5:30pm - That concludes our live blogging for the day. We'll be back tomorrow with updates on six LV= County Championship fixtures.
5:21pm - RESULT! Somerset (154/4) beat Northants Steelbacks (152/7) by six wickets at Taunton - Marcus Trescothick's men ultimately canter home with seven balls to spare, thanks largely to Petersen's unbeaten 64 from just 35 deliveries.
5:19pm - They are certainly favourites now. Back-to-back fours from Petersen mean Somerset need eight from nine deliveries.
5:14pm - Petersen moves to 50 from 29 balls and Somerset look favourites now...
5:12pm - RESULT! Worcestershire Royals (120/5) beat Gloucestershire Gladiators (119/9) by five wickets at New Road - Kervezee finishes unbeaten on 42 and Ben Cox 17 as Worcestershire ease home.
5:11pm - The equation at Somerset is down to 27 from three overs.
5:05pm - Petersen is stepping on the gas to keep Somerset very much in the hunt. James Hildreth is run out, but 45 in 30 balls is well within the Taunton hosts' sights as Jos Buttler walks to the crease.
Worcestershire will be grateful for the efforts of Kervezee, who has anchored the chase well at New Road.
4:58pm - Trego is out, lbw to Graeme White.
4:56pm - RESULT! Middlesex Panthers (142/1) defeat Kent Spitfires (140/6) by nine wickets at Uxbridge - Middlesex somehow record a win that is even more convincing than the triumphs secured by Notts Outlaws and Glamorgan yesterday. Rossington was the star, while Dawid Malan and Joe Denly contributed unbeaten scores of 31 and 33 as Kent’s 140 was overhauled in 15.4 overs.
Somerset now need 65 from 42, Alviro Petersen having settled in alongside Peter Trego, who has 40.
Gloucestershire's Tom Smith gets rid of Gareth Andrew, meaning Worcestershire are 93 for five, 27 shy of their target.
4:50pm - Andre Russell is run out but Worcestershire, now four down, need just 35 with more than 10 overs still remaining.
Middlesex are almost home.
4:46pm - Worcestershire and Middlesex are both firmly on course to win, while Somerset need to pick up the pace at Taunton.
At the halfway mark Somerset are 60 for 2 needing 92 more runs #GoSteelbacks
— Northants Cricket (@NorthantsCCC) July 7, 2013
4:39pm - Rossington finally falls to James Tredwell, having cracked a career-best 74 at two-a-ball to all but guarantee Middlesex will win.
Somerset are 50 for two now, David Willey following up his fine batting performance with the wicket of Craig Kieswetter.
4:36pm - Gloucestershire are not giving up. Chris Dent responds to successive fours from Daryl Mitchell by bowling the Royals skipper for nine.
Middlesex are 89 without loss after nine overs.
At Taunton, Somerset have moved on to 48 for one and require 105 from 12 overs.
4:32pm - RESULT! Lancashire Lightning (155/4) beat Leicestershire Foxes (151/7) by four runs at Emirates Old Trafford - Smith’s stunning 84 proves in vain as Lancashire finish strongly with the ball to claim a slender win. Michael Thornely hit a six with 11 needed off two, but could not repeat the trick.
Rossington brings up a 28-ball fifty at Uxbridge with his seventh four, moments after striking a third six. Middlesex are already more than halfway to their target of 141 and only eight overs have been bowled!
Moeen falls for 22, but Worcestershire can take their time from here on in.
4:26pm - The experienced Kabir strikes again with the scalp of Rob Taylor and Leicestershire require 16 from the last over.
4:22pm -Kabir claims a potentially huge wicket for Lancashire, ousting Smith for 84!
Rossington's fun continues with a maximum off Matt Coles and Worcestershire's second-wicket pair - Alexei Kervezee and Moeen Ali - are enjoying similar success to make Gloucestershire's 119 for nine appear increasingly inadequate.
4:20pm - Rossington takes Darren Stevens for four fours in five balls as Middlesex move to 45 without loss in five overs.
Leicestershire's target is down to 21 from 12.
Worcestershire and Somerset have recovered well from their early setbacks.
4:15pm - Smith's highest T20 score this morning was 67. He's 83 not out right now, but Boyce has departed with 29 needed from three overs.
The England squad for the Women's Ashes has been named. You can read all about it here.
4:09pm - Matthew Boyce is Smith's current partner. With four overs remaining, the visitors to Emirates Old Trafford require 38. It's anyone's game.
Adam Rossington is tucking into Vernon Philander at Uxbridge, while Worcestershire have suffered an early setback, Thilan Samaraweera registering a duck.
4:05pm - The Panthers are swiftly into double figures, but Somerset's bid to hunt down 153 has not started well...
Uh oh. 0-1 as @Trescricket is caught for 0 off Willey
— Somerset Cricket (@SomersetCCC) July 7, 2013
4:03pm - Smith clears the ropes for the second time and then collects another maximum! He now has 71 and Leicestershire's target is down to 49 from 32 balls.
Middlesex and Somerset have started their respective chases.
3:57pm - A productive last over enables Gloucestershire to post 119 for nine.
Leicestershire need 70 off 43, with Smith the key man. Parry has 1-12 from three.
3:51pm - Ben Duckett takes 10 from the final two deliveries of the Steelbacks' innings to lift his side to 152 for seven.
Kent finish on 140 for six at Uxbridge.
Gloucestershire are 108 for nine with one over remaining.
FIFTY! 30-ball half-century for Smith as Foxes 77-3 after 10.3
— Leicestershire CCC (@leicsccc) July 7, 2013
3:45pm - Willey is caught behind off Arafat for 47, having boosted Northants' total with four fours and two sixes.
The match at Emirates Old Trafford is intriguingly poised. Shakib's exit, induced by Stephen Parry, leaves Leicestershire 70 for three in the 10th.
3:38pm - Thomas accounts for Spriegel in the 18th over at Taunton with 120 on the board.
Kent are 116 for six with 14 balls to come, while Leicestershire ended their powerplay on 49 for two. Can the Lancashire spinners replicate the success of Jigar Naik and Shakib Al Hasan?
3:32pm - Look away now Gloucestershire fans - your team is 80 for seven.
David Willey and Spriegel have shared a valuable fifty stand at Taunton, with the former proving particularly destructive.
McClenaghan gives up 15 in his second over, but is able to celebrate the wicket of Burns.
3:28pm - Gloucestershire's unsteady progress continues. Moeen has Dan Christian caught behind for 15 before Alex Gidman is lbw to Daryl Mitchell to leave the score reading 76 for six.
Roland-Jones does for Geraint Jones at Uxbridge and Kent subsequently pass 100 in the 15th over for the loss of five wickets.
Greg Smith and Joe Burns have started to pepper the boundaries at Emirates Durham ICG, providing the Foxes with a welcome boost.
3:20pm - Leicestershire's pursuit of 156 starts poorly as Josh Cobb falls to Mitchell McClenaghan in the second over.
Kent, Northants and Gloucestershire need to keep wickets in hand now as they approach the closing overs of their respective innings.
Steelbacks batsman Matthew Spriegel has been dropped by Meschede.
3:13pm - You generally need plenty of runs on the board at Taunton, but Northants are now 65 for four after Kirby picks up the wicket of Coetzer.
Batsmen are also struggling at New Road, where Gloucestershire have slumped to 50 for four.
3:07pm - Just when things were threatening to get a little out of hand for Middlesex, Ravi Patel gets rid of Stevens, who smashed 25 off 15 balls. Billings goes in the next over for 22, caught behind off Neil Dexter.
Northants have lost a third batsman at Taunton, Alex Wakely departing for 10.
Gloucestershire are also three down, for 46, following Moeen Ali's dismissal of Hamish Marshall.
2:59pm - Katich finishes unbeaten on 62, the key contribution to Lancashire’s 155 for four.
FINAL SCORE: Lancs 155-4 as Taylor bowls a brilliant last over. Only five off it - how important could that prove to be?
— Leicestershire CCC (@leicsccc) July 7, 2013
Darren Stevens and Sam Billings are building a useful partnership and lifting the tempo for Kent.
Somerset will be happy with their efforts thus far; Craig Meschede gets rid of Cameron White and Northants are 34 for two in the seventh.
2:53pm - Well, Gloucestershire were flying. They have now lost Klinger and Chris Dent in the space of two balls from Jack Shantry.
2:51pm - Katich pulls Cobb for six to bring up a 38-ball fifty. Lancs have 138 on the board with two overs remaining.
Gloucestershire are flying early on at New Road, but Kent are finding runs much harder to come by at present.
2:47pm - One thing is for sure, there will be some warm fielders today!
After nine dots, Arafat is taken for back-to-back boundaries by Kyle Coetzer, who then collects a third four with a Chinese cut off Steve Kirby.
Anthony Ireland has Lancashire’s Croft caught off a top-edge, while Kyle Mills gets rid of Sam Northeast to leave Kent 16 for two.
Michael Klinger has started strongly for Gloucestershire.
Just one boundary in last 5 overs as Leics have dragged this one back well, spin the key. Lancs 117-3 after 16 overs-Ireland returns to bowl
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) July 7, 2013
2:40pm - Naik completes a return of 0-19 from four, before Steven Croft finally finds the boundary off Shakib.
Two fours from Richard Levi get Northants going, but the South African then falls to countryman Alfonso Thomas.
Kent also lose an early wicket as Toby Roland-Jones ousts Rob Key for seven, while Gloucestershire have just started their innings at New Road.
2:33pm - Off-spinner Naik completes a third boundary-free over, an excellent effort in this form of the game, before Shakib concedes just one in the next set of six.
Yasir Arafat proves even more economical at Taunton as he starts with a maiden for Somerset!
2:26pm - Lancashire reach halfway on 80 for three as the visiting spinners continue to flourish, while the games at Uxbridge and Taunton are about to get under way.
2:21pm - Jigar Naik tightens things up for Leicestershire before another spinner, Shakib Al Hasan, follows up three dot-balls by having Brown stumped.
2:15pm - Taylor's second over goes for 15 and it would appear Brown is keen to make amends for his role in Moore's exit.
WOW! Brown has launched Taylor on to the back tier of the top deck of the new stand near the tram station. That was a big hit! 69-2 (6.4ov)
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) July 7, 2013
2:12pm - Moore has also departed, run out for 26 following a mix-up with Karl Brown, who now has Simon Katich for company. Lancashire end the powerplay on 54 for two.
In the fourth and final game of the day, Gloucestershire win the toss and choose to bat against Worcestershire.
2:05pm - Leicestershire make a much-needed breakthrough, with the score on 45 in the fifth over, as Smith is caught at midwicket off Rob Taylor.
Meanwhile, Middlesex have elected to field at Uxbridge and Northamptonshire will bat after winning the toss at Taunton.
2:03pm - As the runs keep on coming for the Lightning, here is some wise advice from Somerset...
A bit and health and safety advice.... Please don't forget to slip, slap, slop as it is properly hot today and drink plenty of water too
— Somerset Cricket (@SomersetCCC) July 7, 2013
1:58pm - The next two overs at Emirates Old Trafford also yield 10. Lancashire are rattling along, Tom Smith and Stephen Moore having struck five fours between them.
1:49pm - Leicestershire skipper Josh Cobb gets us started in Manchester with an over of off-spin. He may regret the decision as Lancashire pick up 10 runs.
1:32pm - Yesterday there were convincing victories for Notts Outlaws and Glamorgan, the respective leaders of the North and Midlands/Wales/West Groups.
While we wait for today's matches to begin, why not take a look at David Hussey's reaction to Notts' triumph at the Emirates Durham ICG.
1:25pm - Lancashire have opted to set a target after winning the toss on familiar soil. Steven Croft will captain the Lightning in Glen Chapple's absence, while Jigar Naik has been brought in to the visiting line-up.
1:15pm - Good afternoon and welcome to ecb.co.uk's live coverage of today's Friends Life t20 action.
There are four games taking place on a glorious afternoon:
Lancashire Lightning v Leicestershire Foxes (Emirates Old Trafford, 1:45pm start)
Middlesex Panthers v Kent Spitfires (Uxbridge, 2:30pm)
Somerset v Northants Steelbacks (Taunton, 2:30pm)
Worcestershire Royals v Gloucestershire Gladiators (New Road, 2:40pm)