T20 Blast: Wins for Rapids, Yorkshire, Middlesex and Essex

Leg-spinner Jafer Chohan recorded the third-best bowling figures in Yorkshire’s T20 history to help them beat Durham and keep their Blast qualification hopes alive.

Elsewhere, Worcestershire, Middlesex and Essex picked up victories, while Derbyshire against Lancashire was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.

Londoner Chohan, on his 22nd birthday, picked up 5-14 in a quickfire win, after Vikings skipper Shan Masood had made it plain they need to win their final four games to stand a chance of making the top four in the North Group.

The quality of Chohan’s performance was underlined by the fact that of his five victims, two were bowled, one was leg-before, one stumped and one caught behind.

Yorkshire reduced Durham to 40-5 although Ashton Turner (16) and Ben Raine (33) put on a half-century partnership before Chohan weaved his magic to remove Raine and then finish the innings on 107.

Adam Lyth (30) and Dawid Malan (29) ensured the outcome was a seven-wicket stroll ahead of Friday’s Roses derby with Lancashire at Old Trafford.

In the South Group, Tawanda Muyeye’s brilliant 73 off 40 balls was not enough to rescue Kent after Essex had posted 187-3 at Chelmsford.

The hosts got off to a flying start as Adam Rossington (36) and Dean Elgar (33) posted 50 off the first six overs and after Paul Walter (46*) and Matt Critchley (31*) cut loose – including 17 off one Nathan Gilchrist over – Kent faced a tough chase.

Muyeye set about the Essex attack with relish as South African Eathan Bosch went for 24 off one over, with Marcus O’Riordan hitting 33 off 17 at the other end but Shane Snater (2-25) removed both with catches off his own bowling.

With Simon Harmer (1-20) and Sam Cook (1-25) putting the brakes on, Kent fell 22 runs short on 165-5.