Lehmann happy as another brilliant all-round Steelbacks effort overpowers stunned Essex
Head coach Darren Lehmann heaped praise on his players after they crushed Essex Eagles by 130 runs at a packed cinch County Ground on Friday night.
The win was the Steelbacks seventh on the spin in the Vitality Blast and was enough to see them go eight points clear at the top of the Central & West Group, with closest rivals Gloucestershire losing to Somerset.
With five group matches left to play, the Steelbacks are well on course for a home quarter-final as they sit 12 points clear of third-placed Glamorgan.
It was another statement performance on a record-breaking night at a red-hot Wantage Road, and Essex must be wondering what hit them.
The Steelbacks rattled up the highest ever T20 score at the County Ground as they made 238 for six - just two shy of their highest score in the format - and the margin of victory was the largest Northants have achieved, bettering their 102-run win over Surrey in the 2013 final at Edgbaston.
The total was also the most runs Essex have conceded in a T20 match, while leg-spinner Calvin Harrison claimed career-best bowling figures of five for nine as Essex crumbled to 108 all out in the 14th over.
Earlier, Chris Lynn had once again starred with the bat, thumping 75 from just 37 balls (11 fours, 3 sixes), while David Willey clubbed 65 from 29 (6 fours, 4 sixes) and Ricardo Vasconcelos stroked 44 from 21 (10 fours).
Lynn and Vasconcelos also broke the number of runs scored by the Steelbacks in a six-over powerplay, putting on 85 on their way to a first-wicket stand of 98 in 7.3 overs.
"We were pretty good tonight, and it was good to see and full credit to the players," said a delighted Lehmann.
"They lost the toss, batted beautifully and took the game on early. Again Lynn was brilliant, and Vasco was brilliant at the start.
"We had the luxury of sliding Nathan McSweeney down the order, but they just kept going and doing the team thing.
"We got 238 and then our bowling was excellent.
"Full credit Craig (Harvey, head groundsman) and his staff, the wickets have been excellent and all the T20 games have been high scoring, aside from perhaps one that was a 150/160.
"That wicket looked a belter and played accordingly, we were above par and that leads to scoreboard pressure.
"Essex are top heavy and have some world-class players, I mean that Jordan Cox can play, some of those shots he played off Ben Sanderson early were great, and I was thinking 'I hope we have enough?'.
"But we got him out with a good catch from Lewis McManus and we bowled in the right areas, and bowled at the top of the stumps more than they did.
"That is what you have to do when you are under pressure, and we did it well tonight."
As well as Harrison snaring five for nine from 2.2 overs, Sanderson claimed the crucial wickets of Cox and opener Paul Walter as he took two for 25, and there were key wickets at hey times grabbed by James Sales, Saif Zaib and George Scrimshaw.
The Steelbacks now have the weekend off before returning to Blast action on Wednesday night with a trip to Bristol to take on second-placed Gloucestershire.