Ben Stokes and Gareth Breese propelled Durham Dynamos to a third successive Friends Life t20 win, a five-wicket victory over Leicestershire Foxes at the Emirates Durham ICG that keeps them in the hunt for a quarter-final place.
Coming together on 56 for five in the 13th over in pursuit of the Foxes' modest total of 119 for seven, they shared an unbroken stand of 64 in 5.4 overs to see their side home with two overs to spare.
After hitting five sixes in each of the two previous wins, Stokes hammered three more in his 41 off 26 balls and Breese made 24 off 15.
With one North Group game left at home to Derbyshire Falcons on Sunday, Durham still have a slim chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals but Leicestershire now have no hope of progress.
Their defeat was tough on all-rounder Rob Taylor, who raised hopes after a feeble team batting performance by taking 4-11 in four overs of accurate left-arm swing.
Durham scored only six runs in four overs in the middle of their innings, but it was when Anthony Ireland was guilty of a fumble at long-off that the floodgates opened.
Ireland's error allowed Stokes to go back for a second run and he hit two of the next four balls from Shakib Al Hasan for six over long-on and backward square-leg. In the next over he pulled Shiv Thakor for six, and Breese throughout his innings produced some clever improvisations in hitting four fours.
After being put in, Leicestershire did not get going at all until Taylor and Ned Eckersley scored 23 off the last two overs.
Chris Rushworth's opening burst of three wickets for 10 runs in three overs stifled the Foxes, who were indebted to England Under 19 all-rounder Thakor for holding things together with 42 off 38 balls.
He hit one four and a six over long-off. Otherwise there were only two boundaries in the innings until Eckersley hit Stokes for four and six in the final over.
Phil Mustard's fine form at the start of the competition has deserted him since Durham started winning and in the second over of the reply he drove at an away-swinger from Ireland and edged to Joe Burns at slip.
Acting captain Mark Stoneman fell for 12 when he drove Taylor to cover. Then Will Smith was caught behind and Scott Borthwick clipped a catch to midwicket to end a good innings of 30.
Taylor also had Gordon Muchall lbw, but once his spell was finished Durham cut loose.