MEN'S T20 BLAST ROUNDUP: Essex were denied a first win of the campaign by the rain, while there were victories for Lancashire and Birmingham Bears in the North Group
Bristol: Gloucestershire 135-7, Somerset 137-4 - Somerset win by six wickets
Left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy claimed career-best figures of 4 for 13 as Somerset gained revenge for defeat by arch-rivals Gloucestershire in last year's Vitality Blast with a six-wicket South Group victory at Bristol.
A derby crowd of more than 6,000 saw the hosts post a disappointing 135 for 7 after losing the toss, skipper Jack Taylor top-scoring with 43 not out from 29 balls and Goldsworthy taking three wickets in an over to rip the heart of the Gloucestershire batting.
It looked a straightforward target for the unbeaten group leaders and they duly made it five wins from as many games, Will Smeed scoring 51 not out as they reached 137 for 4 with 14 balls to spare.
Southampton: Hampshire 63-1, Middlesex 75-1 - match tied (DLS)
Max Holden stole the limelight from Lhuan-dre Pretorius' exhilarating debut as Hampshire Hawks and Middlesex tied a DLS thriller in the Men's Vitality Blast.
South African wunderkind Pretorius hammered a 22-ball 44 as Hawks struck 63 either side of the rain delays. Middlesex needed 76 to win after DLS recalculated the score, and after Chris Wood began with a maiden, Hawks were heavy favourites.
But Holden whacked 38 in 18, before Kane Williamson's 23 and Ben Geddes' 10 took Middlesex to the brink but both sides had to share two points. It was Hampshire's eighth T20 tie, and Middlesex's third.
Hove: Essex 177-4, Sussex 23-3 - no result
Essex's hopes of claiming their first win of the season in the Vitality Blast were thwarted by the rain when they were well on top against Sussex Sharks at Hove.
In a game reduced to 17 overs a side, Jordan Cox – making only his second appearance in the competition this season after recovering from injury – hit four successive balls from off-spinner Jack Carson for six on his way to a 47-ball 82 in an imposing total of 177 for 4.
Shane Snater then took three wickets without conceding a run as Sussex slumped to 23 for 3 after 3.1 overs when the rain which had delayed the start returned at 9.35pm. Umpires Martin Saggers and Hassan Adnan abandoned the game shortly afterwards as the rain set in.
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Will Sutherland was in action for Yorkshire, who were involved in a high-scoring affair with Birmingham Bears (George Wood/Getty Images)
Worcester: Worcestershire 143, Lancashire 146-3 - Lancashire win by seven wickets
Lancashire Lightning continued their strong start to the Vitality Blast with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Worcestershire Rapids at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
The Rapids, having chosen to bat, were bowled out for 143 in 19.1 overs. Only Gareth Roderick (35) resisted for long as the innings failed to recover from early damage inflicted by James Anderson (3 for 32) and Luke Wood (3 for 34).
The Lightning reeled in the target with 15 balls to spare, reaching 146 for 3 thanks to a solid top-order effort headed by Keaton Jennings (42) and Liam Livingstone (41 not out).
Trent Bridge: Derbyshire 199-5, Nottinghamshire 153-9 - Derbyshire win by 46 runs
Derbyshire Falcons broke their duck for the season and recorded a first Blast victory at Trent Bridge since 2013 as Samit Patel delivered a reminder to his former club that he can be a match-winner even at the age of 40.
The veteran left-arm spinner, who took 208 T20 wickets in 21 seasons in Nottinghamshire colours, claimed another 3 for 14 as the Falcons consigned the Outlaws to a third straight defeat on their own turf, going down by 46 runs as they finished on 153 for 9 chasing a target of 200.
Opener Aneurin Donald's 73 off 34 balls gave the Falcons a platform that was ultimately exploited by Brooke Guest (37) and Ross Whiteley (35) in an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 65 of 33 balls out of 199 for five, after leg-spinner Calvin Harrison had taken 3 for 32.
Home skipper Joe Clarke posted his third half century of the season but with Matt Montgomery's 27 the next best score, his side were never in serious contention, leaving them with just two wins from their opening six matches. Afghanistan's teenage spinner Mohammad Ghazanfar (2 for 26) and on-loan Fynn Hudson-Prentice (2 for 38) backed up Patel with the ball.
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It was a wet evening at Hove (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Headingley: Birmingham Bears 205-8, Yorkshire 173-5 - Birmingham win by 32 runs
Allrounder Ed Barnard hit an excellent middle order 67 and then helped close things out with the ball as the Bears defended a 206-target to claim a crucial Vitality Blast win over Yorkshire at Headingley.
Barnard's 40-ball knock was the centrepiece of a 205 for 8 total, which also included a telling late assault of 76 runs in the last five overs from the lower order.
Pakistan seamer Hassan Ali hit 22 not out off eight balls and later struck twice with the ball, sealing a third win in six in the North Group – this by 32 runs.
Yorkshire, for whom New Zealand quick Will O'Rourke struck three times with the ball, looked well placed to reel in the target thanks to opener and captain Dawid Malan's 65 off 34 balls. But his fourth successive fifty in this competition was not enough to prevent a fourth defeat in six, the hosts finishing on 173 for 5.
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