Gloucestershire allowed to delay quarter-final

Gloucestershire have been given permission to delay this Saturday's Friends Provident Trophy quarter-final against Nottinghamshire until June 16.

The ECB accepted that it would be impractical for them to play the game at their Bristol HQ as the ground will host an ODI the following day and will be needed to enable England and West Indies to prepare.

This leaves three ties on Saturday, Holders Essex face Lancashire at Old Trafford, Hampshire take on Middlesex at the Rose Bowl and Sussex travel to Somerset.

Gloucestershire had anticipated the clash of dates and contacted the ECB even before their quarter-final place had been secured. "We obviously wanted a home tie," Gloucestershire chief executive Tom Richardson told the BBC. "We felt the players had earned it and were particularly keen not to have to play the game away.

"When a side has finished first the rules are very clear; you win your group and you get a home draw. As soon as you get away from doing that the competition loses a bit of integrity. We're very pleased the ECB has done this and Nottinghamshire have moved a fixture."