Notts Outlaws defeated Kent Spitfires by seven wickets in their Yorkshire Bank 40 Group A clash at Trent Bridge.
After a couple of lengthy disruptions for rain Notts were set a revised victory target of 140 in 19 overs and they romped over the finishing line with James Taylor ending on 50 not out, with 15 deliveries remaining in the match.
Although the conditions looked bleak for some time, skipper Chris Read was always confident that the match would be completed.
"Hopefully we can get some momentum in this white ball cricket which will help everything.” Chris Read
“We’d looked at the forecast and knew there might be a little bit of a rain delay but we were also pretty confident that the game would be completed so ultimately it was a very satisfying result," he said.
“I think we’re playing some good cricket at the minute. Obviously in the championship we’ve had a couple of blips and that’s shocked everyone in the changing room because I know we’ve got some very talented guys in there and hopefully we can get some momentum in this white ball cricket which will help everything.”
The Outlaws stuck to the same side that defeated Northants Steelbacks in their group opener three days earlier, whilst Kent arrived with three former Notts boys in their party, in head coach Jimmy Adams and pace bowlers Mark Davies and Charlie Shreck.
Shreck’s inclusion was his first List-A start since May 2010 for Notts against Hampshire.
Read had won the toss and invited Kent to bat first. Harry Gurney opened the bowling with a tidy maiden and then Andy Carter threatened to do the same. The last delivery of the second over saw Sam Billings (1) clip the ball away on to the leg side.
Turning blind, Billings set off for a second run but was undone by Samit Patel’s fine throw back to Carter.
Brendan Nash, who made an unbeaten 98 in the Spitfires victory over Warwickshire on Monday, and Rob Key quickly turned the contest around to reach the end of the power-play overs on 40-1.
The pair took their second wicket stand to 98 before Steven Mullaney entered the attack to good effect. He initially had Nash (42) playing on and then followed it up by removing Darren Stevens (10).
Stevens hit consecutive boundaries but then dragged his back foot and was given out stumped by Chris Read.
Rob Key had moved beyond fifty (70 balls, 7x4) but on 62 he chipped Mullaney into the waiting hands of Patel at midwicket.
Kent slumped further as Mullaney then grabbed his fourth wicket in his final over with Sam Northeast skying the ball high to be taken by Read.
Geraint Jones (39) and Ben Harmison (33 not out) gave the innings a touch of gloss with some late hitting. Jones heaved Patel over midwicket for 6 and hit Gurney for three consecutive fours before lifting Carter to Patel.
The start of the Outlaws reply was delayed by forty minutes and only five deliveries were bowled before more bad weather arrived.
Upon the resumption Michael Lumb (11) was run out soon after completing his 5,000th run in one-day cricket.
Alex Hales (21) pulled Darren Stevens away for a six but then holed out to the same man, off Mark Davies.
James Taylor and Samit Patel had added 149 together in Sunday’s victory over Northants but their stand only reached 34 this time before Patel (17) hit Stevens to long on.
Taylor joined forces with Riki Wessels and the pair took the game away from the Spitfires in blistering style.
They put on 67 together in just 6.2 overs. The 16th over, bowled by Shreck, went for 18 runs, leaving a dozen needed for victory.
Taylor, on 38, hit Matt Coles for three successive boundaries to clinch the victory in style – and bring up his own half-century in the process (42 balls, 6x4). Wessels ended undefeated on 37.
With two wins out of two the Outlaws now top Group A and are next in action on Sunday when they face Worcestershire Royals at New Road.