T20 Blast holders Glos out as Lancs & Northants go through

Defending T20 Blast champions Gloucestershire exited this year’s competition with a last-ball defeat by Sussex on a night when Lancashire and Northamptonshire reached the quarter-finals.

Hampshire missed the chance to secure their place in the last eight as they were beaten by a Jordan Cox inspired Essex at Chelmsford.

Cox smashed 139 not out off 60 balls, although Hampshire’s vastly superior net run-rate means they would need some extraordinary results on Friday not to qualify.

In the North Group, leaders Lancashire gained revenge over Yorkshire with a 21-run Roses win to guarantee a home quarter-final.

Northamptonshire saw their qualification confirmed without playing thanks to Worcestershire’s 45-run win over Nottinghamshire which also keeps the Rapids in the hunt.

Only a win over Sussex would give Gloucestershire a chance of continuing the defence of their title David Payne could not defend 15 runs off the final over as Danny Lamb hit three fours to take the Sharks to victory.

D’Arcy Short’s 66 from 45 balls powered the home sides innings, with Cameron Bancroft (45) and Ben Charlesworth (44) offering useful support as they made 185-5 on the small College Ground at Cheltenham.

Sussex’s reply got off to a rapid start before the loss of three wickets for 28 runs reduced them to 57-3 in the ninth over.

James Coles (62) and Tom Alsop (55) then looked to be guiding the Sharks to a comfortable victory but when Coles perished to a catch in the deep to end a 106-run partnership and Alsop was out soon after, the scales seemed to swing in the champions’ favour.

John Simpson was run out from the first ball of the final over but Payne then sent down a wide and a waist-high full toss which went for four before Short turned from hero to villain when dropping a simple chance offered by Lamb at long-off.

Lamb promptly smacked the final two balls for four to secure a four-wicket win and move Sussex up to fourth place to put them in pole position to sneak into the last eight.

“It just came down to a couple of key mistakes that probably made the difference in the end,” said Gloucestershire head coach Mark Alleyne.

“First of all, the umpire’s interpretation of a wide against David Payne in that final over is absolutely wrong.

“D’Arcy Short then missed that catch and we conceded two runs. It should have been a dot ball and it should have been our game.”

Hampshire must have fancied their chances of joining Surrey and Somerset in qualifying from the South Group as they piled up 220-6 against Essex but Cox had other plans as the Eagles produced a bright moment in what has otherwise been a miserable campaign.

Toby Albert’s 84 from 55 balls was the mainstay of the visitors’ mammoth total while Tom Prest (41) and Hilton Cartwright (56) also found the home bowling very much to their liking.

Essex skipper Simon Harmer used eight bowlers in an attempt to find a way of stemming the Hampshire run-fest with Scottish international Mackenzie Jones picking up 2-46 on his Blast debut.

With nine defeats from their 12 games, chasing 221 for victory seemed unlikely for the Eagles but Cox’s maiden Blast century took the game away as they got home with four balls to spare.

Cox hammered 11 fours and 11 sixes in his unbeaten 139 which is the highest score in this year’s competition.

Jos Buttler and James Anderson starred as Lancashire gained revenge over Yorkshire at Headingley and booked a home quarter-final in the process.

Having lost to the White Rose by 19 runs at Old Trafford last Friday, Lancashire turned the tables with Anderson and Buttler impressing.

Buttler’s 93rd T20 half-century set up the Lightning’s 174 all out as he hit 77 from 46 balls but only found real support from England team-mate Phil Salt (42) as Jordan Thompson, Jafer Chohan and Matt Milnes took two wickets each.

Abdullah Shafique (54) threatened to lead Yorkshire to a consolation victory in what has been a disappointing campaign but when he became Anderson’s third victim in his 3-25 the visitors eased themselves over the line.

“I thought we were 10 or 15 runs short but credit to the bowlers and we found a way at the end,” said Buttler.

“To get a home quarter-final is a big thing for the team.”

Worcestershire went into their game with Nottinghamshire knowing only a win would be enough to keep alive their slim hopes of claiming a quarter-final spot and the result was never in doubt as Ethan Brookes starred with both bat and ball.

Brett D’Oliveira (46), Kashif Ali (34) and Adam Hose (33) never allowed the Outlaws bowlers to settle but a devastating innings of 57 from only 20 balls by Brookes with five fours and five sixes took Worcestershire to 206-7.

Pakistan seamer Khurram Shahzad (2-18) removed Freddie McCann and Notts skipper Joe Clarke early in the reply while Tom Taylor accounted for Jack Haynes as they were reduced to 36-3 and never recovered.

Brookes followed up his heroics with the willow with a three-wicket burst to finish with 3-30 and Ben Allison picked up 3-37.

Matthew Montgomery (47) and Tom Moores (57) offered some resistance but the loss of those early wickets left Nottinghamshire no room for manoeuvre and ends their qualification hopes.

Worcestershire are up to fifth place in the group and will spend Friday watching on hoping for some help from elsewhere to creep into the quarter-finals.

North Group

Derbyshire Falcons v Bears (18:30)

Durham v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (18:30)

Leicestershire Foxes v Yorkshire (18:30)

Nottinghamshire Outlaws v Lancashire Lightning (18:30)

South Group

Glamorgan v Middlesex (18:30)

Kent Spitfires v Essex (18:30)

Somerset v Gloucestershire (18;30)

Sussex Sharks v Surrey (18:30)