Somerset's crown starts to slip

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Midlands/Wales/West

Defending champions Somerset's grip on their title slipped a little more as they went down to their second defeat in three games to Warwickshire at a packed Taunton. Matthew Wood and Justin Langer put on 81 in less than ten overs to give Somerset a good start, but they never pressed on after Wood's departure and finished on 167 for 7. Warwickshire raced to 83 for 2 in six overs, Andy Caddick suffering the most with 1 for 51 from three overs, and they ambled to a seven-wicket win with almost four overs to spare.

South

Middlesex's fourth defeat in six days - this time at the hands of Sussex at Richmond - means that they are effectively already out of the competition. Most worrying for coach John Emburey, already under pressure after some dire Championship displays, is that they are barely competing. In front of 3000 spectators on a warm and sunny evening, they slipped from 59 for 2 to 108 all out - and even then it took a last-wicket stand of 20 to get them into three figures - and Sussex barely broke sweat in passing the target in the 13th over.

The one game that provided a decent finish came at Beckenham where Kent edged out Hampshire by 15 runs in a low-scoring match. When Kent slid to 37 for 6, an early finish seemed on the cards, but South African import Tyron Henderson, who has already made his mark less than a week into his stint with the county, smacked 63 to see them to 134 for 9. Hampshire were on course at 93 for 5, but two quick wickets from Min Patel put the skids under their innings.