Twenty20 quarters announced

The dates for the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals have been announced with Somerset's trip to Nottinghamshire on August 7 the pick of the games.

After a frenzied final round of the group stages, where qualifying positions were far from settled going into the games, the eight quarter-finalists can now begin their preparations in earnest.

Leicestershire will host Kent at Grace Road on August 6 with Hampshire and Durham meeting at the Rose Bowl a day later in the only afternoon fixture of the four games. Sussex will meet Lancashire at Hove on August 8.

Somerset were runners up to Hampshire in last year's tournament and in their summer of near-misses came second to Nottinghamshire on the last day of the Championship season in 2010. They will get a chance to atone for that when the two sides meet at Trent Bridge.

Leicestershire are having a difficult Championship season, sitting at the foot of Division Two, but have made the quarters of the t20 for the first time since 2006. Lancashire are scrapping for a bigger prize - the Championship - and have the chance to reach Twenty20 finals day when they meet 2009 t20 winners Sussex.