Old boy Neesham condemns Steelbacks to damaging Blast defeat at Leicestershire Foxes

Sol Budinger earlier matched Neesham’s five sixes in a 25-ball 45 as the Foxes chased down 184 to win with five balls to spare.

The win lifts them above the Steelbacks and into fourth place in the North Group table with 12 points from 12 matches played.

Northants, who also have 12 points, have dropped to fifth but have a game in hand on the Foxes as well as second-placed Lancashire Lightning and third-placed Durham, who they play next at Chester-le-Street on Sunday.

In a very tight group, there are seven teams still in contention for the four quarter-final places on offer.

The defeat is a damaging one for John Sadler’s side, but their qualification fate is still in their own hands.

Veteran former England all-rounder Ravi Bopara hit two sixes as he struck 61 off 44 balls and Saif Zaib three maximums in his 50 off 28 as the Steelbacks posted 183 for seven after the Foxes had put them in.

They had looked on for 200-plus but Ben Mike (three for 17) led a strong end to the innings by the home side.

Northants lost Ricardo Vasconcelos and David Willey in the opening powerplay, the former top-edging Josh Hull into the deep at fine leg before Neesham - having his best night in Foxes colours against one of his former counties - bowled Willey.

But a recovery from 27 for two to 56 for two after six represented a decent start with Matthew Breetzke and Bopara crashing the first two sixes of the night.

They extended their partnership to 48 from 34 balls but a change to spin at both ends paid off as Breetzke’s mistimed slog was caught at long-on for 34 off 20 balls, but some heavy damage was inflicted in the next eight overs as Zaib and Bopara added 83, both making their best scores of the season.

The Foxes finished well with the ball, however, taking four wickets for just 25 in the last four overs.

Mike claimed the starring role with three for eight in his last two, bowling Bopara and then having Zaib caught off a top-edge to fine leg before Lewis McManus holed out to cover.

A tight death over from Hull saw Gus Miller run out off the final delivery.

Needing a little over nine an over, Leicestershire were 28 without loss from two after Budinger hit 23 from his first seven balls faced, including back-to-back sixes off Ashton Agar’s left-arm spin.

Ben Sanderson’s first two overs went for 22 before Budinger hit three leg-side maximums in five deliveries from 19-year-old seamer Raphy Weatherall as the Foxes plundered 60 for one in the powerplay.

This was despite Willey (two for 18) conceding just a single in each of his two overs and claiming the wicket of Rishi Patel, who hammered 104 in the tied reverse fixture two weeks ago but perished for just one this time, the victim of a superb catch on the run by Agar at cover.

By the halfway point, the Steelbacks were fighting back well, having claimed three for 23 between overs seven and 10.

Agar had Rehan Ahmed caught at long-on and Budinger off a miscue to backward point before Peter Handscomb was stumped off a wide delivery from Bopara.

The balance tipped back towards the home side as Neesham and Louis Kimber plundered 40 from the next three overs, with a couple of sixes each. Kimber had an escape on 19 when Willey just failed in a fine effort at deep midwicket off the left-arm wrist spin of Freddie Heldreich.

Kimber did not survive the return of Willey with the ball, pulling into the hands of deep backward square, but two fours and a six by Neesham off Agar left the Foxes needing 42 from five.

Needing 19 from 18 balls, the Foxes lost Ben Cox leg before to Weatherall, with another twist to come as Neesham skied Sanderson to deep extra cover with 10 still needed from eight.

But Goldsworthy and Mike picked off a boundary apiece to get the job done with five balls to spare.