Middlesex enjoy stroke of luck

Middlesex sneaked into the quarterfinals of the Friends Provident Trophy after rain meant rivals Warwickshire fell one run short of beating Kent at Edgbaston.

Shaun Udal's team held on to second place in Group B by virtue of more wins when the match in Birmingham was called a tie with the home side on 241 for six after 46.5 overs in reply to Kent's 265.

Tim Ambrose, who scored an unbeaten 36 despite a leg muscle injury, and Keith Barker hammered 55 in seven overs before the rain arrived with Warwickshire needing a single from the next ball to reach their target under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

The groundstaff worked feverishly to mop up in the remaining 50 minutes but umpires Nigel Cowley and Jeff Evans declared the conditions unfit for the game to resume before the 6.30pm cut-off. "A sensible decision had to be made," said Cowley.

Quarter-finals, Saturday: Gloucs v Notts (venue to be confirmed), Hampshire v Middlesex (Rose Bowl), Lancashire v Essex (Old Trafford), Somerset v Sussex (Taunton).