Sussex will go into their Vitality Blast rematch on the back of a home defeat.

But Hove fans were treated to a thriller to complete the South Group programme.

Graeme van Buuren hit the final delivery, by Reece Topley, for six to give Gloucestershire a three-wicket win. Van Buuren dug out a brilliant yorker off the penultimate ball and then lofted the killer blow.

Sussex will face Worcestershire, the side who beat them in the final last year, in the quarters at Hove next Friday.

They set 163-8 last night having been a precarious 8-2 early and a very promising 111-2 in the 12th over.

The Argus:

Delray Rawlins was the star performer of the Sharks innings, which will have been maddening for the visitors.

With Rawlins on one and Sussex wobbling at 8-2, he chipped a simple chance which was fumbled by Tom Smith at cover point .

Sussex, who lost Phil Salt to a leading edge and Laurie Evans to Miles Hammond’s direct hit run out, saw Rawlins quickly cash in on his reprieve with a pair of fours.

The young Bermuda international set Hove alight for a while, not least with a huge legside six.

He shared a stand of 103 in ten overs with Luke Wright which seemed to be taking away Gloucestershire hopes of the win they wanted to secure a home quarter-final.

Batting was never quite as easy as Rawlins made it look.

Wright was bowled for 41 off 32 balls and from then on the innings only really progressed in fits and starts.

Rawlins’ 41-ball knock ended when he lofted a full toss straight back to bowler Andrew Tye. The batsman looked to the square leg umpire for a no-ball verdict which never came.

Chris Jordan also fell caught and bowled as he went though his shot too early.

That left David Wiese as the big hope for a late onslaught.

He crashed David Payne, who had earlier failed to hold a ferocious return-catch chance off the South African, for a huge six over extra cover to open over 19.

But he stepped to off looking to flick the next ball to leg and was pinned lbw.

Sussex’s tailenders could barely lay bat on ball in Tye’s tidy final over as he completed his spell of 1-11 off a full allocation.

Michael Klinger was the obvious dangerman for Gloucestershire.

The diving sub fielder George Garton got a hand to what was barely a half-chance offered by the visiting skipper off Reece Topley.

Klinger casually chipped a six over wide long-on off Ollie Robinson to spoil what had been a tight over.

Miles Hammond then hit two sixes and a four off Topley’s second over and Gloucestershire were 59-0 before Rawlins lifted the crowd.

He held a full-blooded pull through midwicket by Hammond off Jordan as Gloucestershire ended the powerplay on 60-1.

The Argus:

Rawlins’ busy evening also saw him employed as a third spinner after Danny Briggs and Will Beer applied the brakes.

Beer caught James Bracey right in front looking to work the ball to leg.

Then, as pressure was built, Rawlins induced a thin edge as Klinger prodded outside off stump and Ben Brown took the simple catch.

The odds evened further when Beer bowled Jack Taylor as he looked to chop the ball behind point to leave the visitors needing 54 off six.

Rawlins completed his fine night on an individual basis by bowling Ryan Higgins.

Ian Cockbain and Graeme van Buuren took a likng to the seamers.

But the former was kicking himself after pulling a loose Topley delivery to Jordan at long-on.

A bemused Tye was run out after Garton failed to hold what would have been a brilliant catch off van Buuren but recovered to get the ball to the bowler’s end. But van Buuren saw it through.