TWENTY20 CUP, MID/WEST/WALES DIVISION, Edgbaston:
Warwickshire 139-6 beat Gloucestershire 135-7 by four wickets (Warwicks 2pts, Glos 0pts)

Westwood hit six fours in his match-winning innings

Skipper Ian Westwood played a captain's innings to guide Warwickshire to a four-wicket Twenty20 Cup win over Gloucestershire at Edgbaston.

Westwood came to the crease with his side in trouble at 59-4, and big guns Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell both out.

But he made an unbeaten 44 off 37 balls to guide the Bears to victory on 139-6 with an over to spare.

Gloucestershire would have hoped to have scored more than their 135-7 after seeing five men reach double figures.

Grant Hodnett top scored with 39 for Gloucestershire before becoming the second of Keith Barker's victims on his way to impressive figures of 2-16 off his four overs.

Craig Spearman and former Warwickshire junior Kadeer Ali also both got into the 20s, but Gloucestershire lost wickets too regularly.

Neil Carter and Trott got the Bears' reply off to a flier.

When they both departed, swiftly followed by Jim Troughton first ball and Bell, the home side were staring at a fourth defeat in six games.

But man of the match Westwood and Tim Ambrose (18) steadied the ship, while Ant Botha and Keith Barker both made vital contributions to help their captain see them over the finishing line.

Gloucestershire's fifth defeat in six games means they remain deadlocked with Glamorgan in the battle for the wooden spoon at the bottom of the Midlands/West/Wales Division, while the Bears boosted their hopes of progression.

They will hope to enhance their chances further when they resume against Glamorgan at Edgbaston on 23 June, while Gloucestershire travel to Wantage Road to face Northants 24 hours earlier.

Bears skipper Ian Westwood told BBC WM:

"It was nice to be out there at the end in such a crucial game to see us home. So it's a pleasing win.

"It was quite gloomy and, certainly when Steve Kirby was bowling quite quickly, it wasn't easy to see when you first went in.

"It probably got a bit closer than we liked. We lost a few wickets in the middle but kept our nerve and got over the line."

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