De Caires helps Middlesex set pace in One-Day Cup

Middlesex, Durham and Leicestershire joined Nottinghamshire with two wins from two in the One-Day Cup by winning their respective matches on Friday, while champions Worcestershire and Kent made victorious starts to their campaigns.

Matches do not get much better for all-rounders than the one enjoyed by Josh de Caires as he delivered career-best List A figures with bat and ball to keep Middlesex unbeaten.

De Caires, son of former England captain Michael Atherton, hit 75 as Middlesex racked up 284-8 against Hampshire and then returned with the ball to take 6-35 as Middlesex won by 160 runs.

Both were career-bests for De Caires, who also moved past his father's best bowling figures in the format of 4-42 for Combined Universities against Somerset in 1989.

Former England Test captain Ben Stokes continues to thrive at Durham, with the all-rounder hitting five sixes in his 73 not out in 51 balls against Sussex, adding to his unbeaten century against Derbyshire on Tuesday.

Opener Alex Lees' 132 in 115 balls provided the bulk of Durham's 352-5, the pair sharing a 76-run partnership for the third wicket.

Sussex, who have been docked points in this competition for breaching financial regulations regarding operating losses, remain in the red after two defeats in Group B.

Worcestershire started their title defence with a breezy win against a Derbyshire side who, aside from a half-century from Martin Andersson, were held to 138 by Fateh Singh, who took a career best 6-32.

A simple chase wobbled slightly at 113-7, but Gareth Roderick (39 not out) and Beyers Swanepoel (18 not out) steadied nerves for an eighth-wicket partnership that got them home by three wickets with 76 balls to spare.

Yorkshire got their campaign up and running at the second time of asking against Glamorgan in Neath, with Ben Cliff the pick of their bowlers with 4-29 as the hosts made 186 all out in 47 overs.

Yorkshire slumped to 96-5 and 107-6 but a 44-run partnership between red ball opener Finlay Bean (43 not out), batting at seven, and skipper Dom Bess (22) steadied nerves.

Bean and Cliff brought home a two-wicket win with eight balls remaining.

In Group A, Leicestershire were another side to continue a perfect start by beating Surrey by five wickets at a parched Guildford.

The home side's Ryan Patel posted a 101-ball 97 in Surrey's total of 270-9 and then took 3-44 with the ball.

But Rishi Patel kickstarted the Foxes' chase with 110 at the top of the order, sharing a 122-run partnership for the third wicket with Hamza Shaikh and it was the latter's unbeaten 104 - a maiden hundred in either first class or List A cricket - which saw the visitors home.

T20 Blast winners Northants lost by five wickets to Kent at Canterbury.

Ricardo Vasconcelos (55), Nathan McSweeney (58) and George Bartlett (54) followed up their round one scores of 64, 88 and 72 respectively to give the Northants a solid-looking total of 253.

Yet it proved under par with Harry Finch (85) and Chris Benjamin (55 not out) sharing a 96-run partnership for the fourth wicket to give Kent a win to kick off their campaign.

Archie Vaughan (69), Tom Lammonby (83) and Joshua Thomas (97) - falling three runs short of a maiden List A hundred - helped Somerset to 352-7 against Gloucestershire at Taunton.

And while Graeme van Buuren, who had earlier taken 3-66, ensured Somerset nerves jangled with an unbeaten 96 and a partnership of 110 with Daaryoush Ahmed (52), two wickets in two balls from Josh Shaw late in the day saw the hosts home.