With an impressive five-wicket victory over Essex, Gloucestershire opened their Vitality Blast account thanks to four wickets apiece from David Payne and Matt Taylor.
Payne finished with four for twenty-four after taking three wickets with the new ball and dismissing Daniel Sams. Taylor, meanwhile, cleaned up the tail to return career-best T20 figures of four for 22 from four overs and restrict the losing team from the previous season to 141 for nine. Paul Walter made 43 and Jordan Cox made 48, dominating a partnership of 64 in 6.5 overs for the fourth wicket.
With 18 balls remaining, Gloucestershire managed to win with ease, with to James Bracey’s impressive score of 49 off just 30 balls and his dominant partnership of 83 in seven overs with Cameron Bancroft, who chipped in with 32. In a thrilling final-ball match against Derbyshire Falcons, Northamptonshire Steelbacks took a commanding lead thanks to an undefeated 56 from 42 deliveries from Ravi Bopara. Former England all-rounder Bopara and 38-year-old Zimbabwean international Sikandar Raza shared a partnership of 67 runs from 52 balls.
Although Raza fell to Zak Chappell with 25 still needed, Bopara kept his head to steer Northamptonshire over the line along with Lewis McManus, who levelled the scores with a boundary off Luis Reece and struck the final ball for a single.
Earlier, David Lloyd had top-scored for the Falcons with 41 from 22 as they posted 162 for seven, with Steelbacks skipper David Willey taking one for 17 from four overs.
