Worcestershire Rapids came agonisingly close to keeping their One Day Cup hopes alive, but saw their title defence ended in cruel fashion despite beating Durham by 77-runs in a tense final group game at New Road.
Up against it from the get-go, needing to win and hope other results go their way, Worcestershire lost Brett D’Oliveira to a catch and bowled by Luke Robinson just two balls in.
However, Matthew Waite and Isaac Mohammed began the rebuild, putting together a solid partnership of 49 runs for the second wicket. Waite punched his way to a typically counter-attacking 39 that included eight boundaries, but was caught at first slip off the bowling of the former England Test captain Ben Stokes.
It brought skipper Jake Libby to the crease, aiming to add a record-breaking fifth consecutive century.
Libby, however, could only manage 46 runs before falling to leg-spinner Ghafari, leaving to a standing ovation after a magnificent competition.
With the Rapids in a precarious position at 137-5, Tom Taylor stepped up. Coming in at number eight, Taylor played a sensational knock, scoring 86 runs off just 74 balls, including 11 boundaries.
He was denied a century when he was caught and bowled in the 48th over, leaving to rapturous applause as Worcestershire set their opponents 292 to win.
Durham made a fast start, racing to 47 runs without loss. However, the Rapids bowlers struck back, with Tom Taylor taking the crucial wicket of Alex Lees.
The tide continued to turn when Ben Allison snagged the in-form Will Rhodes for a duck and soon after David Bedingham (17) and Ben Stokes (1) fell cheaply, leaving Durham reeling at 79-4.
Ben McKinney was a thorn in the side of Worcestershire, scoring a brisk 82 runs off just 70 balls, but his dismissal by concussion substitute Ben Gibbon proved decisive.
Needing to win by a margin of 94 runs or more in order to qualify for the knockouts, the ball was thrown to the in-form Fateh Singh in the 29th over, with the hosts in growing need of a seventh wicket.
A stand of 54 between Kasey Aldridge and Ollie Robinson stabilised the visitors, but their dismissals for 29 and 43 respectively kept Worcestershire in with a sniff at 199-8.
A tense finale beckoned when Waite castled Ghafari to take a ninth wicket with Worcestershire’s hopes of a dramatic qualification alive, but a last wicket rearguard between Robinson and Parkinson drove a dagger through Rapids hearts.
With confirmation that Durham had done enough to qualify for the quarter-finals, the final wicket of Luke Robinson, who was castled by Ben Allison, was nothing more than a consolation for the reigning champions.
The 77-run victory was not enough, as the title holders bowed out in agonising fashion, falling short on net run-rate.
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