Warwickshire v Gloucestershire: Bears win knocks out Gladiators

Warwickshire kept alive their hopes of reaching the FLt20 quarter-finals as they ended Gloucestershire's interest in this year's competition.

Despite skipper Michael Klinger's 68, Gloucestershire could only muster 145-7 from their 20 overs at Edgbaston.

That proved to be not enough as the Bears eased home in comfort by seven wickets with 14 balls to spare.

Rikki Clarke (40), Varun Chopra (37) and William Porterfield (34) all chipped in as the Bears reached 149-3.

Warwickshire had been shot out for just 73 against Somerset at Taunton on Sunday, their lowest total in 10 years of Twenty20 cricket.

But Chopra and Porterfield ensured that there was no chance of a repeat, putting on 68 for the first wicket alone.

Earlier, Ateeq Javid took 3-26, but the star turn for the home side was Jeetan Patel, who took 2-13 from his four overs.

Gloucestershire can still reach eight points and go level in their group with fourth-placed Warwickshire if they win their last two matches, at home to Somerset on Friday night and against Glamorgan in Cardiff next Tuesday.

But, as third-placed Somerset are already on eight points, and they face Warwickshire on Sunday, one or the other of those two teams would get enough points to eliminate the 2007 finalists.

Match scorecard