WORCESTERSHIRE Rapids suffered an agonising one-run defeat against Notts Outlaws before losing by 11 runs against Northants in the T20 Blast.
The Rapids lost by just one run under the Duckworth Lewis method (DLS) against Notts at New Road before slipping to an 11-run defeat against Northamptonshire Steelbacks at the same ground.
And the results mean the Rapids sit eighth in the T20 Blast North Group standings after seven matches.
Against Notts, Worcestershire lost a flurry of early wickets as Brett D’Oliveira (8) top edged to a catch to third man off Ben Lister (2-23) before Matt Montgomery (1-10) trapped Josh Cobb (6) LBW.
And Matthew Waite (7) then fell to the bowling of Olly Stone (1-28) while Calvin Harrison (2-22) bowled Ethan Brookes (9) to leave the Rapids on 42-4.
However, Adam Hose (43) and Nathan Smith (27) put on 69 runs for the fifth wicket as the latter hit two sixes before falling victim to Harrison.
And Lister eventually accounted for Hose who holed out to long on in the penultimate over as Ed Pollock (26 not out) helped the Rapids finish on 141-6.
Notts made a steady start in reply before Tom Taylor (1-18) took out the middle stump of Joe Clarke (26).
However, some big hits from Alex Hales (50 not out) ensured Notts moved ahead of the required rate as dark skies loomed over New Road.
West Indian spinner Hayden Walsh (2-16) bowled Will Young (12) before trapping Jack Haynes (5) LBW to leave the game in the balance.
Hales clubbed two more sixes before the heavens finally opened and the umpires took the players off the field as the Rapids suffered a cruel defeat by way of DLS.
And the Rapids slipped to an 11-run defeat against Northants despite the best efforts of Brookes who impressed with both bat and ball.
After Northants made a steady start, Adam Finch (2-31) made the breakthrough when David Willey (20) pulled a delivery straight to deep mid wicket.
And Walsh (1-22) then bowled George Bartlett (7) before Brookes (1-20) accounted for Ravi Bopara (2) to leave the Steelbacks on 50-3.
However, Northants recovered as Matthew Breetzke (52) and Sikandar Raza (43) put on 75 runs for the fourth wicket before both fell to Taylor (2-16) in the 18th over.
Finch claimed his second wicket after trapping Saif Zaib (2) LBW as Northants finished on 143-6.
In reply, Rob Jones (8) was caught behind off Raphael Weatherall (2-35) before Gareth Roderick (5) and Hose (0) were dismissed by Ben Sanderson (3-16) in the same over.
Both D’Oliveira (34) and Brookes (42) dug in and helped the Rapids reach 94-5 as Bartlett produced a fine catch to account for the latter off the bowling of Willey (1-18).
Northants quickly took the wickets of Smith (7) and Pollock (1) with Taylor (20 not out) and Walsh (12 not out) unable to score the required runs at a quick enough rate as the Rapids finished on 132-7.
Worcestershire are next in action against local rivals Warwickshire on Friday, June 21 with the game to begin at 5.30pm at New Road.
