Nick Knight - ton at Birmingham Photo CricInfo

The weather that was so good for the start of the Frizzell County Championship could not extend its favours to include the start of the last-ever Benson and Hedges Cup competition. Most matches in the first round of zonal matches were affected to some degree by April showers.

The first result of the day was in the Midlands/Wales/West Division at Northampton, where the home side beat Glamorgan by eight wickets. Glamorgan never really threatened to score enough runs, losing wickets at regular intervals. Only Robert Croft with 33 and Matthew Maynard (32) came to terms with the Northamptonshire attack. Tony Penberthy returned the impressive figures of 3 for 6 and Jeff Cook 3 for19. A total of 122 was never going to be enough and, in spite of the early loss of Graham Swann to Mike Kasprowicz, David Sales (53*) Mal Loye was unbeaten with 53 as Northamptonshire were home, and dry, by eight wickets.

A Nick Knight hundred was the highlight of a rain-shortened match at Edgbaston between Warwickshire and Somerset. The England opener carried his bat for 126 not out in an impressive Warwickshire total of 263 off the revised 41 over duration. Duckworth/Lewis machinations meant that Somerset had to score 270 to win but the loss of four quick wickets rendered that equation unlikely. When captain Jamie Cox went as well before 50 runs were on the board, Somerset's only salvation appeared to be the weather, and that duly obliged – for a time. A recalculation saw them needing 173, but Warwickshire ran out winners by 94 runs.

They might have had only a short trip across London from the Oval to Lord's, but Surrey's batsmen did not travel well. Surrey were bowled out for just 122 by their transpontine rivals. Mark Butcher (51) at least offered some resistance to Ashley Noffke, who took 4 for 34, and Chad Keegan with 3 for 24. Outgoing skipper Angus Fraser was in miserly mood, conceding just 22 runs in his 10 over stint, and he picked up a wicket. Despite interruptions for rain, Middlesex moved easily past the required total losing only two wickets in the process. Owais Shah led them home with an unbeaten 50.

At Chelmsford, Essex set Sussex 207 to win, having recovered from 18 for 4 at one stage. The mainstays of the Essex innings were skipper Ronnie Irani who hit 47, newcomer Aftab Habib with 46 and Paul Grayson who was still there at the end of the 50 overs with an unbeaten 49. With Irani taking 5 for 36 in his 10 overs, including Chris Adams for 54, the game was evenly poised with Sussex needing 87 in 19 overs with 4 wickets in hand when the rain returned. Richard Montgomerie was 44 not out. Essex were declared the winners by 86 runs.

In the North Division at Trent Bridge, Yorkshire recovered from early strife against Nottinghamshire. Greg Smith took four early wickets, but Yorkshire recovered to 225 all out, thanks in the main to a century partnership between captain Darren Lehmann (89) and Anthony McGrath (48). Smith ended with 5 for 39 from his 10 overs. Nottinghamshire chased a revised target of 100 off 17 overs between the showers that further reduced the target to 71 off 13. Yorkshire's bowlers held their nerve and won by 2 runs.

Rain dominated proceedings at a damp Derby. When play eventually got underway, Lancashire stuttered to 17 for 2 in the 27 balls that were possible before the return of the rain initiated a hurried return to the pavilion and the match was abandoned.

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