Ed Barnard led Bears to a commanding target against Lancashire
Ed Barnard helped Bears comfortably beat T20 Blast North group leaders Lancashire by 36 runs at Edgbaston to keep the qualification race wide open.
Barnard’s 54 in 34 balls, his fourth half-century of the tournament, helped the hosts rack up 203-9 having been sent in, after Dan Mousley smashed 32 in just 12 balls.
Phil Salt whacked 21 from nine deliveries in reply but Jos Buttler was out for a duck as Lancashire’s chase never got going and they were bowled out for 167.
In the South group, Surrey beat Gloucestershire by 28 runs, Kent staged a late recovery to beat Sussex and Hampshire chased down 188 at Middlesex.
Lancashire’s heavy defeat saw them slip off the top of the table and below Durham on net-run rate, while Bears climbed to third with their sixth victory.
The damage could have been greater for Lancashire but Tom Hartley, from number nine, hoisted four sixes in making 35 from 16 balls while George Garton took 4-28 for the home side.
Surrey were sent in at Bristol and got off to a flier as Will Jacks hit five sixes in making 57 off 35 balls and captain Sam Curran struck 46 from 33 before they regressed to 118-5 after 14 overs.
Tom Curran then picked up the innings and his 32 from just 15 balls helped the visitors set 193-7.
It was comfortably defended as only D’Arcy Short, with 70 from 53 deliveries, gave chase and Gloucestershire could only make 165-9, ending a run of four straight victories.
Second-placed Surrey move four points clear of third in South Group while Gloucestershire, in seventh, are six points adrift of the top four qualification spots.
Stephen Eskinazi made his joint-second highest T20 score
At Marchant Taylor’s School, Leus du Plooy took charge of Middlesex after Stephen Eskinazi stood down for personal reasons, and looked like delivering immediate success.
Eskinazi responded to the change by making his joint-second highest T20 score, 94 in only 48 balls, but from 151-1 after 15 overs, Middlesex collapsed to 187-8, with Scott Currie taking four wickets in two overs.
Joe Weatherley made 41 from 22 balls in reply as Hampshire were left needing 53 from the final four overs.
Enter James Fuller (43no), who slugged two sixes to bring the target down to 10 off six balls before consecutive fours off Ryan Higgins won the game with two balls to spare.
Hampshire climbed to fourth on net-run rate, level on points with Kent after a remarkable late recovery by Joey Evison helped the latter chase 149 at Sussex.
The home side began the night fourth in the South group but were bowled out for just 148 having won the toss.
Tom Clark’s 29 off 20 balls was Sussex’s best as Nathan Gilchrist picked up 4-42, by far the most expensive bowler but ultimately the most successful.
But the target looked like being plenty enough as Kent slumped to 110-8 in the 16th over, only for Evison to begin an extraordinary assault.
He clubbed four sixes and three fours as his 48 not out from 24 balls saw Kent home with three balls to spare.
Thursday’s T20 Blast fixtures
North Group
Leicester: Leicestershire Foxes v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (18:30 BST)
Derby: Derbyshire Falcons v Worcestershire Rapids (19:00 BST)
South Group
Southampton: Hampshire Hawks v Glamorgan (19:00 BST)
