Image source, Getty Images

Well, what an opening night it's been in the T20 Blast. We've had pretty much everything - five-wicket hauls for teenage debutants, batsmen smashing it to all parts and a tense final-ball decider at Old Trafford.

Alex Hales stole the show at Trent Bridge as Nottinghamshire beat defending champions Birmingham Bears by eight wickets. The opener's 86 not out off 43 balls included eight sixes - six of them in successive balls he faced.

At Headingley, 17-year-old Matthew Fisher took 5-22 as Yorkshire easily saw off Derbyshire, while Glamorgan hit 240-3 - the fourth-highest score in domestic T20 matches in England - to beat Surrey.

Elsewhere, Lancashire beat Leicestershire with a last-ball boundary from Steven Croft, Durham won a rain-affected tie with Northants, Gloucestershire defeated Middlesex and there were also wins for Kent and Hampshire over Sussex and Essex respectively.

For a full list of T20 Blast fixtures, click here. We'll be back again with another live text commentary and more commentaries from BBC local radio and 5 live sports extra next Friday.

Thanks for your company this evening.

Charles Dagnall
BBC Test Match Special

"1st #TMSt20 in the books! Stunning display of hitting by Alex Hales! Get that boy in the England team!!! Any format! Hope you enjoyed!"

McBusted's Harry Judd: "Eeeerrrr why was @AlexHales1 not at the World Cup? Hales, KP, Morgan, Butler, Bopara, Taylor etc, it's just so obvious surely #eng."

He was there, Harry, England just didn't pick him until it was too late.

Sussex captain Luke Wright told BBC Sussex: "Going in to those last three or four overs, we were exactly where we wanted to be. We were three down and Mahela (Jayawardene) was in, with us needing 10 an over. With small boundaries, you'd win that most times.

"I feel for someone like Craig Cachopa, who is absolutely heartbroken, but I've seen him come off many times and I know he'll come off in this tournament. He's having a tough time at the minute, but that happens. I've been there many a time myself. Everyone's got round him and we will just move on."

Hampshire batsman Jimmy Adams: "It has been a tough start to the year, it is nice to start this competition on the right foot. We did a lot of things right tonight and everything went to plan. Everyone chipped in, I am delighted.

"The first half-dozen balls I hit found the gaps and I was off to a flyer. It's great to play with freedom and just hit the ball."

Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate told BBC Essex: "I thought we were a bit sloppy out there and I don't think we did ourselves justice. We hit the ground slowly and there are no excuses for that.

"We were fielding a pretty young side and the likes of Kishen Velani did well, but to win games a few guys need to go on and get fifties."

There are two more matches to come this weekend - Surrey go to Essex on Saturday (13:00 BST) and Sussex host Gloucestershire on Sunday (14:30 BST).

BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Robert Hunt: "Gloucestershire recorded their third successive win with a seven-wicket victory. Middlesex's 175 looked about par, but a light shower in the interval livened things up and made the chase a bit easier.

"That will take nothing away from the home side's success though. Hamish Marshall and Iain Cockbain batted superbly against a strong attack. Although Middlesex had the bigger names, there is a real team ethos about Gloucestershire this season and they could continue to surprise in all forms."

Image source, PA

Glamorgan batsman Colin Ingram: "I thoroughly enjoyed it out there and playing all those shots, but especially because it was good for the team. Jacques (Rudolph) was reverse-sweeping and even reverse-hitting it - and I don't think I have ever seen him do that before.

"We have had a tough couple of weeks in the Championship, but this could be a real turning point in the season in terms of the team's confidence. We have sung the team song in the dressing room and there is a lot of passion in the side. It's a great feeling to get off to this sort of start in the T20."

Surrey all-rounder Zafar Ansari told BBC London 94.9: "We probably got stunned a little bit by the way they played and we didn't react particularly well as a bowling group. They targeted a short boundary and we just didn't have any answer. It's tough moving from four-day cricket to Twenty20 and we just didn't think quickly enough. We need to rectify that.

"When Steve Davies and Kumar Sangakkara were going well at the start we felt we might be able to chase it down - even a huge total like that. The pitch was so good, but we kept losing wickets."

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Steven Croft - take a bow, son. The Lancashire captain gets his side home with a boundary through point off the final ball of the match.

The rain played its part at Old Trafford when Leicestershire were about to begin a charge in their innings.

The Foxes reduced Lancashire to 57-4 at one point as they chased a revised 140 off 15 overs, but a partnership of 74 between Croft and Alex Davies set the platform for a successful run chase.

They left it late, but last season's beaten finalists start this summer's T20 Blast with a win.

Nottinghamshire Outlaws captain James Taylor: "Great start to tournament tonight! Top performance from the bowlers but special mention to @AlexHales1!! Crowd was amazing as ever!"

Four for Steven Croft through extra cover! Lancashire close in on victory.

Ben Raine keeps his nerve for now - the first three balls off his final over have gone for just four runs, and they've also taken a wicket. How are your nerves, Lancashire and Leicestershire fans?

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Yasir Arafat followed up his first ball being sent for a maximum by taking two wickets in two balls to round off a good victory at Southampton for the hosts.

The ex-Pakistan bowler showed his unquestionable class in his first match for Hampshire bowling Ryan ten Doeschate for 68 before rearranging Shaun Tait's stumps as the Australian departed for a golden duck.

Jimmy Adams' unbeaten 55 had earlier helped Hampshire post a challenging 173-4 but the regular loss of wickets stunted Essex's reply and despite the heroics of Ten Doeschate, who only flew in from India on Thursday, the Eagles could not get over the line as they were bowled out for 156.

Well well well, Ryan ten Doeschate send Yasir Arafat's first ball high in the night sky, another three of those and Essex will pick up an unlikely win.

Can Ryan ten Doeschate really pull this off? He sends Fidel Edwards for a flat six while eeking four further singles off the over. In the scheme of things it was a good over from the Hampshire bowler and Essex are asking for a lot.

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A big mix-up between Steven Croft and Alex Davies, who have batted so brilliantly together for Lancashire, leads to the latter being stranded and run out. Five balls left, nine to win. Jordan Clark walks to the crease.

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Kent Spitfires kept their composure in the closing overs to pull off a victory over their neighbours at Canterbury. Sussex were cruising at 112-1, but Matt Coles (2-41) took the crucial wickets of Chris Nash (61 off 45 balls) and Mehla Jayawardene (39) as the Sharks fell short of their target.

Earlier, Joe Denly (37) and Sam Northeast (40) shared a second-wicket stand of 64 for Kent, before Sam Billings weighed in with 46 off 28 balls and Fabian Cowdrey struck five boundaries in his vital cameo of 24 off 12.

Match scorecard

A wonderful reverse paddle for four through third man by Alex Davies is the highlight of the penultimate over of Lancashire's innings. They need 10 runs off the last six balls.

The fat lady, or at the very least the Hampshire faithful, has begun to sing and despite Ryan ten Doeschate making his half-century off 54 balls, Yasir Arafat's third over goes for just six runs along with the wicket of Malik. As close to a perfect over as you will get this late in an innings.

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That may be the over that decides the match as Sussex lose two wickets from successive balls to Kent paceman Mitchell Claydon. Ben Brown is caught behind, then Will Beer follows for a golden duck as Fabian Cowdrey takes the catch - 18 off six balls needed by the Sharks. Claydon completes his stint with figures of 2-29.