duckett managed a double-figure score apart from the openers while the rest were all in single digits as Patel, Tahir and Mullaney shared eight wickets between them to bowl Northamptonshire out for 122.

The chase did not begin on a bright note for the visitors as they lost Riki Wessels and Greg Smith early. However, Michael Lumb and Christian added 79 runs for the third wicket to take Nottinghamshire closer to the target. Although both fell in quick succession, after the visitors crossed the 100-run mark, Patel, with his unbeaten 17, ensured that there were no more hiccups as Nottinghamshire won with three overs to spare.

Brief scores: Northamptonshire 122 in 18.2 overs (Richard Levi 35, Ben Duckett 29; Steven Mullaney 3-12, Imran Tahir 3-13, Samit Patel 2-27) lost to Nottinghamshire 123/4 in 17 overs (Daniel Christian 56, Michael Lumb 38; Richard Gleeson 2-13) by 6 wickets.

Yorkshire vs Warwickshire

Warwickshire lost five wickets in the last two overs of their chase of 157 as Yorkshire managed to eke out a narrow two-run win in the North Group match at Headingley, Leeds.

Opting to bat, Yorkshire did not have the best of starts as they lost early wickets and were reduced to 53 for 3 in the eighth over. However, Kane Williamson and Gary Ballance added 78 runs for the fourth wicket, setting the platform for Yorkshire to reach a competitive total of 156 for 6. The result did not affect the team's positions on the points table as Warwickshire held on to their second spot while Yorkshire remained at No. 8.

In reply, Warwickshire lost Sam Hain early, but they managed to get back on track through a 51-run stand between Ian Bell and William Porterfield. While Bell and Matthew Wade departed in quick succession, Laurie Evans and Porterfield kept them in the hunt by adding 60 runs for the fourth wicket. Although Evans was dismissed for 37, in the 16th over, the presence of Porterfield would have given Warwickshire a lot ofassurance. However, with 16 required off the last 13 deliveries, Warwickshire suffered an implosion, losing six wickets, including three run-outs, to end up three short of the target.

Brief scores: Yorkshire 156/6 in 20 overs (Kane Williamson 48, Gary Ballance 33; Oliver Hannon-Dalby 2-33) beat Warwickshire 154 in 20 overs (William Porterfield 48, Laurie Evans 37; David Willey 2-28, Adil Rashid 2-30, Tim Bresnan 2-31) by 2 runs.

SOUTH GROUP

Middlesex vs Glamorgan

An all-round bowling performance and a century stand by the openers helped Glamorgan thrash Middlesex by nine wickets in the South Group clash at Old Deer Park in Richmond.

Opting to bowl first, Glamorgan removed the openers Dawid Malan and Paul Stirling quite cheaply early on to put pressure on the hosts. Eoin Morgan then saw George Bailey, John Simpson and James Franklin quickly departing at the other end as Middlesex crumbled to 39 for 5. Ryan Higgins and Morgan then rescued their innings with a 69-run stand as both went past their half-centuries. In the end, Middlesex managed to post 144 on the board.

David Lloyd and Mark Wallace were off to a blistering start in the run chase as the duo put on 125 for the first wicket. Nathan Sowter broke the stand by managing to dismiss Lloyd for 49. Wallace remained unbeaten on 69 until the end as Colin Ingram hit three consecutive sixes to finish the game.

Brief scores: Middlesex 144/8 in 20 overs (Eoin Morgan 58, Ryan Higgins 57, Tim van der Gugten 2-13) lost to Glamorgan 145/1 in 16.3 overs (Mark Wallace 69*, David Lloyd 49, Nathan Sowter 1-22) by 9 wickets.

Gloucestershire vs Kent

Gloucestershire and Kent played out a thriller in Bristol as the visitors managed to win by three runs in the end.

The home side asked Kent to bat first after winning the toss and made a superb comeback in the second half of the innings to restrict them to 148 for 7. At one stage, they were well placed at 94 for 1 in the 12th over. Joe Deny top-scored with a 35-ball 51 whereas Benny Howell picked up three wickets for the hosts.

In reply, Hamish Marshall and Ian Cockbain's early departures jolted Gloucestershire but skipper Michael Klinger and Chris Dent helped them recover. But losing four wickets in the last five overs of the run chase made it difficult for the home side as Howell was the only batsman to put up some fight with a 23-ball 37. His dismissal in the final over gave Kent a 3-run win.

Brief scores: Kent 148/7 in 20 overs (Joe Denly 51, Benny Howell 3-29) beat Gloucestershire 145/8 in 20 overs (Michael Klinger 42, Benny Howell 37, David Griffiths2-22) by 3 runs.

Hampshire vs Essex

The clash at the Rose Bowl in Southampton had a thrilling finish to it as Essex managed to hold their nerve and win by three runs against Hampshire.

Opting to bat first, Essex were off to a flier, thanks to New Zealand opener Jesse Ryder. The 31-year-old hit 22 and put on 46 for the second wicket with Tom Westley, who hit a brisk 18-ball 33. Spinners Liam Dawson and Shahid Afridi put the brakes on the scoring rate in the middle overs as Essex managed to put 153 on the board. Ashar Zaidi top-scored with 47.

Michael Carberry and James Vince helped Hampshire get off to a decent start in the run chase with a 46-run opening stand. But Carberry's dismissal triggered a mini collapse as the hosts were suddenly down to 68 for 3 in 9 overs. While the runs kept coming from one end, Hampshire also kept losing wickets at the other. Vince was the sixth batsman to be dismissed with his side still needing 31 more runs from 22 balls. With just 8 needed off the final over, Bopara delivered under pressure and conceded only 4 runs. Zaidi starred with the ball as well by picking up two wickets.

Brief scores: Essex 153/6 in 20 overs (Ashar Zaidi 47, Tom Westley 33, Liam Dawson 2-19) beat Hampshire 150/7 in 20 overs (James Vince 62, Ashar Zaidi 2-16, Matthew Quinn 2-36) by 3 runs.

Surrey vs Somerset

Opener Aaron Finch and seamer Jade Dernbach starred in Surrey's comfortable 15-run win over Somerset at the Kennington Oval in London.

Having lost the toss, Finch helped his team to get off to a flier as he stroked a 26-ball 51 consisting of five fours and three sixes. Dominic Sibley's 21-ball 20 was surprisingly the next highest score as the rest failed to capitalise on Finch's blitz. Josh Davey had picked up three wickets conceding just 20 runs for the visitors.

Dernbach managed to dismiss Johann Myburg quite early in the chase but Sri Lankan veteran Mahela Jayawardene showed a touch of class by hitting six fours and one six in his 23-ball 36. From 53 for 1, Somerset suddenly found themselves reeling at 93 for 5 in pursuit of 155. They never managed to recover from that situation to eventually fall 15 runs short. Dernbach picked up three wickets and effected a crucial run-out.

Brief scores: Surrey 154/8 in 20 overs (Aaron Finch 51, Josh Davey 3-20) beat Somerset 139/6 in 20 overs (Mahela Jayawardene 36, Lewis Gregory 31, Jade Dernbach 3-32) by 15 runs.