Worcestershire Rapids had youngsters Isaac Mohammed and Ethan Brookes to thank as their brilliant cameos saw them to a comprehensive six-wicket win over Durham.
Durham stuttered their way 156, with only Will Rhodes, 58 not-out, able to cash in against a well-drilled Rapids attack.
The reply sizzled from the outset, with 17-year-old Isaac Mohammed blasting 32 from just 15 balls, as his cameo put the Rapids well in a good position after the powerplay.
Coming in at 89-3, Ethan Brookes stole the show with a blistering 51, in an innings that included eight boundaries, to see his side to victory with two overs to spare.
Looking to bounce back from defeat away at Leicestershire on Sunday, Worcestershire Rapids welcomed Durham to Visit Worcestershire New Road ahead of another important Vitality T20 Blast clash.
With Captain Brett D’Oliveira still absent through injury and Ed Pollock rotated, the home side welcomed Kashif Ali back into the side and handed a debut to promising youngster Isaac Mohammed on a sun-drenched evening.
Winning the toss and this time electing to bowl first, Worcestershire had their overseas pair of Jacob Duffy and Ben Dwarshuis to thank for a positive powerplay, as their respective wicket’s saw Durham reduced to 37-2.
Jacob Duffy opened proceedings with a searing yorker, before the impressive Dwarshuis (1-28) had Ollie Robinson caught for one.
Alex Lees’ tempered knock of 28 off 24 was brought to an end when he clipped an Ethan Brookes delivery straight to the safe hands of Dwarshuis in the deep, as the visitors reached the halfway point of their innings 65-3.
Having recently signed a new long-term deal with the club, Brookes once again showed his value to the Rapids side with 1-32 on the night.
Tom Taylor returned from the New Road end with an instant impact, when Colin Ackerman spooned a length delivery to backward point, where debutant Isaac Mohammed was the grateful recipient of a straightforward catch, as the Rapids seized the momentum.
Durham’s fifth wicket fell with their score on 100, as Kashif Ali stayed alert at short-third man to take a sharp catch when Jimmy Neesham (5) mistimed an extravagant shot from Matthew Waite’s full delivery.
The cohesive display in the field and with the ball saw the Rapids on top heading into the final stages of the innings, before a 41-run partnership between Will Rhodes and Ben Raine was ended when Waite (2-20) rounded off an impressive bowling performance when he removed Raine in the 19th over.
Rhodes batted through for an unbeaten 58 from 33 balls, as Worcestershire restricted their opponents to 155-6.
In response, the eagerly anticipated arrival of youngster Isaac Mohammed did not disappoint, as he blasted Matthew Potts’ first over for 19, with his fearless attitude raising eyebrows around the ground, batting at a strike rate well over 200.
The exhilarating action continued, as Isaac launched maximums over extra-cover and down the ground, before his cameo was ended as he was bowled by Neesham, for 32 off just 15 deliveries.
The hosts raced to fifty inside the powerplay, after Kashif Ali joined Jake Libby to continue the fast start to the run-chase, which ended in style as Ali helped himself to four successive boundaries in the sixth over.
The pair added 48 for the second-wicket, before Ali (25) and Libby (21) fell in successive overs, to leave the home side 89-3 in the 12th over.
Stand-in Captain Adam Hose was joined by Ethan Brookes, as the middle-order duo raised the home side’s 100 with six overs remaining.
Ethan Brookes, then put his foot on the accelerator, taking the returning Potts for 21 off his second over, blasting three sixes in the process as he took his side to within touching distance.
Brookes, couldn’t quite see his side home, as he fell for a brilliant 51 from just 24 balls, but with just two required for victory, a comfortable six-wicket win was wrapped up in the 18th over.
