T20 Blast: Leicestershire beat Yorkshire, Somerset lose at home to Kent

Leicestershire stepped up their bid for a place in the T20 Blast quarter-finals as they beat Yorkshire by four wickets at Grace Road in the North Group.

New Zealand international Luke Ronchi's spectacular 19-ball half-century helped the Foxes reach 183-6 as they won with two balls to spare.

Ronchi made 57, backed up by Colin Ackermann's unbeaten 58, off 47 balls.

In the South Group, Kent maintained their own quarter-final hopes with a six-wicket win against Somerset.

Leicestershire earned their first home win in this season's competition to claim a second North Group victory inside 24 hours.

Luke Ronchi's half-century has been bettered by only one innings this season - Ross Whiteley's 18-ball half-century, also against Yorkshire, for Worcestershire at Headingley.

Their previous five wins had come away from Leicester - but going into their final two games, the three-times T20 winners are now one of four clubs on 13 points.

They include third-placed Yorkshire, who were powered by half-centuries by Tom Kohler-Cadmore (75 from 40 balls - his best T20 score since arriving from Worcestershire) and Australian Shaun Marsh (60).

But the Tykes, lifted by beating rivals Lancashire at Headingley the previous evening, have just one group game left, at home to second-placed Northants on Thursday, and they must win to stand any chance of qualifying.

Derbyshire and the Birmingham Bears are the other three sides on 13 points, two behind group leaders Notts Outlaws, who are a point ahead of Northants.

• T20 Blast scorecards and Group tables

• Relive Friday's T20 Blast action as it happened

Kent cause shock at Taunton

Kent's New Zealand paceman Adam Milne claimed a county-best 5-11 as the bottom-of-the-table Spitfires caused an upset in the South Group, beating Somerset by six wickets at Taunton.

Milne sent down 15 dot balls from 23 deliveries as the hosts were dismissed for 149 in 18.5 overs.

England one-day international Sam Billings then battered an unbeaten 56 from 36 balls as the visitors reached their target with nine deliveries to spare, to inflict Somerset's first home defeat in this year's competition.

"We have a really good record here at Taunton," Billings told BBC Radio Bristol. "The guys love playing on this square. That's eight wins on the trot for us here.

"The dismissal of James Hildreth was a key moment and Adam Milne weighed into the tail after that. He was outstanding."

Somerset captain Jim Allenby, whose side face Glamorgan at Taunton on Sunday, said: "We had a poor day at the office with the bat. But we are still fourth in the table, having played poorly in a few games, so it's not all doom and gloom."

Kent are now up to sixth on 11 points, four points behind group leaders Hampshire, who are ahead of second-placed Glamorgan by a point, followed by three sides on 12 points - Sussex, Somerset and Gloucestershire.