There were no Jubilee Sunday celebrations for the Notts Outlaws as they succumbed to a 81-run defeat by the Durham Dynamos at the Emirates ICG.
The home side posted an impressive 310-4 in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B clash, with openers Phil Mustard (100) and Mark Stoneman (72) putting on 183, a record for any wicket in one-day matches between the two counties.
After tea, the Outlaws were rocked by the loss of early wickets and could only make 219 all out from 37.5 overs , although Adam Voges with 74 and Paul Franks, with 57, restored some pride to the total with a stand of 99 for the eighth wicket. Chris Rushworth did the bulk of the damage for Durham, ending with figures of 5-31.
Chris Read won the toss at the start of the afternoon and asked the home side to bat first, with the visitor’s line-up showing just one change from the eleven that defeated the Hampshire Royals on Thursday, with Harry Gurney in for Darren Pattinson.
Mustard punched Andy Carter away for three successive boundaries to give the innings an early boost, with the Dynamos’ fifty coming up at the start of the eighth over.
The sun briefly put in an appearance to further delight a crowd who had been rewarded with free scones and jam as an extra treat during the weekend celebrations.
Both opening batsmen looked in punishing mood with Stoneman the first to clear the ropes, launching Paul Franks away over the leg-side.
Franks’ best one-day figures, 6-27, came on the same ground twelve years earlier but he was also then hit away for three fours in a row by Mustard – before another maximum came from his partner in an over that produced 21 runs.
Mustard’s half century came from just 37 deliveries with Stoneman’s following from just nine additional deliveries.
After just 20 overs, with 162 on the board, Durham decided to hurt Notts further by taking the batting power-play. Patel should have had Stoneman leg before but the appeal was turned down by Rob Bailey. Replays suggested the ball would have hit middle and leg.
The reprieve was short-lived as a big hit failed to clear Riki Wessels at long-on as the spinner ended the opening stand after 22.4 overs of powerful strokeplay.
Mustard’s century arrived from just 66 deliveries, only the third in the North East against Notts in this format, after Wayne Larkins in 1993 and Paul Collingwood, a decade ago.
The opener had no sooner acknowledged the crowd for his mighty effort than he was walking back after Carter had flattened his leg stump.
With more than thirteen overs still to be bowled the Dynamos brought their 200 up, with Ben Stokes and Gordon Muchall at the crease.
Consolidating the earlier effort, the pair put on 56 in nine overs before Stokes (23) lofted Patel to Carter at long off.
Muchall (34) fell in similar fashion, this time Patel taking the catch off Gurney’s bowling – a first one-day wicket for his new county for the former Leicestershire man.
Paul Collingwood (25 not out) and Dale Benkenstein (39 not out) gave the innings a final flourish, bringing up the last fifty from just 28 balls.
Notts’ wicket-takers were Patel (2-49), Gurney (1-56) and Carter (1-68).
In need of a record one-day run-chase on the ground, the Outlaws’ hopes were wrecked by a devastating opening burst from Chris Rushworth, who took wickets in each of his first five overs, from the Finchale End, to leave Notts on 43-5.
Michael Lumb (1) hoisted to Benkenstein at mid on, Alex Hales (0) inside-edged back onto his pegs and Riki Wessels (20) was bowled by one that nipped back through the gate.
James Taylor (1), couldn’t repeat his heroics from The Ageas Bowl, by getting trapped lbw to his fourth delivery.
Samit Patel (8) scored 114 at the Riverside in 2008 but was seen off quickly, on this occasion, by a ruthless Rushworth, who induced a thin tickle through to Mustard to pick up his best one-day figures and the first 5-for against Notts on home soil.
Chris Read (17) and Adam Voges tried to re-build from a seemingly hopeless position, adding 47 together, before the Outlaws skipper was well taken at midwicket by his opposite number – Dale Benkenstein, who took a well-judged catch off Liam Plunkett’s bowling.
Plunkett, bowling at a decent pace, collected his second wicket when he fired one through Steven Mullaney’s (7) defences to leave Notts on 101-7 after 22 overs.
With the required run-rate spiralling over twelve per over, Voges showed great quality and determination in reaching his first fifty of the summer (57 balls 5x4).
In the 28th over Paul Franks hit back-to-back maximums off Plunkett– the first sixes of the innings, as the shackles were broken with an over that brought 21 much-needed runs to the total.
A fifty stand – the largest of the innings – came from just 48 balls but 156 were still needed from the last ten overs.
Franks’ first one-day half-century (44 balls 4x4 3x6) since 2009 was brought up with a mighty six off Scott Borthwick.
The left-hander accrued his highest List-A score since making 64 against Somerset at Taunton in 2004 but lost his partner when Voges (74) hit Stokes straight down the throat of Will Smith in the deep.
The Outlaws’ heaviest one-day defeat against the Dynamos was all but confirmed when Stokes bowled Franks (57) to claim two wickets in 3 balls.
Harry Gurney (13) heaved a couple of mighty sixes off Scott Borthwick to offer some late order resistance but the same bowler then bounced back to have Andy Carter (3) stumped by Mustard, the man of the match.
Notts Outlaws are back in action on Monday afternoon (1.45pm) when they will look to bounce back to winning ways against Somerset at Trent Bridge.