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Lancashire pile more misery on Leicestershire

Yasir Arafat got two wickets for Lancashire © PA Photos

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Lancashire sent defending champions Leicestershire sliding to their second successive defeat in the Friends Life t20 with an 11-run victory at Grace Road.

The visitors posted 154 for six after a rain delayed start, with Stephen Moore hitting a half-century off 38 balls. But, despite a quickfire 36 from Abdul Razzaq, the Foxes could only manage 143 for eight in reply as Glen Chapple, Yasir Arafat and Steve Parry claimed two wickets each.

Yorkshire recovered from 42 for five but still lost by two runs to Durham in an exciting finish to their opening Friends Life t20 match at Headingley. Needing 14 off the last over to reach their 143 target, Yorkshire appeared to have the game in the bag as Azeem Rafiq drove leg-spinner Scott Borthwick's first ball for six and lashed the next to the extra cover boundary.

But only three came off the next two deliveries and, when Rafiq let the fifth ball go by outside off-stump it mean four were required from the last delivery which the batsman could only hit for a single.

Warwickshire were left to count the cost again when their Friends Life t20 match against Worcestershire was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The match was supposed to be a 25,000 sell-out, although all the tickets had been distributed free as part of a promotion by sponsors Marston's and only around a fifth of the expected crowd turned up at Edgbaston.

Warwickshire made nothing on ticket sales but the blow of missing out on a potentially lucrative evening of bar and catering revenue was softened by an insurance policy which covered those losses. The abandonment followed three completely washed out days during last week's England-West Indies third Test at Edgbaston.

The weather accounted for the Friends Life t20 clash between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Heavy rain at Trent Bridge prompted umpires Steve Garratt and Richard Illingworth to make the decision without a ball being bowled. Notts had been looking to cement their position at the top of the north group, having won their first game with Leicestershire, while Derbyshire, victors over Lancashire, were also looking to snare top spot.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.