Wins for Falcons & Bears in T20 Blast at Edgbaston

Derbyshire Falcons and Birmingham Bears were victorious connected T20 Blast-Off Day astatine Edgbaston.

In nan first of a double measure successful Birmingham, nan Falcons needed nan thief of 2 of nan game's oldest heads arsenic they hit Leicestershire Foxes by 4 wickets earlier nan Bears polished disconnected Notts Outlaws by 22 runs.

A period guidelines betwixt 40-year-old Wayne Madsen and 39-year-old Samit Patel, connected only his 2nd Derbyshire quality pursuing his merchandise by Notts, helped nan Falcons triumph pinch 5 balls to spare.

Notts past showed really overmuch they mightiness still miss erstwhile England all-rounder Patel arsenic they stumbled successful pursuit of chasing a humble 150 against nan Bears.

It intends that nan Bears and Northants are nan only 2 teams to triumph their opening 2 games successful North Group. But really this was Patel's day.

After Leicestershire skipper Peter Handscomb had deed an unbeaten 75, nan Foxes rallied from 97-6 to station a competitory 176-6.

But, though Derbyshire stumbled to 31-3, Patel (64) and Madsen shared a 102-run fourth-wicket guidelines to scope 178-6 and unafraid a first triumph astatine nan 2nd effort successful this year's title arsenic joint-record three-times T20 winners Leicestershire suffered a first defeat.

"We did good to get a competitory people connected nan board," said Handscomb, "We sewage astir apt 16 much than we thought was nan par people here. But Samit batted beautifully and besides did a really bully occupation for them pinch nan ball. It was conscionable a awesome all-round performance."

The Foxes sewage disconnected to a dodgy commencement erstwhile Zak Chappell removed Sol Budinger for a aureate duck to nan 3rd shot of nan match, quickly followed by Pat Brown's dismissal of Rishi Patel successful nan 3rd over.

It was nan cue for a bully touch from paceman Brown connected nan crushed wherever he won nan T20 pinch Worcestershire six years agone - arsenic he lifted his garment to uncover a T-shirt pinch a number 33 connected it, arsenic a tribute to his late erstwhile team-mate Josh Baker.

Brown added a 2nd wicket, arsenic did Chappell, while Patel's agelessly fiendish rotation besides brought him 2 to time off nan Foxes successful problem midway done nan 13th over.

But Derbyshire did not negociate different breakthrough arsenic Australia Test subordinate Handscomb and England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed turned things pinch a guidelines of 79 successful 45 balls.

In reply, it was a akin communicative arsenic nan Falcons initially faltered, Luis Reece, David Lloyd and Harry Came each departing cheaply.

But Patel successful peculiar exploited nan short bound pinch a bid of large legside blows successful his 4 fours and 5 sixes. And, though he and Madsen some departed pinch triumph successful sight, Brooke Guest's speedy 20 sewage nan occupation done.

After Patel's earlier efforts, and contempt a adjacent fewer much seats successful nan 13,784 crowd being filled by 18:30 blast-off time, location was a consequence that nan day's 2nd crippled mightiness play 2nd fiddle.

And, pursuing Friday night's triumph connected nan roadworthy against Durham, it turned retired to beryllium a comfortable triumph for nan Bears, T20 winners for nan only clip present successful 2014, complete Notts, who lifted nan trophy successful 2017 and 2020.

Having made 200 almost a par people successful location T20 games successful 2023, nan Bears fell measurement short, bowled retired successful nan 20th complete for 149 - and that was chiefly down to nan efforts of Rob Yates, who again belied his estimation arsenic a red-ball master pinch 4 sixes successful his 68.

England's Olly Stone, pinch 3 wickets against his aged club, and Luke Fletcher, pinch 2-19 from 4 overs, did nan mostly of nan damage.

That brought together Worcestershire aged boys Joe Clarke and erstwhile England grounds breaker Alex Hales astatine nan apical of nan Notts order.

They calmly put connected 54 for nan opening wicket earlier Clarke perished to nan penultimate shot of nan sixth over, past different of Notts' erstwhile Pears, Jack Haynes, tried to move spinner Danny Briggs connected nan limb broadside and gave a starring separator backmost to nan bowler, who besides accounted for Will Young.

Hales past picked retired Dan Mousley astatine long-off to springiness Jake Lintott his first wicket to hasten Notts' descent from 54-0 to 71-4.

Tom Moores went to a superb debased one-handed diving drawback from Jacob Bethell connected nan heavy other screen bound - and Lintott struck again to person Lyndon James alternatively scruffily caught behind.

From past on, nan extremity was nigh, though it took different stunning drawback from Yates to decorativeness it arsenic spinner Mousley closed nan title pinch wickets from successive balls.

Old Trafford: Lancashire Lightning v Derbyshire Falcons (12:00)

Southampton: Hampshire Hawks v Kent Spitfires (13:00)

Cardiff: Glamorgan v Sussex Sharks (14:30)

Northampton: Northants Steelbacks v Yorkshire Vikings (15:30)

Chelmsford: Essex v Middlesex (16:00)

The Oval: Surrey v Somerset (18:00)

(Start times BST)