Thursday's NatWest T20 Blast results
North Group, Grace Road: Leicestershire (143-6) beat Derbyshire (139-7) by four wickets
South Group, The Oval: Surrey (134-8) beat Gloucestershire (130-9) by two wickets
South Group, Chelmsford: Kent (221-2) beat Essex (210-5) by 11 runs
North Group, Headingley: Yorkshire (260-4) beat Northamptonshire (136 all out) by 124 runs
Thursday's NatWest T20 review
Adam Lyth smashed a record 161 to keep Yorkshire's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast alive.
Lyth hammered seven sixes and 20 fours in his 73-ball innings - a record highest score in British domestic Twenty20 cricket - to propel the Vikings to a 124-run win over Northamptonshire at Headingley.
The result lifted Yorkshire, whose total of 260 for four was also a domestic record, to second in the North Group with all their fixtures played.
It could prove enough - and they have vastly improved their run rate - but they can only watch as the final round of fixtures in a tightly-packed competition are played on Friday.
Richard Levi hit 65 in the Steelbacks reply but they were bowled out for 136, with Azeem Rafiq taking five for 19, and must try again to qualify in their last game against Durham.
Yorkshire can be backed at 7/1 with Sky Bet to win the Natwest T20 title and Northamptonshire follow at 10/1.
Leicestershire (20/1 to lift the trophy) also stayed in contention with a vital four-wicket win over Derbyshire (12/1).
The Falcons, who remain third in the group, could muster only 139 for seven from their 20 overs despite 72 from Matt Critchley.
Mark Cosgrove top-scored with an unbeaten 57 as the Foxes won with nine balls remaining.
There was also a record in the South Group as Kent claimed an 11-run win over Essex at Chelmsford following a new world-best opening stand of 207 between Joe Denly and Daniel Bell-Drummond.
Denly cracked 127 from 66 balls and Bell-Drummond an unbeaten 80 from 49 deliveries as Kent compiled 221 for two.
Varun Chopra smashed nine sixes in a 59-ball 116 as Essex (25/1 in the outright odds) ran the visitors close but Kent (16/1) held on to close in on a last-eight spot.
Surrey (10/1 with Sky Bet) also maintained their interest with victory in a low-scoring thriller against Gloucestershire at the Kia Oval.
Surrey’s Sam Curran bowled a triple-wicket maiden and recorded figures of four for 13 as Gloucestershire, who are eliminated, were limited to 130 for nine.
Moises Henriques top-scored with 45 as Surrey just edged home by two wickets with four balls to spare.
Related links
Latest NatWest T20 standings
Sky Bet's NatWest T20 odds
