Quartet progress to quarter-finals

Somerset, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Kent joined Lancashire in the Twenty20 Cup quarter-finals.

A breathtaking innings of 84 from Craig Kieswetter earned Somerset a three-wicket victory over Gloucestershire in the Midlands/Wales/West Division at Bristol.

The South African wicketkeeper scored his runs off just 42 balls, with eight fours and four sixes, to turn the game as the Sabres chased down 174 to win with an over to spare.

The hosts looked in complete control when reducing Somerset to 23 for four in reply to 173 all out.

But Peter Trego, with 49 off 26 balls, helped Kieswetter put on 79 for the fifth wicket to help secure a remarkable win.

Neil Dexter sets up defending champions Middlesex's first Twenty20 win of 2009

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Riki Wessels clubbed a career-best 66 not out as Northamptonshire beat woeful Glamorgan by 20 runs to qualify for the last eight.

Wessels helped Northamptonshire to a challenging 157 for seven from their 20 overs, with James Harris taking 4-24.

Despite an encouraging start, Glamorgan could reach only 137 for nine, going down to their eighth defeat in nine games.

Jonathan Trott scored his fourth Twenty20 Cup half-century of the season as Warwickshire reached the quarter-finals by completing the double over Worcestershire at New Road.

The England Lions opener, who made an unbeaten 53 in the first meeting at Edgbaston, hit 86 out out as the visitors overhauled a total of 162 for six to win by seven wickets with five balls to spare.

In the South Division, Darren Stevens and Geraint Jones eased Kent into the quarter-finals with a match-winning stand against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.

In the process they dented Hampshire’s hopes of joining them in the latter stages of the competition as Kent won by seven wickets with 13 balls to spare.

In a low-scoring match in front of a 9,000 crowd, Hampshire made a modest 131 for seven and Kent had little trouble in overhauling that total as Stevens (65 not out) and Jones (35 not out) added an unbroken 101 for the fourth wicket.

Neil Dexter hit his highest score in 35 Twenty20 matches as holders Middlesex finally broke their duck in their eighth game and left Essex sweating on a place in the quarter-finals at Lord’s.

AJ Harris cleans up Michael Vaughan as Yorkshire slip up against Leicestershire, who face a decider against Durham

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Dexter, who spent a month on loan with Essex last season before joining Middlesex from Kent, struck 73 off 51 balls with six fours and four sixes.

In the North Division, Leicestershire snatched a dramatic 11-run victory over Yorkshire at Grace Road to move to within one win of a place in the quarter-finals.

Chasing a target of 165, Yorkshire looked all but home and dry after an opening stand of 104 in 12 overs between Andrew Gale (43) and Jacques Rudolph (61).

But they lost their way in the gathering gloom and ended on 153 for six as Andrew Harris and Wayne White each claimed two wickets in the last four overs to set up a winner-takes-all clash against Durham on Sunday. The defeat put paid to Yorkshire's hopes of going through.

Ali Brown’s third half-century in three Twenty20 Cup matches for Nottinghamshire helped them cruise to an eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire, although Leicestershire’s win means Nottinghamshire cannot reach the quarter-finals.

The 39-year-old thumped 65 off 42 balls with six fours and two sixes and, after hitting only 29 runs in the first six innings of the competition, now has 203 in the last three games.

No play was possible in Durham’s tie against group winners Lancashire at Chester-le-Street because of rain.