Swann elbows Foxes aside

Paul Nixon is bowled by Graeme Swann, one of three wickets for the spinner in his first game back after an elbow operation

England off-spinner Graeme Swann made a successful return from elbow surgery as Nottinghamshire swept Leicestershire aside in their opening game of the season.

The 30-year-old, who missed England's one-day series in the West Indies, looked in fine fettle as his 3-23 helped dismiss the visitors for just 155 in the Friends Provident Trophy Group A match at Trent Bridge.

Opener Mark Wagh hit an unbeaten 68 and put on 106 for the second wicket with youngster Alex Hales, who made an impressive half-century in his first innings for the county, as the Outlaws cruised home by eight wickets with 20 overs to spare.

Only James Taylor offered any resistance with the bat for Leicestershire with 44 not out, while former Nottinghamshire seamer AJ Harris picked up the wicket of debutant Ali Brown on his return to Trent Bridge.

The start of the match showed no signs of what would prove a very one-sided affair, as Matthew Boyce and HD Ackerman added 32 in the first seven overs.

But the experienced Ackerman then skied a short ball from Andre Adams to Samit Patel at cover, and Boyce fell in similar fashion four overs later.

The introduction of Mark Ealham into the attack paid immediate dividends as he removed James Allenby's middle stump and forced Taylor and Boeta Dippenaar to rebuild the innings.

Mark Wagh drives in style through the off side in his unbeaten 68 as Nottinghamshire close in on victory

Swann came on to bowl in the 26th over and was greeted by the sight of Taylor reverse-sweeping him for four, but he got in on the action when he deflected a straight drive on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end to run Dippenaar out for 34.

Paul Nixon played on attempting to sweep in Swann’s next over, while Jacques du Toit top-edged a sweep for a simple looping catch to wicketkeeper Read.

Wayne White was run out for a duck when he took on Patel's arm at point, and Claude Henderson was sent packing by another direct hit, from Adam Voges.

With the innings in disarray, Sam Cliff hit Luke Fletcher straight to Hales at long-on, and Swann returned to finish things off with the stumping of Harris by Chris Read.

While the Nottinghamshire bowling had been accurate, with precious few loose deliveries, the Leicestershire seamers let Wagh and Ali Brown get off to a flier when Nottinghamshire replied.

Brown pulled Harris for six into the Bridgford Road Stand but fell for 16 trying to repeat the stroke in the fifth over.

Wagh dominated the start of his partnership with Hales but the youngster burst into life in the 18th over with a flurry of boundaries en route to his half-century, off 58 balls with eight fours.

He was bowled by Henderson for 52 but Wagh finished off proceedings with a four through mid-on off Allenby.