So, another evening's T20 entertainment has come to a close and those spectators in position at Bristol and Chelmsford to witness brilliant centuries by Luke Wright and Jesse Ryder can count themselves fortunate indeed.

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.

We started this evening's coverage by quoting the stirring speech of Shakespeare's Henry V at Agincourt and it seems only fitting that we bow out with a quote in a similar cultural vein. So don't forget 'tune in next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel'.

Thanks for your company.

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An electric start from Derbyshire helped the hosts to a comprehensive victory over their East Midlands rivals.

Chesney Hughes set the tone with a blistering 52 from just 33 balls after Hamish Rutherford smacked 37 on his T20 Blast debut, and there were contributions all the way down the order as Derbyshire racked up an imposing 201-7.

In contrast, Notts were rocked when Alex Hales was bowled by Nathan Rimmington (3-24) first ball, but a fluent 66 in just 33 balls from Riki Wessels kept Notts ahead of the asking rate at the halfway stage.

Samit Patel made 21 and captain James Taylor added 33, but as the required rate climbed, the wickets continued to fall, and Wayne White wrapped things up with the first ball of the final over.

The victory moves bottom side Derbyshire level on points with Notts in the North group, but below their rivals on run rate

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Long regarded as one of the game's most dangerous hitters, Jesse Ryder finally registered a T20 Blast as Essex won a game in which they outplayed Hampshire in every department.

After playing second fiddle to Mark Pettini (74 off 45 balls) in opening stand of 126 in 12 overs, the New Zealander reached three figures off only 51 deliveries and finished unbeaten on 107, including eight sixes as Essex totalled 212-5.

It was the county's third-highest T20 total and never looked likely to come under threat after Hampshire lost their first three wickets with only 21 on the board.

Ravi Bopara marked his 100th domestic T20 appearance by taking three wickets in an over fopr figures of 3-23, and Reece Topley weighed in with 3-25 as Hampshire were bowled out for 134 with nine balls remaining.

A belligerent but wonderfully measured unbeaten 111 from all-rounder Luke Wright gave Sussex an improbable victory over Gloucestershire in Bristol.

Sussex, chasing a healthy total of 185-4, were in deep trouble at 104-6 after 15 overs and in an even bigger hole with 43 required for victory with 12 balls left.

But Wright hit four sixes in the penultimate over of the innings, which was bowled by James Fuller and yielded 34 runs and saw the Gloucestershire man ordered out of the attack for two full tosses.

Michael Klinger had earlier hit 61 in what looked like a match-winning total but, despite Sussex's early struggles, Wright came to the rescue and guided his side home with a ball left thanks to a 56-ball knock that included eight sixes and seven fours.

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Birmingham Bears made it six wins out of seven and moved two points clear at the top of North Group as they denied Lancashire a second victory in the space of 24 hours.

Fresh from beating Durham on Thursday, the Red Rose county restricted last year's T20 Blast winners to just 137-8 at Old Trafford after New Zealand's Brendon McCullum made 18 off 14 balls on his Bears debut before being caught in the deep.

Varun Chopa (40) and William Porterfield (36) made the only scores of note, but eager bowling and fielding meant that Lancashire's run-chase faltered.

Recordo Gordon took 4-20 and although Liam Livingstone hit a four and a six in the final over, the task of scoring 17 to win proved beyond Lancashire, with Livingstone run out off the final ball.

England opener Jason Roy's beautifully paced half-century and some exemplary spin bowling from Ashar Mahmood meant Surrey eased to victory over Glamorgan and climbed off the foot of the South Group table.

Roy hit 61 from 47 balls but a Surrey collapse meant the Welsh side were well in the game chasing a total of 146-8.

They started steadily enough, reaching 41-1, but Mahmood's 3-14 from his four overs ripped the heart out of the Glamorgan reply.

And despite Wayne Parnell hitting 24 to give some hope going in to the latter stages, 17-year-old Sam Curran took three late wickets to wrap up just a second Surrey T20 Blast win this season.

Read a full match report here

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Some incredible late hitting by Steven Crook and Rory Kleinveldt earned Northants a thrilling two-run win over pre-match North Group leaders Worcestershire.

Crook (56 not out) and Kleinveldt (42) bludgeoned the ball to all parts as Northants hit 62 in the final three overs to post 193-8.

Moeen Ali was out to the first ball of the innings but a gutsy Rapids response saw them take the match down to the final over, with Ross Whiteley whacking an unbeaten 41 from 28 balls and Ben Cox adding 24.

Whiteley ran five twos off the final over, but he was unable to hit the boundary that was needed off the final ball to secure an unlikely victory at New Road.

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Ben Raine dismissed England spinner Adil Rashid with the final ball of a superb match at Grace Road to earn the Leicestershire a tie against Yorkshire.

The Foxes struggled for momentum against tight Tykes bowling, particularly from Matt Fisher (1-22) and Steve Patterson (1-25), as they posted what seemed a below-par 142-7.

But the visiting batsmen found it equally tough, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell both out cheaply, as Yorkshire wobbled at 79-5.

A mature knock from young Jack Leaning (48 not out from 30 balls), put the visitors on the verge of victory, but Raine (3-23) brought the crowd to its feet, trapping Rashid leg before with last ball.

Jim Allenby smashed an unbeaten 89 from just 51 balls as Somerset romped to a nine-wicket win over a Middlesex side who have now lost five T20 Blast games in a row.

Allenby hit four sixes and nine fours and shared an opening partnership of 118 in 13.2 overs with Johann Myburgh (53) to go a long way to ensuring the total of 171-7 was reached with 12 balls remaining.

England one-day captain Eoin Morgan made just seven as Middlesex struggled to set a truly competitive total on a small Uxbridge ground with a quick outfield.

John Simpson was the one man to prosper, hitting a career-best 84 from 51 balls, but an Allenby-inspired Somerset had little trouble in reaching their target to keep their top-four hopes on track.

It's time to start our recap of this evening's T20 Blast action, then. With six England ODI stars and New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum all in action, it's been a busy one...

There is more T20 Blast action over the weekend, with Nottinghamshire taking on Northants at Trent Bridge on Saturday and Somerset playing host to Glamorgan at Taunton on Sunday, both games starting at 14:30 BST.

Whatever the results, Birmingham Bears and Essex Eagles are guaranteed top spot in their respective groups going into next week.

The Bears now have 12 points following their narrow win over Lancashire at Old Trafford, two clear of Worcestershire and Leicestershire, but Northants could move into second if they defeat the Outlaws on Saturday.

In the South Group, Essex lead Kent by virtue of a superior run rate, with Sussex Sharks just a point behind, and Hampshire just two points adrift in fourth.

"It was a good feeling to get my first-ever Twenty20 hundred, it's been a long time coming, but it was also nice to get it on my home ground as well. To win in the manner we did tonight was very pleasing.

"Mark Pettini was hitting the ball really well and he got us off to a perfect start which made it easy for me to cruise and give him a hand. He helped lay the platform for us to get that score tonight.

"Twenty20 is a funny game, anyone can win on the night, but hopefully we can keep the form we've got at the moment for the rest of the competition."

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It hasn't taken long for Mitchell Johnson to lay down a marker for the Ashes, taking three wickets as Australia continue to dominate Kent in their tour match.

The left-arm paceman took 3-42 as Kent closed on 203-5 after the tourists declared on 507-8.

Johnson took his first wicket with this sixth ball, pinning Daniel Bell-Drummond leg before, and returned to remove Sam Northeast and Ben Harmison.

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Sussex captain Luke Wright, who hit an unbeaten 111 in his side's win over Gloucestershire, told BBC Sussex: "At the halfway stage we were staring down the barrel and I was struggling to time it.

"But I changed my bat and I had a bit of luck and once I got one out of the middle it put the pressure on them and they started to miss.

"I thought we were going to be too far behind but that one big over made a huge difference. To finish it with a ball to spare was so pleasing. It's a massive win for us and that's three in a row now."

Former Nottinghamshire player and coach Paul Johnson told BBC Radio Nottingham: "The question at the start of the competition was how Notts should do this season.

"They should win it with the side they have got, with the power hitting they have got at the top of the order, the quality of their seam bowlers and Samit Patel's spin.

"Things are not working and we are seeing a lack of confidence, a lack of belief and some pretty poor body language."

A miserable trip back up the A52 beckons for Notts as Steve Mullaney falls to the first ball of the final over, caught by Wayne Madsen, for four.

The wheels are falling off for Notts as Ben Hilfenhaus is caught by Wayne Madsen, off Nathan Rimmington, for one.

Three singles follow, and a dot ball, before Luke Fletcher sees his stumps flattened by Rimmington.

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James Taylor punches his bat in frustration as he can only find a single off Shiv Thakor's first ball.

Steven Mullaney takes a single and Taylor adds two more to the total. An lbw appeal is turned down as Taylor runs two leg byes.

But this time Taylor, going for the big shot, is caught by Scott Elstone right on the boundary rope. That is surely that for Nottinghamshire.

"It was a crushing defeat for us in the circumstances, but all the credit must go to Luke Wright for a fantastic innings.

"James Fuller had a plan for bowling to him in the penultimate over and simply couldn't execute it.

"We now have to hit the road for a Championship game at the Oval and there will be plenty of individuals pondering what they could have done differently during the journey."

As the run rate climbs above 13, the pressure gets to the visitors, who suffer a second run out in as many overs, Greg Smith the victim.

James Taylor takes a single off Nathan Rimmington's second ball and a precious dot follows as new man Steven Mullaney takes guard.

Four leg byes precede a Mullaney single before Taylor scampers another single. It's getting steep - 45 required off 18 balls.