Thursday Vitality Blast reports | De Villiers shines as Middlesex start with a win

The South African great thrilled a packed house at the home of cricket with a match-winning 88 from just 43 balls as the hosts chased down a target of 165 with ease.

De Villiers' innings was a mix of class and belligerence, containing five sixes and six fours and it ensured Middlesex avoided a ninth successive defeat in the format, chasing down 165 with three overs to spare.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman took the new ball for Middlesex as he had done in the World Cup for Afghanistan, but it was Tom Helm (three for 27) who made the initial incisions, getting Varun Chopra and Cameron Delport caught in the deep off successive deliveries.

Tom Westley launched an impressive counter offensive, seven fours taking him to 40 before Nathan Sowter (two for 32) trapped him LBW.

The Australian leg-spinner also accounted for Dan Lawrence, caught by George Scott after De Villiers had palmed the ball back from the boundary.

At 73 for four Middlesex were in the ascendancy but Nick Gubbins dropped Ryan Ten Doeschate on the boundary when he had made just 19.

It proved expensive as Ten Doeschate raced to 50 in 33 balls before helping plunder 19 from Steven Finn's final over as the visitors posted an imposing 164 for six.

The hosts made a frenetic start with Paul Stirling being given two lives on five, Shane Snater dropping a simple caught and bowled before Delport juggled and grassed one at square leg off Adam Zampa.

Unlike Ten Doeschate, the Ireland international failed to make the most of the reprieves, nicking Matthew Quinn through to the wicketkeeper Adam Wheater to depart for 10.

Gubbins quickly followed, but De Villiers soon signalled his intent, flat-batting a four back over the bowler's head and then hitting maximums in successive overs as he and skipper Dawid Malan raised the 50-stand in 33 balls.

De Villiers surged to 50 in 29 balls and Malan caught the mood, crunching Lawrence for four through cover before De Villiers almost deposited the same bowler onto the Grandstand roof.

The 100-partnership came at a rate of knots and though Malan (43) was stumped off Zampa with 20 needed, Middlesex stormed home with three overs to spare.

Somerset crush Glamorgan

Somerset made a winning start in the 2019 Vitality Blast when they defeated an inexperienced Glamorgan team by eight wickets at Sophia Gardens.

An opening stand of 88 between Jeremy Lawlor and David Lloyd provided Glamorgan with a solid foundation.

But instead of consolidating they lost four wickets for 26 runs in just under five overs and needed an unbeaten half-century from Colin Ingram to enable them to reach a total of 180 for five.

Somerset encountered few problems in their chase, however, and passed their target with two overs to spare for the loss of just two wickets.

Glamorgan made a rapid start, with competition debutant Lawlor setting the tone by striking early boundaries and lifting Jamie Overton over long on for six.

Opening partner Lloyd also played his part as the hosts quickly rattled off the runs.

Although Somerset used five bowlers in the opening five overs, no one was able to stem the flow until the partnership was broken in the ninth over when Lawlor, who scored 43 from 30 balls, was caught on the long-off boundary by Max Waller off Roel Van Der Merwe.

Lloyd was the next out for 57 when he was deceived by Craig Overton's slower ball, giving Tom Abell at short square leg a simple catch.

Three wickets then fell for six runs as Chris Cooke (14) became Van Der Merwe's second victim, trapped lbw, while Dan Douthwaite and Billy Root both fell for two.

With one over remaining, Glamorgan were 153 for five but Ingram suddenly exploded by hitting Craig Overton for three sixes and two fours to finish unbeaten on 50.

On a perfect batting pitch, Somerset's response was brutal as Tom Banton scored 22 from Marchant De Lange's opening over, leading to the visitors putting 50 on the scoreboard after only four overs.

Banton soon reached his half-century with a high proportion of boundaries - five sixes and four fours - to put Somerset firmly in control, although they lost opener Babar Azam (35) to Douthwaite.

In the following over Banton's excellent innings of 64 ended when Root held on to a fine catch at deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Andrew Salter.

However, the experience of James Hildreth (24no) and Peter Trego (47no) saw Somerset reach their target with ease, leaving Glamorgan to reflect on their failure to capitalise on a good start.

Rapids too good for Outlaws

Moeen Ali and Ed Barnard powered Worcestershire Rapids to an impressive 28-run victory on the opening evening of this season's Vitality Blast.

The defending champions have retained the ability to win tight encounters and they deservedly had the better of Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge.

Both Ali and Barnard had outstanding all-round matches. Ali scored 32 and took four for 18, whilst his younger team-mate hit an unbeaten 42 and played a decisive hand in the Outlaws' unsuccessful run chase.

The visitors scored 161 for six, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, largely due to an unbroken seventh-wicket stand.

Barnard (42no) put on 59 with Ben Cox, who made 21. Samit Patel and Harry Gurney each picked up two wickets for the home side.

Notts recovered from 16 for two to 85 for three but the fall of Alex Hales' wicket, bowled by Barnard for 52, sucked the life out of the run chase and the hosts limped along to 133 for nine.

Nine of the players that appeared for the Rapids in last year's final victory over Sussex were involved, although two of them - Joe Clarke and Luke Wood - were wearing opposition colours.

Wood, who was on loan at New Road last season, bowled the opening over of the match and then almost had the first breakthrough as he threw down the stumps of Riki Wessels in the next over.

The former Outlaws batsman survived narrowly but then miscued Gurney high to short fine leg.

Callum Ferguson, who hit a century in the corresponding fixture last season, chopped Jake Ball onto his stumps, leaving the visitors on 41 for two after the powerplay.

Martin Guptill, central to the drama of the closing moments in Sunday's World Cup final at Lord's, opened his shoulders to club Matt Carter's off-spin for a huge leg-side six.

The New Zealand international made 27 from 24 balls before giving Wood a return catch in the 11th over.

Patel, playing his 169th domestic T20 match - drawing level at the top of the standings with Darren Stevens - removed Ali, then had Libby to thank for a stunning boundary catch to dismiss Ross Whiteley.

The Rapids scrambled their way to a competitive total by adding 45 runs in the final three overs of their innings.

At the start of the run chase, the vast majority of the 12,613 crowd looked on in disappointment as Clarke cut to point for only five.

Pat Brown, who led the wicket-taking chart a year ago with 31, needed only three deliveries to open his account for the new campaign, with Ben Duckett hitting him to cover.

Hales scored his runs from 34 balls, which included three fours and three sixes but his departure prompted a dramatic collapse as the middle order fell away against Ali's off-spin, with the Outlaws losing five wickets for 19 runs in just over three overs to start the Worcestershire celebrations.