Moeen hits form as Blast champions Worcestershire thrash rivals Birmingham

Moeen Ali returned to form with an unbeaten 85 from 46 to steer Vitality Blast champions Worcestershire to a nine-wicket win over derby rivals Birmingham at Edgbaston.

The England all-rounder, dropped after the opening Ashes Test in Birmingham, clubbed six sixes and seven fours to make light work of what had looked a difficult target after the hosts posted 184 for five.

Riki Wessels expertly played second fiddle to his skipper, with 65, in an unbroken 138-run stand to move the Rapids a step closer to booking a quarter-final place as they aim to return to Edgbaston in just under a month for Finals Day.

Michael Klinger produced a performance to befit what is likely to be his final match at the Bristol County Ground as Gloucestershire boosted their last-eight hopes with a 25-run win over arch-rivals Somerset.

The much-loved Australian opener hit a match-winning 74, and shared a 105-run opening stand with Miles Hammond, after he had been honoured for seven years of service to Gloucestershire before the match.

Left-arm spinner Tom Smith then claimed three for 19 to help bowl Somerset out for 164.

Rookie spinner Jack Shutt took five for 11 to help keep Yorkshire’s slight quarter-finals hopes alive with a 14-run win over Durham at Emirates Riverside.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s 52 helped the Vikings post 146 for six and while Durham openers D’Arcy Short and Scott Steel got their side off to another good start, adding 70, the innings fell away dramatically thereafter thanks to 22-year-old Shutt.

Durham lost their last eight wickets for 26 runs, including four in the final over of the game, bowled by Adam Lyth who finished with three for 19.

Kent lost at home for the first time after Surrey snatched a one-run win at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.

The Spitfires had appeared to be cruising towards victory as openers Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond shared a 115-run stand in 12.4 overs.

But Surrey’s bowlers managed to put the clamps on, despite only taking three wickets, and Heino Kuhn could only hit a boundary with six needed from Sam Curran’s final ball.

Will Jacks had earlier revived Surrey’s innings with eight sixes in his 27-ball 63 to help the visitors post 171 for seven.

Nottinghamshire defeated Leicestershire by seven wickets on the back of a 96-run stand between Alex Hales and Ben Duckett.

Harry Swindells hit 61 while Luke Fletcher took three for 17 in the Foxes’ 161 for eight, which the Outlaws hauled in with seven balls to spare.

Derbyshire thrashed Northamptonshire by nine wickets after the visitors suffered a remarkable collapse at Derby.

Alex Hughes was the star of a disciplined bowling performance with three for 13 as the Steelbacks capitulated from 83 for three to 100 all out in the 18th over.

An unbeaten 51 by Wayne Madsen and 28 from Billy Godleman guided the Falcons home with 17 balls to spare.