Sussex coast to comfortable win

Sussex's bid for a third successive 40-over league title gained momentum as they eased to a six-wicket win over Surrey at Guildford. An unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 113 in 14.5 overs between skipper Mike Yardy and Andrew Hodd saw Sussex home with 10 balls to spare and took them a point above their rivals and into second place in Clydesdale Bank 40 Group A, although Surrey do have a game in hand.

Michael Comber and Adam Wheater, both aged 20, were the Essex heroes as the home side beat Northamptonshire by five wickets in their clash at Southend. They came together with Essex struggling on 100 for 5 in the 22nd over in reply to a total of 215 for 6. But both displayed a cool head on young shoulders to see their side home with nine balls to spare.

Jon Lewis smashed 20 off the last over of the game from Tim Murtagh to seal a remarkable three-wicket victory for Gloucestershire over Middlesex . Owais Shah (111) and John Simpson (82) led Middlesex to an imposing 299 for 8 but Gloucestershire were kept in the hunt by Steve Snell (95) and Chris Taylor (85), who plundered 158 in 18 overs for the fifth wicket.

Kent recorded their third win of the Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign in emphatic style with an eight-wicket drubbing of Leicestershire with more than 13 overs in hand. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Leicestershire made a stunning start to reach 41 without loss after four overs, only to be dismissed for 148 in 30.1 overs.

Tom Smith produced a sparkling all-round performance and Steven Croft weighed in with a career-best 93 not out to help Lancashire seal an eight-wicket victory over Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay. Smith followed up figures of three for 49 with a fine half-century as Lancashire registered their fourth win in the tournament by chasing down 212 to win. Croft's effort from 90 balls hastened Lancashire's victory charge as they won with 16 balls to spare.

Opening batsmen Michael Lumb and Jimmy Adams led Hampshire to a resounding six-wicket win over Durham at the Rose Bowl with 31 balls to spare. Lumb signalled his return to form after a poor first half to the season by making 75, while Adams top-scored with 86. Chasing Durham's 205 for 8 from their 40 overs, a total which never looked like being enough, Hampshire got home in the 35th over.

A century from Jacques Rudolph set Yorkshire on their way to an eight-run victory over Derbyshire at Chesterfield to keep them top of Group B in the Clydesdale Bank 40. The South African scored 105, sharing a second-wicket stand of 144 in 22 overs with Adam Lyth, who made 91, as Yorkshire made 276 for 6 from their 40 overs. Chesney Hughes hit 54 and Wayne Madsen 65 from 57 balls but, despite a late charge from Graham Wagg (27) in his first game since late April, the Falcons came up short on 268 for 8.

Powerful half-centuries from David Hussey and Chris Read set Nottinghamshire on their way to a comfortable 75-run victory over Scotland . After coming together in the 24th over with the score at 116 for 4, the pair put on 89 for the fifth wicket with Hussey smashing 80 from 67 balls, including two sixes and six fours, before being caught on the midwicket boundary. Read also hit two maximums and six boundaries in his 69 not out from 50 balls as the hosts finished on 260 for 5, having added 115 in the last 10 overs.

Somerset limped to their seventh Clydesdale Bank 40 win in seven games by beating the Unicorns by three wickets at Exmouth. Marcus Trescothick's side shook off the loss of their skipper to a second ball duck to chase down their target of 167 with two overs to spare. A second-wicket stand of 67 in 14 overs between Nick Compton (64) and Craig Kieswetter (30) broke the back of the semi-professional team's resistance. The result was rarely in doubt after the Unicorns made just 166 for 9.