WORCESTERSHIRE Rapids were on the receiving end of a six-hitting blitz as a five-wicket defeat dealt a blow to their hopes of sealing a Vitality Blast home quarter-final.

Notts Outlaws opener Riki Wessels smashed nine sixes in his 55 off just 18 balls to set them on their way to overhauling a 192 target with 11 balls to spare.

Three more came in an over from former Notts paceman Andy Carter and the first three deliveries of Pat Brown’s opening over also received the same treatment.

When he finally perished, caught on the deep square leg boundary off the competition’s leading wicket-taker Brown, Outlaws' total stood on 72 in just the fifth over.

His boundary-clearing spree took the pressure off the other batsmen as victory strengthened their chances of a top-four spot.

But third-placed Rapids, already guaranteed a quarter-final, are in a three-horse race with Durham Jets and Lancashire Lightning to secure a home tie in the knockouts.

Rapids' 191-6 was based around a career-best T20 performance with the bat by Brett D’Oliveira (64).

The hosts were put into bat and Luke Fletcher bowled a testing opening over when Joe Clarke twice edged him for four.

Clarke produced more convincing shots in clipping Fletcher through mid-wicket and carving him over point for boundaries.

Rapids captain Moeen Ali, released by England from Test duty to play, got into his stride with two sixes over mid-wicket off Outlaws skipper Dan Christian.

The Rapids half-century came up in the fifth over but then three wickets fell quickly.

Clarke (29) lofted Fletcher to Alex Hales at mid-on and in the same over Callum Ferguson (4), a century-maker in the Blast fixture at Trent Bridge last weekend, cut the ball to Samit Patel at point.

It became 62-3 when Moeen carved a delivery from Steven Mullaney to Jake Libby on the cover boundary.

D’Oliveira and Ben Cox (16) added 52 in five overs before the Rapids wicketkeeper was caught on the square leg boundary off Mullaney.

Christian returned to bowl Ross Whiteley (16) and D’Oliveira, having struck three sixes and six fours in his 37-ball knock, departed in the same fashion to Harry Gurney.

But late aggression from Wayne Parnell, including successive sixes off the final two deliveries of the innings from Gurney, lifted Rapids to a competitive-looking total.

When Notts launched their reply Wessels adapted an all-out aggressive approach despite Hales (9) quickly departing to Carter.

After his eventual dismissal, Libby and Mullaney could play without taking risks in adding 49 in six overs.

Brown claimed a second scalp when Mullaney (20) skied the ball on the on side and then Libby (37) was run out after smart work by D’Oliveira when Tom Moores called him through for a single.

But Moores (30) ensured there were no late scares for Outlaws as he lofted Moeen for three sixes in the 15th over despite becoming a third victim of Brown (3-28).