FRIENDS PROVIDENT TROPHY, GROUP B, Edgbaston
Warwickshire 241-6 tie with Kent 265 (D/L) (Warwicks 1pt, Kent 1pt)

Kent opener Joe Denly's 115 was his highest score in one-day cricket

Warwickshire were just one run short of booking a place in the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy, only to be denied by the Edgbaston weather.

Limping hero Tim Ambrose, who reached an unbeaten 36 despite a leg muscle injury, and county rookie Keith Barker (23no) hammered 55 in seven overs.

In reply to Kent's 265, the Bears were just one run short of their requirement under the Duckworth/Lewis method.

But they remained stuck on 241-6, as Middlesex qualified with more wins.

The Edgbaston groundstaff worked feverishly to mop up in the remaining 50 minutes before the enforced 6.30 cut-off.

But umpires Nigel Cowley and Jeff Evans declared the conditions unfit for the game to resume.

"A sensible decision had to be made," said Cowley.

It was an untimely end to a match that veered from one side to the other after Kent's England hopeful, Joe Denly, had set a formidable target with a glorious innings of 115 - the highest of his three centuries in one-day cricket.

Neil Carter gave Warwickshire a flying start with a typically forceful 37 from 33 balls. Then Jim Troughton kept the home side on course with his fourth half-century in six innings in this season's competition.

FP TROPHY QUARTER FINALISTS GROUP A: Hampshire (winners), Nottinghamshire GROUP B: Somerset (winners), Middlesex GROUP C: Gloucestershire (winners) Sussex GROUP D: Lancashire (winners), Essex

The Bears were probably marginal favourites, needing 82 from the last 11 overs, when Simon Cook took three wickets in six balls.

Troughton shovelled a catch to short fine leg, skipper Ian Westwood was brilliantly caught, first ball, by Justin Kemp at backward point and Geraint Jones completed a slick stumping when Ant Botha stretched too far forward.

Earlier, Denly gave England hopeful Chris Woakes a torrid time when Kent launched their bid for a total that would reduce Middlesex's run-rate advantage.

Two boundaries eased through the leg side in the opening over were a sign of things to come. And the young seamer was eventually taken out of the attack after conceding 37 runs in four overs.

Denly saw him off with a straight six, a pull for four and another lofted shot over the bowler for four.

And, in all, he hit nine fours and two sixes in reaching a century from 115 balls, supported by James Hockley's unbeaten 50 in a sixth-wicket stand of 116 in 23 overs.

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