Lancashire’s search for overdue win goes down to wire

The Lightning, who tied with Yorkshire on Friday night in another exciting contest, made 
155-4 batting first with Simon Katich making an unbeaten 62 off 43 balls.

Leicestershire remained in the hunt right to the end with Michael Thornely’s six off the penultimate ball keeping their hopes alive. However, Thornely was run out off the final delivery as Lancashire claimed victory by four runs.

In the Midlands Group, Worcestershire overpowered Gloucestershire to register their first win of the season by five wickets at New Road.

Having restricted their neighbours to 119-9 on a slow pitch, they got home with five overs to spare thanks to a flush of form for Alexei Kervezee, who has had a difficult summer since he retired from international cricket with Holland. With only one half-century in 26 previous innings in all formats – that arriving in a Yorkshire Bank 40 meeting with his former Dutch team-mates – he held his focus in cruising to an unbeaten 42 from 32 balls.

Alviro Petersen hit a match-winning half-century as Somerset made it maximum points from their first two games with a six-wicket victory over Northamptonshire at Taunton.

The hosts reached a target of 153 with seven balls to spare with Petersen finishing unbeaten on 64 off 35 balls having struck seven fours and two sixes.

Peter Trego contributed 41 for the victors, while David Willey was the pick of the Northamptonshire attack with two for 19 from four overs

Former England Under-19 wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Rossington smashed a competition-best 74 as Middlesex cruised to a nine-wicket South Group win over lacklustre Kent in Uxbridge with 27 balls remaining.

Kent, disappointing with the bat and lacking penetration with the ball, slid to their fourth successive defeat and now look highly unlikely to qualify for the knock-out stages after this latest mauling by the Panthers.

Middlesex, meanwhile, now have three wins from five in the division.

Michael Lumb made the highest score by a Nottinghamshire player to help his side to a eight-wicket win over Durham at Chester-le-Street.

Lumb fell just four runs short of a deserved century as the Outlaws made it four wins from four by chasing down 154-4 with 4.3 overs to spare.

Unbeaten Glamorgan kept their campaign humming along when exposing Warwickshire’s current frailty in cruising to an eight-wicket win with 14 deliveries to spare at Rugby School. Warwickshire have won just two of 16 completed games this season.