Sussex saw the chance of a winning finale in the Vitality Blast blown away by a stunning Hampshire partnership at Hove.
They reduced their visitors to 61-5 at the end of the eighth over, only for a stand of 112 in ten overs between Hilton Cartwright and Ben Mayes to change the game.
Set a victory target of 187, Hampshire got home by four wickets with one ball to spare.
They duly claimed top spot in the South Group while Sussex finished rock bottom with three wins from 12 games.
Cartwright (70 off 31 balls, with seven sixes) and the gifted 18-year-old Mayes (55 off 36) hit the Sharks bowlers to all corners of the County Ground.
Hampshire, who had chosen to field, broke through in the second over when the in-form Harrison Ward pulled Sonny Baker – bowling with some pace down the slope and with the wind behind him - into the safe hands of Cartwright at long leg. Ward stood his ground for a while, appearing to suggest that the delivery had been above shoulder height.
Dan Hughes and George Thomas then added 65 for the second wicket in just seven overs, the best stand of the innings. At the end of the six-over power play Sussex had reached a very respectable 69-1, Hughes leading the way with 42 of them.
The Australian left-hander, fresh from his century against Middlesex on Friday, had made 55 from 32 deliveries, with ten fours, when he slapped a ball from Delano Potgieter straight to extra-cover. And two overs later it was 104-3 when Thomas flicked a Scott Currie delivery to the deep mid-wicket boundary.
Jack Leaning lost his leg stump to Baker for 19 to leave Sussex 121-4after 13 overs and with Liam Dawson putting a brake on the scoring it was a good passage of play for the Hawks.
But the Sussex innings was revived by a fifth wicket stand of 52 in 5.4 overs by Tom Alsop and Charlie Tear, who with sweet timing hit four leg-side sixes in an unbeaten 40 from 25 deliveries.
Hampshire made a hesitant start to their reply. Toby Albert skied a return catch to Tymal Mills in only the second over and captain James Vince had scored only nine when, attempting to hoist Tom Price over mid-on, he picked out the fielder instead.
At the end of the power Hampshire were 47 for two and in the next over they lost their third wicket when Dawson was caught by Thomas, sprinting in from the midwicket boundary.
Hampshire were really up against it when they lost two wickets in the same Jack Carson over. Joe Weatherley, their leading scorer in the competition this season, trod on his stumps as he attempted to work the off-spinner off the back foot and Potgieter was caught behind two balls later.
Sussex were on top at that stage. But their awful T20 campaign had one last setback up its sleeve.
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