Chris Benjamin's impressive half-century ignited a Birmingham Bears fightback as they clinched a five-wicket Vitality Blast victory over Durham at Edgbaston on Sunday.
Chasing the visitors' 158-9, the Bears were wobbling at 36-4 before Benjamin seized control with 68 not out, from 36 balls with six fours and four sixes, in a stand of 85 in 42 balls with Adam Hose (29).
Durham chose to bat but 158 looked below par on a good batting pitch. Only Paul Coughlin (40 from 33 balls) and Michael Jones (21) passed 20 while Henry Brookes took 3-38, Danny Briggs two for 23 and Craig Miles two for 29.
Brydon Carse then struck twice early on to put the Bears under pressure before Benjamin decided the game with a display of power hitting which peaked with an assault of 37 from nine successive balls as the Bears reached 162-5 from 16.5 overs.
Having been reduced to 36-4 in reply, the Bears got over the line behind Benjamin's 22-ball half-century and an unbeaten 23 from skipper Carlos Brathwaite at number seven to finish things off.
Sunday's Vitality Blast scorecards
- Scorecard: Lancashire Lightning vs Worcestershire Rapids
- Scorecard: Birmingham Bears vs Durham
- Scorecard: Middlesex vs Glamorgan
- Scorecard: Sussex Sharks vs Kent Spitfires
- Scorecard: Yorkshire Vikings vs Leicestershire Foxes
- Scorecard: Somerset vs Essex Eagles
Alsop stars in Sussex victory over Kent
Reigning Vitality Blast champions Kent fell to their third straight defeat as Tom Alsop's unbeaten 65 from 30 balls in his first T20 innings led Sussex to their first victory of the campaign at the County Ground on Sunday.
Alsop, on loan from Hampshire, hauled the Sharks up to 171-5 and the home side then ran out winners by four runs as the Spitfires reached 167 for seven in reply.
Kent's margin of defeat was only as small as it was because George Linde took 22 runs from the final over, bowled by George Garton, including a last-ball six over long on, to end on a remarkable unbeaten 13-ball 38.
Ravi Bopara picked up 2-23 from his four overs, though it was Alsop's earlier surge with the bat that proved decisive as he fired three sixes and six fours after entering at number five.
Qais Ahmad was Kent's best bowler with 2-23 with his leg-spin, claiming the wicket of Luke Wright for 43.
Kent's reply was dealt an immediate blow when Daniel Bell-Drummond fell for a first-ball duck to Delray Rawlins, before Zak Crawley went for two after clipping to wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Sam Billings and Joe Denly combined for 60 in an effort to steady the ship until the Spitfires skipper was trapped lbw by Bopara for 31. Denly followed two overs later when he was caught off the bowling of Bopara for 33 to leave Kent 75-4.
Patel, Ackermann star as Leicestershire beat Yorkshire
Rishi Patel and Colin Ackermann's century partnership led Leicestershire to a shock 31-run Vitality Blast win over Yorkshire at Headingley.
The pair put on 109 as the Foxes fought back from a tricky start to set Yorkshire 189 to win.
Dawid Malan's half-century and another impressive innings from recent England Test call-up Harry Brook gave the Vikings hope, but Leicestershire secured their first win of the competition.
Leicestershire's recovery to their total of 188-7 was an impressive one after losing three wickets inside the powerplay - with Scott Steel, Hamish Rutherford and Arron Lilley all caught in the deep.
Ackermann finally went for 56 off 33 to leave his side 160-5 when he was caught by 'keeper Tom Kohler-Cadmore, before Patel departed on 57 from 37 after being caught by Adam Lyth, both falling to the bowling of Jordan Thompson (3-34).
Lyth offered early hope to Yorkshire's chase with 24 from 14, only for two wickets in two overs to set the Vikings back.
England duo Malan and Joe Root shared a half-century stand to guide Yorkshire to 77 for two at halfway with another 112 needed, only for Naveen-ul-Haq (4-34) and Ben Mike (3-16) to frustrate the hosts as they fell short on 157-9.
Walallawita, Cracknell shine to lift Middlesex past Glamorgan
Thilan Walallawita and Joe Cracknell took the headlines as Middlesex made it three wins from three in the Vitality Blast with a four-wicket win over Glamorgan at Radlett.
Left-arm spinner Walallawita, 23, returned career-best figures of 3-18 as the visitors were bowled out for 168 off the last ball of their innings.
Toby Roland-Jones cleaned up the tail with 4-22, with Marnus Labuschagne top-scoring for Glamorgan with 38.
Cracknell, 22, then underlined his burgeoning reputation in this format with a blistering 47, while Max Holden contributed a rapid 41 as Middlesex, minus Eoin Morgan, who limped off injured while the hosts were in the field, chased down the target with something to spare.
Prem Sisodiya was the pick of the Glamorgan attack with two for 26, Middlesex reaching 172-6 with an over to spare.
David and Gleeson power Lancashire to victory over Worcestershire
Tim David hit Lancashire's joint-second fastest fifty in T20 and Richard Gleeson took a career-best five for 33 as they defeated Worcestershire by 12 runs to secure their first victory in this year's Vitality Blast.
David made 60 off 25 balls to help the home side post 183 for the second successive match and that proved too many for the visitors, who finished on 171-8 despite Colin Munro's defiant 53. The defeat is Worcestershire's third
in this year's Blast.
Patrick Brown tried to offer some resistance as he claimed the wickets of Lancashire's top three Phil Salt (29), Keaton Jennings (16) and skipper Dane Vilas (three), but knocks from Steven Croft (22) and Liam Livingstone (26) repaired to innings to lay the foundations for David's crucial half-century.
After losing Ed Pollock for 12, his opening partner Brett D'Oliveira injected life into Worcestershire's response with 37 from 29 until being caught and bowled by Matt Parkinson.
Jake Libby and Munro's 79-run stand was then broken when the former was bowled by Richard Gleeson, a lower order tumble leaving his team-mate's half-century in vain.
De Lange and Rossouw impress as Somerset cruise to win over Essex
Overseas signings Marchant de Lange and Rilee Rossouw played key roles as Somerset continued an impressive start to their Vitality Blast campaign with a thumping six-wicket win over Essex Eagles at Taunton.
In a match reduced to 18 overs per side by rain, paceman De Lange, confined to the second XI for the County Championship season to date, included a double-wicket maiden in taking 4-9 from three overs as Essex posted 139-9 after losing the toss.
Josh Davey finished with 3-31, only Matt Critchley, with 60 off 38 balls, and Michael Pepper, whose 37 featured seven fours, offering much resistance.
In reply, Somerset breezed to a revised target of 144 with 3.2 overs to spare, Rossouw blitzing 67 off 29 balls, well supported by 20-year-old Will Smeed, who smashed 58 from 30 deliveries, including five sixes.
It meant a second win from two group matches for last season's runners-up, who look set for another successful T20 season.