David Payne conceded just five goals in the final as Gloucestershire drew with Surrey at The Oval in the T20 Blast.
Defending 170-6, Payne hit Tom Curran off the first ball of the last before Sean Abbott drew level to leave a single needed off the final delivery.
But Payne defeated Jordan Clark and the points were shared to lift Gloucestershire off the bottom of the Southern Group.
Elsewhere, Sussex claimed an eight-wicket win at Essex to take the lead and Lancashire beat Leicestershire to stay ahead in the North.
Gloucestershire arrived in SE11 after three consecutive defeats but made a strong start, having been sent packing when Miles Hammond made 33 from 25 balls.
Australian Beau Webster then hit two sixes in his 40 from 31 deliveries to help the visitors record the highest score in the competition this season.
Ollie Pope led the chase with 48 off 39 balls to leave 15 needed in the final two overs.
Tom Curran scored his third four to leave just six from the final, but Payne produced an excellent final set as Gloucestershire drew a T20 game for the first time.
It was the first tie of 2024, following two last summer, both involving Durham.
Sussex moves to the top
The draw allowed Sussex to take the lead by galloping to victory – his fourth in the competition – by eight wickets at Chelmsford.
They sent in Essex, but Dean Elgar, with 54 off 39 balls, and Michael Pepper, 51 off 26, helped the home team to 178-9.
The target, however, was brutally dismantled when Harrison Ward made a career-best T20 68 off 36 deliveries and Australian Daniel Hughes 47 off just 18 with four sixes – including 32 off a single Daniel Sams.
John Simpson finished the job with an unbeaten 45 off 28 balls as Sussex won with four unused overs.
Somerset avoided the rain to win a five-point shootout against Kent but are second behind Sussex in net run rate.
The players were forced to abandon at Taunton after just one over in the first innings, but on resumption, Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the only batsman to depart for Somerset in the shortened match.
He made 24 from nine balls to post 55-6 for his side.
Kent lost two wickets in the first four balls of the chase and were always struggling, needing 36 from 12 balls, and finished at 46-5.
Lancashire takes the lead
In the North Group, Lancashire won a comfortable 25-race victory in Leicestershire.
Luke Wells got them off to a brilliant start with 35 off 18 balls, but the Foxes managed to get it right with regular wickets.
Steven Croft made 29 from 20 balls but the Lightning were bowled out for 162 with seven balls remaining before Scott Currie made it 4-25.
Leicestershire were well placed at 88-2 in the 13th over, but the innings fell and they could only reach 137-9.
At Edgbaston, Chris Woakes struggled in their first professional match since February, but Birmingham Bears still beat Yorkshire by four wickets.
Woakes’ three overs disappeared for 36 but the home spinners kept the visitors in check.
Joe Root made 39 off 27 balls but left-handers Jake Lintott, 3-15, and Danny Briggs, 3-26, helped bowl Yorkshire for 145 with one ball remaining.
Sam Hain then brought the Bears home with an unbeaten 53 off 40 balls to seal their third win of the season.
Donald breaks record
At Derby, Aneurin Donald hit eight sixes, the most in a T20 innings for Derbyshire, leading them to a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern victory over Northamptonshire.
Donald hit 68 off just 26 balls to give his team a brilliant start in the Steelbacks’ 193-8 chase.
Derbyshire reached 123-3 after 11 overs and were 24 runs ahead of the ideal score when rain ended the match.
Earlier, South African Matthew Breetzke hit 94 off 54 balls, with three sixes, as he made his highest score of the tournament so far for Northants.
It was also through the DLS method that Notts Outlaws He achieved his first victory in the competition on his sixth attempt.
A run of five consecutive defeats to the 2017 and 2020 champions finally ended with a seven-wicket win at New Road.
Sent in, the hosts recovered from 42-4 to 141-6, with Adam Hose hitting 43 off 35 balls.
In reply, Alex Hales hit four sixes to reach 50 off 37 balls and took his team to 100-3, one run ahead of the revised target, as rain wiped out the last five overs of the chase.
About that, Hampshire were frustrated by the weather as only 16.5 overs were possible in the Utilita Bowl.
The home team made it 5-27 to leave Middlesex in trouble at 113-8, before heavy rain arrived and left no further play possible.
Saturday Games
Trent Bridge: Notts Outlaws v Durham (2:30 p.m.)
Hove: Sussex Sharks v Surrey (19:00)
BST start time
Sunday games
Chester LS: Durham v Lancashire Lightning (14:30)
Worcester: Worcestershire Rapids v Northants Steelbacks (2:30 p.m.)
Headingley: Yorkshire Vikings v Leicestershire Foxes (15:00)
Taunton: Somerset v Glamorgan (15:00)
Canterbury: Kent Spitfires v Gloucestershire (3:30 p.m.)
Derby: Derbyshire Falcons v Birmingham Bears (4pm)
BST start time
