Thursday 29 August 2019 22:30, UK
Captain Michael Klinger struck his eighth Twenty20 century as Gloucestershire qualified for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals with a five-run win over Kent.
Klinger (102no off 65 balls) struck the final ball of his side's innings for four to post his seventh T20 hundred in English domestic cricket and take the visitors to 180-3, a total that proved just out of Kent's reach despite 60 off 45 balls from Faf du Plessis on debut.
Du Plessis shared a stand of 122 with Sam Billings (55 off 40) but could not steer his new club across the line as Ryan Higgins returned 3-36, including the wickets of Du Plessis and Alex Blake (19) in successive deliveries.
Kent's fate is still in their hands but four teams - Somerset, Hampshire, Middlesex and Essex are now just one point behind them in the table and right in the hunt for the two remaining quarter-final spots.
Aneurin Donald scored his first Vitality Blast half-century for Hampshire to help them to an eight-wicket win over Middlesex which keeps their quarter-final hopes alive.
Donald, who joined from Glamorgan last year and had previously scored 48 and 44 in the competition, finally reached the landmark score as he hit 51 off 33 balls at Southampton.
He put on 96 with captain James Vince - whose unbeaten 66 was his fourth knock of 50 or more in this season's Blast - as Hampshire earned victory with nine balls to spare.
The hosts' win, which came despite South African legend AB de Villiers' fourth half-century of the Blast, sees them leap up to 13 points, level with Middlesex ahead of both sides' must-win final group fixtures on Friday night.
Ravi Bopara's blistering 70 not out helped Essex claim a 19-run win over Surrey at a packed Kia Oval which keeps alive their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
The former England all-rounder, who struck four sixes and as many fours in his 35-ball innings, shared in an unbroken 117-run stand with Ryan Ten Doeschate (55) as Essex made 186-4.
Bopara also took the wicket of Ben Foakes later for nine as Surrey could only make 167 in reply, with Jordan Clark's T20-best 60 from 32 balls and Ollie Pope's 35 the only real notes of defiance.
Essex seamer Jamie Porter, playing his first T20 game for more than a year, took 3-27 in three overs at the start of Surrey's run chase - claiming the prized wickets of Aaron Finch, Sam Curran and Mark Stoneman to leave the home side up against it.
Yorkshire lifted themselves off bottom spot in the North Group with a comprehensive 80-run victory over Northamptonshire in a dead rubber at Headingley.
Former Steelback David Willey (4-18) starred for the home side with four new-ball wickets to earn Yorkshire only their third win of the competition.
Yorkshire amassed 187-7 after winning the toss. Openers Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Adam Lyth led the way, making 51 and 50 respectively, before Harry Brook added a breezy 38 off 16 balls. Brook later took four catches - a joint Yorkshire record in a T20 fixture.
In reply, Willey, who helped Northamptonshire win this tournament in 2013, struck four times in his first three overs - at a cost of only 11 runs - as the Steelbacks were reduced to 43-5 after six overs, then bowled out for 107 in 18.
Watch Somerset take on Middlesex live on Sky Sports The Ashes from 6pm on Friday as the race for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals reaches its climax.
