T20 Blast: Chris Lynn hits ton in Northants win, but Somerset suffer first loss
- Published
Chris Lynn has played 18 T20 internationals for Australia
Australian Chris Lynn made an unbeaten 106 off 66 balls as Northamptonshire Steelbacks beat Leicestershire by 42 runs in the T20 Blast.
Lynn struck three sixes and 12 fours and shared stands of 109 and 118 with Ben Curran (31) and Jimmy Neesham (75).
South Group leaders Somerset suffered their first defeat as Josh Philippe's 70 set up Sussex's 47-run victory.
Durham and Lancashire also won, but defending champions Kent lost again, by six wickets to Gloucestershire.
The Spitfires, who were bowled out for just 114, have failed to win any of their opening four games and Gloucestershire had 5.3 overs to spare as Glenn Phillips finished the game with two sixes for 50 not out off 31 balls.
Lynn lights up Wantage Road
Lynn's hundred for the Steelbacks - winners in 2013 and 2016 - was the second of this year's competition, six days after they were on the receiving end as Paul Stirling made 119 for Birmingham Bears.
But even he was out-hit in the second half of their innings by New Zealander Neesham, who reached 50 off 23 balls, and collected six sixes and five fours with some huge blows as Northants reached 227-1.
Leicestershire had to go for their shots to have any chance of chasing the target and Scott Steel and Colin Ackermann put on 65 in seven overs after the loss of two early wickets.
Neesham claimed the vital wicket of Steel, who was caught at backward point for 66 from 64 balls, and Freddie Heldreich and Ben Sanderson picked up three wickets each as Leicestershire were restricted to 185-9.
Liam Livingstone earlier made 75 off 40 balls as unbeaten Lancashire Lightning beat Derbyshire Falcons by 17 runs at Old Trafford to go top of North Group.
Lancashire's Liam Livingstone has two T20 centuries to his credit as well as 28 fifties
The home side, with two wins and a tie from their three previous games, posted a score of 219-6 with Dane Vilas (34) helping Livingstone add 91 for the third wicket before both were out in successive overs.
Luis Reece began Derbyshire's reply with 55 off 36 balls after the early run out of Shan Masood, but although Leus du Plooy hit 59 not out from 31 balls and put on 78 with Brooke Guest (35), they ended on 202-5.
Winless Worcestershire Rapids, the 2018 winners, remained rooted to the bottom of North Group after they lost by 48 runs to Durham at the Riverside.
Michael Jones got Durham under way with a quickfire 44 and although Brett D'Oliveira took 3-23, the home side reached 186-7 from their 20 overs.
The Rapids lost Ed Pollock and Jack Haynes cheaply and none of their batters reached 30 as they were restricted to 138-9 in reply, with Ben Raine taking 3-23 and pace bowler Andrew Tye 3-27 on his debut for the north-east county.
Somerset suffer first defeat
Josh Philiipe's highest score in a T20 match is 99 not out
Beaten in last year's final, Somerset won their first three games impressively but despite removing Luke Wright in the second over at Taunton, they were unable to contain Philippe, who marked his birthday with five sixes and three fours in his dashing 43-ball knock - during which he was dropped by Marchant de Lange.
Ravi Bopara (48) helped Philippe add 85 for the third wicket and there was more misery for de Lange at the end of the innings as his final four deliveries were despatched for 6-6-4-6 by Harrison Ward (23 not out off five balls) to enable Sussex to post a total of 216-7.
There was more big hitting to come, though, as South African Rilee Rossouw raced to 50 from just 17 deliveries for Somerset, but eventually fell for 74 from 29 as Tymal Mills pulled off a superb diving catch as the left-hander attempted a ramp shot from the bowling of Delray Rawlins.
The rest of the wickets were shared by left-arm pacemen Obed McCoy and Mills - with the former taking 5-33 in his first game for the Sharks since arriving from the Caribbean and Mills 4-32 as Somerset were all out for 169, with seven balls of their innings unused.
At Bristol, exemplary bowling and fielding by Gloucestershire saw Kent unable to post a defendable total as David Payne marked his selection for England's one-day squad with figures of 4-15, backed up by fellow paceman Zak Chappell's 3-24.
Jordan Cox scored 48, but only two other Kent batters reached double figures, although the home side also struggled initially and were 47-4 at the end of the eighth over in reply.
Phillips, though, was the right man to meet the situation as he and Jack Taylor (31 not out) shared an unbroken partnership of 70 to see their team home on 116-4.
Thursday fixtures
Edgbaston: Birmingham Bears v Leicestershire Foxes (14:30 BST)
The Oval: Surrey v Hampshire Hawks (18:30)
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Essex Eagles (19:05)
Friday fixtures
Worcester: Worcestershire Rapids v Birmingham Bears (14:30 BST)
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Essex Eagles (18:30)
Old Trafford: Lancashire Lightning v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (18:30)
Taunton: Somerset v Glamorgan (18:30)
Headingley: Yorkshire Vikings v Durham (18:30)
Canterbury: Kent Spitfires v Surrey (19:00)
Hove: Sussex Sharks v Middlesex (19:00)
Derby: Derbyshire Falcons v Notts Outlaws (19:05)