Northamptonshire continued their fabulous start to this season’s Vitality Blast with a thrilling bowler-dominated seven-run win over Durham at the Banks Homes Riverside, defending a 146-target.

The Steelbacks claimed this low-scoring cross-group clash to secure a fifth straight win and strengthen their position atop the Central and West Group.

They were particularly impressive in defence as North Group side Durham lost their third game in five. The seam of James Sales comfortably defended 14 off the last over and finished with 2 for 10 from two. Ben McKinney top-scored with 33 for Durham.

Northamptonshire’s 145 for 9 saw Justin Broad top-score with 36 off 32 balls. Left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson was excellent with 3 for 19. Pacy Kasey Aldridge also struck twice and claimed three catches.

Parkinson removed Australian overseas duo Chris Lynn and Nathan McSweeney cheaply – both caught at cover. Ben Raine then had opener Ricardo Vasconcelos caught behind in the powerplay.

Captain David Willey set the ball rolling on a recovery with 26 but holed out to long-off against Parkinson – 72 for 4in the 12th over.

Broad twice heaved leg-side sixes whilst sharing 47 for the fifth wicket with Saif Zaib, who contributed 25. But full-throttle acceleration was tricky on this sluggish surface, and Durham took five wickets for 26 inside the final four overs of the innings.

Nathan Sowter’s miserly legspin accounted for Zaib before Broad miscued Raine’s seam to long-on. Aldridge picked up his two wickets in that period, including a fine swirling caught-and-bowled effort to remove Lewis McManus.

Willey then struck with the first ball of Durham’s chase as Graham Clark loosely guided a back-of-a-length ball to backward point, though McKinney was quickly into his stride.

He twice pushed Willey back down the ground for early boundaries before taking two fours and a six off McSweeney’s offspin as 16 came off the fourth over. The six, over long-on, thudded into the bottom floor of the Riverside’s Media Centre.

However, excellent Ben Sanderson struck with successive deliveries in the fifth over as the score became 41 for 3. He uprooted Alex Lees’ leg-stump before trapping Ollie Robinson lbw. And when McKinney skewed Zaib’s first ball of left-arm spin to backward point to fall for 33, the Steelbacks held sway at 53 for 4 in the eighth.

McSweeney then had a hand in the next two wickets as the score fell to 90 for 6 in the 14th over. He had Colin Ackermann caught at cover and ran Aldridge out at the striker’s end with a throw running in from deep midwicket to prevent a second.

Will Rhodes and Raine tried to recover, only for the latter to be bowled by Sales – 113 for 7 after 17.

The target became 24 off the last two overs and 14 off the last with Rhodes on 29 and T20 debutant bowler James Minto at the crease. Nerveless Sales had Rhodes caught at mid-off for 31 in the last.