Nottinghamshire climbed to the top of Group A in the One-Day Cup as they won the East Midlands derby with Leicestershire.
On a day when rain wiped out the one game in Group B, and affected both Group A games, Lyndon James hit a limited-overs best 82 at Leicester as Notts won by four wickets to boost their hopes of a first One-Day Cup triumph since 2017.
Defeat ended the Foxes’ two-match winning start as it lifted unbeaten Notts a point clear of both their neighbours and third-placed Hampshire, who made it two wins from two by beating Essex, also by four wickets.
Hampshire’s 100 per cent start owed much to ageless former Warwickshire favourite Keith Barker.
After Essex opted to bat in a game reduced to 45 overs a side, Barker struck in three of his first four overs to reduce the visitors to 27-3.
He pinned Josh Rymell with his second ball, then removed Tom Westley slogging across the line to deep-square-leg, before beating Robin Das for pace with a ball that smashed into the top of off stump.
Barker eventually finished with 3-25 off his nine overs, his best List A figures for 2018 winners Hampshire – and best since taking 4-33 for Warwickshire against Scotland in 2010.
A 121-run fifth-wicket stand between Beau Webster (73) and Simon Harmer (68) at least lifted Essex up to 236-9, but it never looked enough.
After a quick-fire 36 from Fletcha Middleton, Nick Gubbins (63) and Ben Brown (59) then shared a key stand of 92 in 19 overs, before Nye Donald’s 47 off 45 balls effectively settled the outcome as Hampshire won with 38 deliveries to spare.
While they have two wins from two, Essex are still looking for their first after two defeats and a no result.
In the other rain-affected game in Group A, Leicestershire rallied to reach 214-9 from 44 overs thanks to a half century from South African Wiaan Mulder.
Tom Loten (3-26) and Brett Hutton (3-42) had reduced the hosts to 78-6, but Mulder hit three sixes and five fours in an unbeaten 84 off 92 balls,
Teenage Leicestershire left-armer Josh Hull (4-43) then bagged the first four-wicket haul of his county career.
But, chasing a revised target of 206, James top-scored, backed up by 35 from Matt Montgomery and wicketkeeper Dane Schadendorf’s punchy 29 not out as the visitors won with 12 balls to spare.
The Group B game between Glamorgan and Durham at Neath was abandoned following a lunchtime inspection without a single ball being bowled.
The Gnoll is also due to stage Thursday’s game between Glamorgan and group leaders Warwickshire, beginning at 11:00.
Wednesday fixtures (11:00 BST)
Group A
Blackpool: Lancashire v Kent
Group B
Derby: Derbyshire v Sussex
Northampton: Northamptonshire v Somerset
Thursday fixtures (11:00 BST)
Group B
The Gnoll: Glamorgan v Warwickshire
New Road: Worcestershire v Gloucestershire
