ROSS Whiteley said any personal satisfaction at hitting six sixes in an over was tempered by Worcestershire Rapids going down by 37 runs to Yorkshire Vikings in the NatWest T20 Blast at Headingley.

The left-hander became only the fifth player in first XI cricket and first Englishman after Sir Garfield Sobers, Ravi Shastri, Herschelle Gibbs and Yuvraj Singh to achieve the feat.

Lancashire’s Jordan Clark also managed it in a second XI game against Yorkshire in 2013.

Whiteley hit the maximums in an over from slow left-armer Karl Carver who also bowled a wide.

He again demonstrated his liking for the Vikings attack after 91 off 35 balls on the same ground two years ago in another T20 clash.

The former Derbyshire player brought up his half-century off just 18 balls in another demonstration of why he is in the top 10 of the T20 hitters of all time in terms of sixes per innings.

It was the fastest ever half-century by a Worcestershire batsman in T20, beating Gareth Andrew’s 50 off 20 balls at Headingley in 2011.

But Whiteley said: “The result’s the main thing. It’s pretty tough to take. They got far too many runs.

“We’ve lost four out of five. Obviously we have to bounce back. There’s no reason why we can’t.

“It was the right time in the game for me to go for it. It was all or nothing. Unfortunately for the bowler it was a short boundary and leg-side.

“I had the mentality that I was going to go for it before I got in. I hit the first out of the screws and needed to keep going for the team, not for that achievement.

“Personal milestones are great but it’s hard to get away from the defeat first of all. It’s something I’m sure I will look back on and be proud of.

“It’s something I never really thought I’d do in first-class (professional) cricket.”

Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale said: “Ross nearly did it (six sixes) a few years back against us. It was good striking.”