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Nottinghamshire were bowled out for their lowest ever Vitality Blast total as North Group leaders Birmingham Bears flexed their bowling muscle to cruise to a nine-wicket win at Trent Bridge.
The hosts were skittled out for just 57 – the fourth lowest score by any county since the 20-over format entered the calendar in 2003 – as all seven Birmingham bowlers picked up a wicket, with George Garton, Jake Lintott and Moeen Ali each claiming two.
The Bears’ batters needed only 32 balls to finish the demolition, Rob Yates top-scoring with an unbeaten 35 as Birmingham romped to a sixth consecutive win in a game that lasted just 100 minutes.
Birmingham are now three points clear of Lancashire, who saw Luke Wood smash the penultimate ball of the match for six to earn a two-wicket win over Worcestershire at Emirates Old Trafford.
Josh Cobb’s 53-ball 74 had helped Worcestershire to 181 for four but despite taking Lancashire wickets at regular intervals they could not finish off the home side, for whom Tom Bruce’s unbeaten 50 got them within touching distance before Wood’s late hit.
Surrey held their nerve in a similarly tense finish to beat Kent by five runs in a rain-shortened Vitality Blast clash at the Kia Oval to strengthen their hold on the South Group.
Surrey, sent into bat and without the likes of Dan Lawrence, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope and Jason Roy, did well to reach 103 for five from their allotted 10 overs after play was delayed by rain for almost two-and-a-half hours.
Another downpour saw Kent’s target revised to 87 off eight overs but despite late flurries from Feroze Khushi (35) and Sam Billings (14 not out), the visitors fell just short on 81 for three.
A seventh win in 10 games leaves Surrey four points clear of Sussex – who have a game in hand – with Somerset and Essex a further point back after both tasted defeat on Sunday.
Holders Somerset suffered a rare home defeat as they suffered an five-wicket loss to arch-rivals Gloucestershire in an entertaining derby at Taunton.
Ben Charlesworth hit the fifth ball of the final over for six to give Gloucestershire victory as they chased down Somerset’s 194 for six at the death, joining their neighbours on 11 points in the process.
Essex were also defeated after Glamorgan claimed a 26-run win at Cardiff to register back-to-back victories in the Blast.
Glamorgan scored 182 for eight before bowling out Essex for 156, with the visitors unable to provide enough support for Paul Walker (53) and Adam Rossington (41).
Also on Sunday, Northamptonshire earned a five-wicket home win over Durham after Ben Sanderson’s superb four for 15 had seen the visitors bowled out for 140 at Northampton.
The hosts were made to work for the win but secured it in the final over to leap-frog their opponents up to third in the North Group.
Alex Thomson, meanwhile, took three wickets in an over to give Derbyshire a convincing seven-wicket victory over Yorkshire in Chesterfield.
Donovan Ferreira, with 44 off 32 balls, led Yorkshire’s recovery after they had slumped to 21 for five with Thomson sending back Dawid Malan, Adam Lyth and Shan Masood, but it proved little problem for Derbyshire with David Lloyd (50) guiding them home.
