T20 round-up: Pears down Bears, Somerset stun Surrey

Matthew Waite smashed 34 off his final over to help Worcestershire beat the Bears

The Roses derby was washed out, but there were Friday night upsets galore as the T20 Blast group stage enters its final week.

Matthew Waite starred with bat and ball, hitting 34 off the final over as Worcestershire toppled North Group leaders Birmingham Bears in the derby at Edgbaston.

New Zealand's Jimmy Neesham was also in the runs as Leicestershire pipped Northants to replace the Steelbacks in the top four.

South Group leaders Surrey were soundly beaten by Somerset, whose local rivals Gloucestershire lost ground after a final-ball defeat by Hampshire, for whom Benny Howell was the hero.

Sussex closed in on a home quarter-final with an 88-run hammering of lowly Kent Spitfires but Glamorgan's hopes were dented by a home loss to Middlesex.

The Roses battle between Lancashire and Yorkshire at Old Trafford was rained off, hurting Yorkshire's chances of progress more than the Red Rose who remain in second spot in the North Group.

Rain also meant a 17-over in the Bears-Pears contest at Edgbaston, but both sides still piled on the runs.

Kashif Ali had continued his form with 46 from 30 deliveries, including three sixes, as the Pears cleared the rope 10 times to go with their 14 fours.

Worcestershire all-rounder Waite hit five of them, smashing George Garton for 6-4-6-6-6-6 off the final over to finish unbeaten on an astonishing 36 from just eight deliveries and help the visitors post an imposing 187-6.

The Bears were reeling on 3-2 eight balls into the reply before Dan Mousley hit three sixes and four fours in an inspired 68, which represented more than half his side's total.

However, the hosts lost their final five wickets for just six runs in an eight-ball spell as Tom Taylor finished with 3-31 and Waite claimed the last two wickets in consecutive balls for figures of 4-29.

Neesham cracked five sixes in a stunning knock of 67 from 34 balls to guide Leicestershire to an important home win over fellow top-four hopefuls Northants, who slip a place to fifth in a group in which just five points separate the top seven.

A fourth-wicket stand of 83 in just over seven overs between Ravi Bopara and Saif Zaib had the Steelbacks eyeing 200-plus until Ben Mike's excellent late spell kept the Foxes in touch.

Bopara smashed 61 from 44 balls with a pair of sixes before having his stumps rearranged by Mike while Zaib (50) brought up his half-century from 27 balls with three sixes and three fours before top-edging to Rishi Patel in the deep. Mike then ousted Lewis McManus in the same over to finish with 3-17.

The visitors eventually posted 183-7, which the Foxes managed to surpass with five balls to spare thanks largely to Kiwi all-rounder Neesham and also a blistering 45 from 25 balls from opener Sol Budinger, who also cleared the rope five times.

Durham boosted their hopes of a North Group quarter-final place as they overcame rock-bottom Notts by 30 runs.

Notts' Lyndon James took 3-31 from his four overs while Australian Ashton Turner was the only one out of the 20s for the hosts, hitting 44 from 31 deliveries as Durham posted 160-6 at Chester-le-Street

However, Callum Parkinson then claimed 3-15 from four overs – all three in the space of nine deliveries – and only three Notts batters made it into double figures as they slumped to 96-9 before a gritty last-wicket stand hauled them to 130-9.

Gloucestershire old boy Benny Howell ramped the final ball for a boundary to see Hampshire home

Somerset boosted their hopes of defending their title in September by seeing off South Group leaders Surrey by six wickets with an over to spare.

A century stand in 68 balls between Rory Burns and Sam Curran helped Surrey recover from 24-3 in the fourth over to post 182-5.

Red-ball skipper Burns hit eight fours in a 44-ball 62 before top-edging back to bowler Jake Ball while Curran made 59 from 42 deliveries before holing out to Craig Overton, whose brother Jamie smashed an unbeaten 30 off 13 balls.

It was not enough, as the hosts produced a near-perfect chase, smashing 19 fours and five sixes.

Three of those maximums came from Tom Kohler-Cadmore who top-scored with 51 from 32 deliveries after 20-year-old opener George Thomas blasted 40 from 25 balls.

Gloucestershire old boy Howell stole the show for Hampshire as they scored 31 from the final two overs to win with a boundary off the last ball.

Miles Hammond made 66 and put on 92 with Cameron Bancroft (34) inside 11 overs, but the visitors stumbled from 125-1 in the 15th over to post 176-9.

Only Ben Charlesworth (39 from 19 balls with three sixes) was able to advance the score before falling to Brad Wheal, who picked-up 4-35 as the hosts lost five wickets in the final three overs.

It still looked like it might be enough as the Hawks were four down and needing 101 runs from the final 8.2 overs.

However, with some able support from James Fuller, Howell smashed four sixes in his incredible 62 from 27 deliveries to secure a five-wicket win with his fifth four from the final ball, an audacious ramp off David Payne.

Sussex strengthened their grip on a knockout place with an 88-run demolition of Kent at Canterbury.

Tom Alsop bludgeoned seven sixes in a blistering unbeaten 87 from 41 balls as the Sharks posted 203-4. After coming together on 64-4, Alsop and John Simpson (53) amassed an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 139 from 12.1 overs.

James Coles was the star with the ball, claiming 4-12, including Spitfires opener Tawanda Muyeye (45 from 25 balls) – more than double any of his team-mates - as the hosts lost their last seven wickets for 39 runs to crumble to 115 all out with 22 balls remaining.

Luke Hollman took four wickets in two overs as Middlesex picked up another win to dent Glamorgan’s quarter-final hopes in soggy Cardiff.

The match was reduced to 10 overs a side by the elements but it was the hosts’ No.10, Mason Crane, who top scored with 18 not out as they posted 88-9 – their unbeaten last-wicket stand of 18 being their highest partnership.

Hollman ousted skipper Kiran Carlson, Tom Bevan, Chris Cooke and Marnus Labuschagne to finish with 4-13 from two overs.

His side looked to be cruising home but three wickets fell in nine balls, only for Joe Cracknell to find the ropes to secure a six-wicket win with three balls in hand.