Alex Blake blasted an incredible 71 off 30 balls to power Kent Spitfires to victory over Hampshire when the game seemed lost. Ravi Bopara breathed life into Essex Eagles’ campaign with an exquisite 81 off 53 balls which steered them to a five-wicket win over Glamorgan. Paul Stirling delivered an early knockout against Kent at Lord’s, smashing a match-shaping 90 from just 50 balls. Michael Klinger unleashed carnage at the County Ground in Bristol, pummelling a career-best 126 from 68 balls to lead Gloucestershire to a 34-run win over Essex Eagles. James Franklin blew Kent away with the ball, recording the ridiculous figures of 5

1. 6 BLAKESUPERIOR 71 (30)
Alex Blake blasted an incredible 71 off 30
balls to power Kent Spitfires to victory over
Hampshire when the game seemed lost.
Joining captain Sam Northeast at 70-5
in the 11th over, a run-rate of 10.3 was
required for victory. Chris Wood and Danny
Briggs were both put to the sword before
Blake took apart T20 veteran Yasir Arafat,
hitting him for four and six.
Suddenly only 19 runs were
needed, and Blake took just eight
balls to finish the job, hitting
13 off Wood’s over, another
four off Arafat and then a
final, glorious six over
mid-wicket.
7 SAVVYRAVI 81* (53)
Ever the stylist, Ravi Bopara breathed
life into Essex Eagles’ campaign with an
exquisite 81 off 53 balls which steered them
to a five-wicket win over Glamorgan.
Ravi was on top form and Craig
Meschede, Graham Wagg and Michael
Hogan all struggled to contain him. The
Essex man finished it off in brilliant style,
hammering two sixes off the bowling of
Ruaidhri Smith to seal victory.
8 STIRLINGPOUNDS 90 (50)
Middlesex’s pocket top-order puncher Paul
Stirling delivered an early knockout against
Kent at Lord’s, smashing a match-shaping
90 from just 50 balls. He hit four massive
sixes in a 31-ball half-century, taking a
particular shine to offie Adam Riley, whose
first over went for 21. Stirling’s knock –
which included seven sixes and six fours –
set up a 115-run win for the home team.
9 WINNER,WINNER,
MICHAELKLINGER 126* (68)
Michael Klinger unleashed
carnage at the County Ground
in Bristol, pummelling a career-best 126
from 68 balls to lead Gloucestershire to a
34-run win over Essex Eagles.
Incredibly, the 34-year-old Australian
was dropped three times, on 44, 46 and 52,
but the luck went his way and allowed him
to record Gloucestershire’s highest-ever
T20 score.
Reece Topley was the first to go the
distance before countryman Shaun Tait
was dispatched for six and four. Eagles
allrounder Graham Napier, himself a big-
hitter, was the real victim though, as Klinger
hit six sixes off his last two overs to take
Gloucestershire to victory.
FRANKLIN,MYDEAR,KENT
NEVERSTOODACHANCE 5-21
Kiwi allrounder James Franklin has been
an inspired overseas signing for Middlesex
and at Lord’s at the end of May he blew
Kent away with the ball, recording the
ridiculous figures of 5-21. He came on in the
ninth over with Kent on 56-2 and four overs
later it was 78-7 – five wickets to his name.
Game over.
22 | DURHAM NATWEST T20 BLAST
DURHAM-T20-Programme2.indd 22 02/06/2015 15:22