Gloucestershire Gladiators' skipper Craig Spearman blasted his side to a 78-run win over Warwickshire to lift them over Essex into third place.

The New Zealander smashed 153 off just 123 balls as, with Phil Weston's 61, the Gladiators piled up a huge 307-8 off their 45 overs.

The visitors were always up against it, although Nick Knight (70) and Ian Bell (50) looked like giving their side a fighting chance with a third-wicket stand of 88.

Jim Troughton chipped in with 53 off 57 balls but Alex Gidman's introduction into the attack brought him figures of three for 26 to help bowl out the Bears for 229.

Elsewhere, Division One leaders Surrey Lions made heavy weather of disposing of Essex but eventually prevailed by three wickets.

England's forgotten man Graham Thorpe gave the selectors another nudge with 79 not out as Surrey successfully chased an average target of 221.

National Cricket League Division One: Swansea, Glamorgan Dragons 215-9 Innings Complete (A Dale 60, D L Hemp 59, Kabir Ali 4-38) v Worcestershire Royals 184 (A G Wharf 4-24) Glamorgan beat Worcestershire by 31 runs; Gloucester, Gloucestershire Gladiators 307-8 Innings Complete (C M Spearman 153, W P C Weston 61) v Warwickshire Bears 229 (N V Knight 70, J O Troughton 53, I R Bell 50) Gloucestershire beat Warwickshire by 78 runs; Tunbridge Wells, Kent Spitfires 208-7 Innings Complete v Yorkshire Phoenix 186-9 (M J Lumb 77) Kent beat Yorkshire by 22 runs; The AMP Oval, Essex Eagles 220 (D D J Robinson 78, Azhar Mahmood 6-37) v Surrey Lions 221-7 (G P Thorpe 79 no) Surrey beat Essex by 3 wkts; Division Two: The Rose Bowl, Hampshire Hawks 203-5 Innings Complete (J P Crawley 102) v Durham Dynamos 196-8 Innings Complete (A D Mascarenhas 4-44) Hampshire beat Durham by 7 runs; Old Trafford, Nottinghamshire Outlaws 100-6 Innings Complete v Lancashire Lightning 114-3 Lancashire beat Nottinghamshire by 7 wkts (D/L Method); Lord's, Sussex Sharks 161-7 Innings Complete (M W Goodwin 81 no) v Middlesex Crusaders 133 (A J Strauss 57, K J Innes 5-41) Sussex beat Middlesex by 49 runs (D/L Method); Bath, Somerset Sabres 143 (K P Dutch 50, M J Cawdron 4-31) v Northamptonshire Steelbacks 131-3 (M E K Hussey 54) Northamptonshire beat Somerset by 7 wkts (D/L Method).