Northamptonshire Steelbacks all-rounder James Sales produced career-best T20 bowling figures of five for 21 to set up a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at the cinch County Ground, Northampton.

Sales struck twice in the powerplay and then made two crucial breakthroughs in his third over mid-innings after Ben Charlesworth smashed an aggressive 49.

Gloucestershire’s lower order rallied, pushing them up to 164 for nine, but the Steelbacks’ Australian pair Chris Lynn and Nathan McSweeney combined in a blistering partnership of 91 in 8.4 overs.

Lynn smashed 65 off just 36 balls, while McSweeney made 53, falling just before the Steelbacks reached their victory target with 22 balls to spare. Ollie Price finished with two for 28.

Both sides were undefeated in this year’s Vitality Blast before this match, but Sales set the tone in the powerplay, restricting Gloucestershire to 42 for two. Bowling full and straight, he castled both the in-form Miles Hammond and the dangerous D’Arcy Short who had started positively, flicking square for six.

Charlesworth and Price rebuilt in a stand of 47, Charlesworth targeting the legside, flicking Calvin Harrison over deep midwicket and pulling George Scrimshaw for two huge sixes, one onto the roof of the West Stand.

The partnership was broken inevitably by Sales with a double breakthrough in the 12th over. First Price pulled to a diving Nathan McSweeney at deep midwicket. Then two balls later Jack Taylor slapped one straight to short cover.

Kamran Dhariwal threatened, hitting one big six, but was well caught on the deep midwicket boundary by Harrison off Willey.

Next ball Sales bagged his fifth, squaring Charlesworth up and trapping him lbw.

Next over Willey moved into 20th place in the all-time list of T20 wicket takers when he trapped James Bracey lbw to leave Gloucestershire in peril on 115 for six before Duan Jansen and Matt Taylor hit some lusty blows to give the visiting bowlers something to defend.

Chasing, Lynn smashed two boundaries legside off Marchant de Lange’s first over and pulled Jansen for a huge six but had a reprieve on 23 when Short dropped him behind square off Matt Taylor.

Price broke through at the other end though, snaring Ricardo Vasconcelos when he reverse swept to point.

McSweeney took three boundaries off the final over of the powerplay bowled by de Lange to put Northamptonshire in command on 59 for one, before dispatching Craig Miles’ first delivery for a straight six.

The Australian pairing motored on, Lynn powering Jack Taylor over extra cover for six and hitting another maximum off Short as he brought up both his half-century and Northamptonshire’s 100 in the 10th over.

Boundaries kept flowing as Lynn continued to swot the Gloucestershire bowlers legside, falling eventually when he skied one to Hammond who took a well-judged catch at deep midwicket.

McSweeney, joined by Willey, kept up the momentum, crunching a straight six off Jack Taylor to reach his fifty, but was bowled by Price with nine runs needed. Finally Willey drove Jack Taylor for four to finish the game.