Ward's barrage inspires Leicestershire

Leicestershire 283-5 Nottinghamshire 251-8 Leicestershire win by 32 runs

Leicestershire's victory can be taken as statement of intent from a side who saw the Norwich Union League title snatched from their grasp at the death last season. If Gloucestershire plan to reassert themselves as English cricket's one-day masters after their historic treble of two years ago, they may find Leicestershire nurturing similar ambitions.

Through to the quarter-finals of the Benson and Hedges Cup, Leicestershire launched their programme in the 45-overs competition with an emphatic result that not only identified them as contenders but avenged the defeat at Trent Bridge on the final day of last season that allowed Kent to steal first place.

Since then, the Grace Road dressing room has witnessed a seismic upheaval, with a string of high-profile departures, but there is no evidence so far that the team is significantly weaker for that. The batting line-up is their principal strength, as was demonstrated again here yesterday as they overcame a slow start to compile a daunting total that Nottinghamshire could never seriously threaten, even with the benefit of four dropped catches.

Trevor Ward needed 23 balls to make a scoring stroke but made up for it with 91 off the next 73, hitting 13 fours and a six. After Iain Sutcliffe had fallen to a one-handed catch at short mid-wicket by the South African all-rounder, Nicky Bojé, Ward and Darren Stevens (91) exposed the shortcomings in Nottinghamshire's attack with a partnership of 185 in 24 overs.

With Paul Franks missing through injury, the visitors are woefully thin in the bowling, relying too heavily on Greg Smith to carry them through. There was decent support yesterday from Nadeem Malik and Bojé but the figures for Andrew Harris, Richard Logan and Kevin Pietersen tell their own story.

Ward holed out to long-off soon after Stevens fell and although Darren Maddy and Neil Burns failed to make significant additions, Michael Bevan made made 42 off 41 balls, putting on an unbroken 58 for the sixth wicket with Philip DeFreitas.

Against bowling significantly tighter than their own, Nottinghamshire never made much progress without suffering a setback. Only Usman Afzaal showed endurance, though he was dropped twice before Jamie Grove caught him at deep mid-wicket for 63.