Vitality Blast: Yorkshire Vikings beat Worcestershire Rapids

Rapids' Dillon Pennington delivered a triple wicket maiden, and Riki Wessels and captain Ben Cox hit excellent half-centuries, but Worcestershire Rapids went down by 12 runs as they came up short in their chase.

This was Worcestershire's second defeat in 48 hours after Tuesday night’s defeat by 10 wickets against Nottinghamshire.

Having been undefeated in the first three games of the Blast tournament, they have slipped to three consecutive losses and now sit sixth in the North Group table.

After losing the toss, Rapids were asked to bowl first and Pennington got straight to work as he removed Adam Lyth, Jonny Tattersall and Gary Ballance in his first over - a triple wicket maiden in the third of the match - and then trapped Joe Root lbw for one in his next.

Wessels dropped Brook at midwicket on two off Ed Barnard’s seamer which would have left Yorkshire 21 for five, and it was clearly a key moment.

The 4,000 strong Headingley crowd were mesmerised by the remarkable power hitting of Brook and Thompson, who shared 11 sixes and recorded their second career fifties.

Pennington, four for 24, conceded three runs off his first three overs and later 21 off his fourth.

While Brook produced the higher total, Thompson’s was the most eye-catching innings and he reached 50 off 21 balls as 158 runs came from the last 11 overs for the loss of one wicket.

The pair came together at 50 for five in the 11th and peppered the stands on both sides of the wicket and down the ground.

Opener Wessels tried his best to atone for the earlier catching error with a season’s best score and from 50 for three in the eighth over, he shared 68 in seven overs with captain Ben Cox to keep the Rapids afloat.

But when he was yorked by Matthew Fisher at 118 for four in the 15th, it felt like the crucial blow. Cox finished 61 not out and helped take the target to 23 off the last, in which Fisher struck again as defeat was confirmed.