• Friends Life t20 round-up

Surrey fight back to stun Middlesex

Gareth Batty starred with the ball for Surrey © Getty Images

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Surrey made it two wins from as many Friends Life t20 starts and secured local bragging rights after securing an unlikely 28-run win over Middlesex amongst the showers at Lord's.

Having slumped to 34 for four within 37 balls of their innings, Surrey regrouped after two short rain breaks to post an unbroken club-record fifth wicket stand of 117 in a workmanlike total of 149 for four. Matt Spriegel and Gary Wilson were the undoubted batting heroes for the visitors with unbeaten half-centuries.

However, the pair were upstaged under the lights when off-spinner Gareth Batty bagged four wickets to restrict the hosts to 99 for eight when the rain arrived - putting them out of their misery with four scheduled overs remaining.

Sajid Mahmood had a night to forget as Lancashire lost to Derbyshire by 17 runs via the Duckworth/Lewis method in a Friends Life t20 game played in steady rain under the County Ground floodlights.

Mahmood went for 42 off 15 balls and 17 off his last three as the Falcons reached 118 for five in the 12th over after Stephen Cross hit three sixes to top score with 46 out of the Lightning's 168 for six.

Only nine and a half overs were bowled at the County Ground as rain cut short Northamptonshire's opening Friends Life t20 game against Glamorgan. The Steelbacks had moved on to 70 for three with Scotland international Kyle Coetzer blasting 41 off 29 balls, the wickets coming from James Harris, Dean Cosker and Dragons captain Jim Allenby.

The weather then forced the players off and, after a long delay, umpires Nigel Llong and Jeffrey Evans decided to abandon proceedings.

Sussex suffered yet more frustration when their second Friends Life t20 game of the season was abandoned without a ball bowled. Having suffered a washout at Canterbury on Tuesday, Sussex were hoping to get their campaign under way against Hampshire at Hove.

But persistent rain set in an hour before the scheduled 7.10pm start, and although a brief respite allowed groundstaff to peel off the covers in the hope of getting the game started at 7.45pm, the rain soon returned. Umpires Richard Kettleborough and Tim Robinson called off the match at 8.25pm, leaving both sides with one point each. Sussex had been anticipating a crowd of around 4,000 but most of the spectators had drifted away long before the match was abandoned.

Gloucestershire's opening game against arch-rivals Somerset at Bristol was abandoned without a ball bowled after heavy afternoon rain. The game was scheduled to start at 5.30pm, but the rain set in at 3pm and umpires Nigel Cowley and Mark Benson abandoned the fixture after a 6pm inspection. Both sides took a point, leaving Somerset with three from their opening two group games.

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