Gloucestershire set T20 record as Leicestershire slip up

Ireland’s World Cup star O’Brien led the way with a stunning 119 off 52 balls, striking 11 sixes and seven fours, while former New Zealand international Marshall contributed 102 off 54 deliveries to an opening stand of 192 as the two batsmen ran riot at Uxbridge. None of Middlesex’s six bowlers escaped unscathed as the Gladiators broke the previous highest domestic T20 score, which was 250-3 set by Somerset against Gloucestershire in 2006. It was also the first time a side has boasted two centurions in the same T20 innings.

In reply, Middlesex slumped to 67-6 before finishing on 149-8 as they fell to a 105-run defeat, allowing Gloucestershire to leapfrog them off the bottom of the South Group table.

Somerset also enjoyed a comprehensive victory at Taunton as quickfire half-centuries from prolific skipper Marcus Trescothick and teenager Craig Meschede led last season’s runners-up to a seven-wicket triumph over Glamorgan, who scored 166-8 batting first.

Somerset, who won with 26 balls to spare, move level with Hampshire and Sussex on 12 points at the top of the South Group.

Kent beat Surrey by six wickets after chasing down a target of 151 with Martin van Jaarsveld scoring 62 and Azhar Mahmood hitting four sixes in his 49.

Earlier, Tom Maynard had smashed 76 off 46 balls for Surrey but it was not enough to deny Kent.

In the North Group, second-placed Leicestershire slumped to only their second loss after going down to a three-run defeat against third-placed Durham at Chester-le-Street.

Gordon Muchall’s 64 helped Durham score 187-5 batting first and the Foxes were soon in trouble in response as they slumped to 18-2 but Will Jefferson thumped 63 off 30 balls to put Leicestershire back in the contest and they only narrowly missed out when failing to hit a boundary off the last ball.

Derbyshire chased down a target of 138 set by Warwickshire for the loss of just four wickets thanks largely to New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, who smashed six sixes and three fours in his 44-ball 72.

Jim Troughton had top scored with an unbeaten 55 from 41 balls but Warwickshire’s total never looked enough once Guptill found his range on the tree-ringed Staffordshire Moorlands Ground at Leek.

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