T20 Blast: Lancashire Lightning stay top, Surrey suffer first defeat

In the South Group, Kent were reeling on 37-4 in the fifth over against Somerset, but they were rescued by a sensational innings from Sam Billings, who hit a career-best 106 from 58 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes.

The Spitfires’ skipper fell in the 19th, but Joey Evison hit the winning runs to complete a brilliant comeback by the hosts.

Earlier Will Smeed blasted 68 from 30 to get Somerset off to a flying start at 95-0 from eight overs, but they were reined in and finished on 197-6 as Matt Parkinson took 2-36 and Zak Crawley took four catches, equalling Kent’s Blast record.

Tom Alsop’s 35-ball 68 and 65 off 43 by left-hander Daniel Hughes helped power Sussex to 213-7 after they had been put in – their biggest score in the format against Surrey.

Ollie Pope led Surrey’s response with an unbeaten 99 – one run short of what would have been his maiden T20 century – in a total of 177-7, but Sussex bowled with more discipline on a used pitch.

Their spinners sent down eight overs and both Archie Lenham and James Coles picked up important wickets, while Australian seamer Nathan McAndrew took 3-32.

Toby Albert struck an unbeaten 41 from 32 balls to secure a second successive win for Hampshire, steering them over the line by five wickets in a low-scoring game against Gloucestershire at Bristol.

Hampshire’s seamers dominated, with John Turner taking 3-24 and Michael Neser, Chris Wood and James Fuller picking up two wickets apiece as Gloucestershire were hustled out in 18.2 overs.

A flurry of late boundaries by Matt Taylor (27 from 14) lifted the home side to 124, but that never looked enough and, although Gloucestershire threatened a fightback thanks to David Payne’s 3-17, Albert saw his side home with 19 balls to spare.

Luc Benkenstein and Shane Snater shared an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 45 to dig Essex out of trouble after they had slumped to 123-8 in pursuit of 167 against Glamorgan.

Adam Rossington gave Essex a bristling start with 48 from 24 balls, but Glamorgan spinners Mason Crane (4-25) and Marnus Labuschagne (3-35) oversaw a collapse before Benkenstein (35 not out) and Snater (20 not out) turned the tide.

Earlier, Colin Ingram’s knock of 52 from 29 enabled Glamorgan to recover from 14-2 as they totalled 166-8, with Dan Sams taking 3-28 and Paul Walter 3-33 for the home side.