After impetus at the start of the innings from Ed Barnard, with a T20-best 48, and skipper Al Davies (36) in an 80-run opening stand, Dan Mousley also weighed in with 43 off 29 balls before Bethell took over late on to lift the Bears to a season high of 219-4.

His 16-ball knock – including seven sixes – was described by BBC Radio WM’s Richard Wilford as an “other worldly half-century of pure range hitting”.

“I wasn’t really looking at the scoreboard too much,” Bethell told BBC Radio WM. “I was just trying to watch the ball and hit it.

“I put in a lot of work over the winter which I spent over here rather than going away. And I think that work is paying off. Practice creates confidence and I am playing with a lot of confidence.”

After two early wickets for miserly England paceman Richard Gleeson, who averages less than five runs an over in this competition in 2024, Northants folded to 129-9 to lose by 90 runs.

The downside for the Bears, ahead of Friday’s Midlands derby at Worcester, was a side strain for Gleeson, which further depletes their bowling options, having rested England all-rounder Chris Woakes.

Yorkshire had a 104-run stand between skipper Shan Masood (61) and former England captain Joe Root (43) to thank for posting a competitive 173-8 against Lancashire.

Saqib Mahmood took three wickets, but spinner Chris Green was the pick, taking 2-21 from his four overs.

Lancs might a bright start but then slipped from 67-2 in the eighth over to 88-5 by the 11th before failing to hit 20 off the last over in closing on 166-8 to lose by seven runs.