Pietersen back in the groove as Hawks hammer Ireland

The world's top-rated one-day batsman, playing his first Hampshire match for a year, hit an unbeaten 66 from 71 balls to lead the Hawks to an eight-wicket win over Ireland at the Rose Bowl.

Scroll down for more

Pietersen put on 143 for the third wicket with Zimbabwean Sean Ervine (67no) as Hampshire reached a reduced target of 175 from 29 overs with four balls to spare.

Peter Gillespie (55) and captain Trent Johnston (52no) had hit half-centuries in Ireland's 221 for six.

Durham's England trio upstaged Lancashire's returning World Cup players as the Dynamos claimed a 57-run win at the Riverside.

Paul Collingwood's 74 proved the game's key contribution as Durham secured their second victory of their campaign with more than three overs to spare.

Andrew Flintoff, James Anderson and Sajid Mahmood took two wickets apiece but the home side's 220 for nine proved beyond last year's beaten finalists, who after three defeats will now struggle to advance.

England's pace spearhead Steve Harmison defied tonsilitis to deliver a hostile 10 overs and take two for 31 as Lancashire slumped to 163 all out.

Collingwood's innings came from 85 balls and included eight fours while Liam Plunkett weighed in with 33 and two for 27.

Yorkshire's unbeaten run under new captain Darren Gough came to an end as the White Rose went down by six wickets to Leicestershire despite a century from Jacques Rudolph.

South African Rudolph hit 10 fours in his 100 as Yorkshire made 282 for eight but the Foxes claimed the points with 16 balls remaining.

Jim Allenby (84) and HD Ackerman (66) put on 131 to set them on their way before John Sadler (59no) and England wicketkeeper Paul Nixon (42no) saw them home in an unbroken stand of 96.

New Warwickshire captain Darren Maddy hit 16 fours and a six in a 108-ball 117 as the Bears saw off Derbyshire by 26 runs at the County Ground.

Maddy scored almost half of his side's 224 for six and Derbyshire fell short of a revised target of 261 despite 56 from Greg Smith.

Richard Montgomerie hit a second successive century in the competition but his side Sussex were dramatically beaten by one wicket in the final over by Gloucestershire at Bristol.

Montgomerie hit 100 from 87 balls but the real excitement in a shortened game came the 31st and last over of the Gladiators reply when Ian Fisher and Steve Kirby were both run out under pressure.

Fortunately for them, last man Anthony Ireland held his nerve to hit the winning boundary off the final ball.

Scotland suffered a heart-breaking last ball defeat for the second day in succession as Northamptonshire edged them out by six wickets at Wantage Road.

The Steelbacks were struggling at six for two chasing a revised target of 196 but Davey Jacobs' 88 and captain David Sales' 48 revived them before Lance Klusener (24no) finished the job.

Scotland had posted 191 for six with George Bailey and Ryan Watson each hitting 43.

Martin van Jaarsveld's brutal 86no saw Kent to a five-wicket win over Middlesex in another rain-affected game at Canterbury.

Owais Shah hit an unbeaten 95 as the Crusaders scored 233 for five but van Jaarsveld's 65-ball knock, which included 10 fours and two sixes, saw the Spitfires to a revised target of 200.