Notts Outlaws slipped to their first defeat of this season’s Royal London One-Day Cup competition, when they went down to Kent Spitfires by five wickets at Trent Bridge, but it wasn't all bad news as Hampshire's loss at Lancashire secured a home quarter-final.
Set to score 336, they were seen to a five wicket victory by Sam Billings, who made 118 not out and shared in a match-winning sixth wicket stand of 133 with Alex Blake, who hit the winning six to close on an undefeated 50.
Billings scored his runs from 89 balls, hitting 12 fours and three maximums to turn the tables on the previously unbeaten group leaders.
The Spitfires reached their target with eight balls to spare, having been set on their way by half centuries from Daniel Bell-Drummond and Fabian Cowdrey.
Bell-Drummond made 73 before chopping on from Brett Hutton, who returned figures of three for 72 and Cowdrey scored 51 from 49 balls.
Earlier, Notts Outlaws posted 335 but their innings ended in bizarre circumstances as their last six wickets fell for the addition of only four runs, in the space of just ten deliveries.
The home side were bowled out for 335, having been put in, with four balls of their innings remaining unused. James Taylor led the way with 109, making his runs from 111 balls faced and having hit four fours and four sixes.
With Alex Hales scoring 81 and Dan Christian blasting 59, a total in excess of 300 was always likely but the closing overs featured an unlikely collapse as Matt Coles collected a hat-trick, on his way to taking three for 54.
Billings had arrived at the crease in the 22nd over and went after his shots from the off, reaching his 50 from 49 balls and his hundred from 76.
With Blake offering stoic support, the required run rate dropped to below six per over and it was left to Blake to muscle the winning runs as he put Luke Fletcher over the ropes to reach his own half century from 39 deliveries.
Earlier on Riki Wessels made 41 out of an opening stand of 84 as the table-toppers looked to get away to a fast start. The miserly Darren Stevens, who only conceded 37 runs from his ten overs, broke the stand but his colleagues then came in for some fearful punishment as Hales and James Taylor battered the boundary boards.
Hales, playing his 100th one-day innings for Notts, survived a couple of leading edges that dropped between fielders, to reach his 50 from 53 balls. He celebrated by lofting James Tredwell into the Trent Bridge pavilion for six.
The England international eventually picked out short extra cover, after a second wicket stand of 96 and Kent kept a lid on things when they removed Brendan Taylor (18) and Samit Patel (4) soon afterwards.
The momentum tilted back towards Notts with the stand between the skipper and Dan Christian. Taylor had reached his 50 from 62 balls but was almost in danger of being caught by the Australian, who hit Claydon high over the New Stand for an enormous maximum.
Taylor brought up his hundred from 105 deliveries, a fine effort that included just four fours but also four sixes.
Depending upon your persuasion the last few moments of the innings was either farcical or fantastic as the Outlaws slipped from 331 for four to 335 all out, within the space of ten deliveries.
Christian’s belligerent knock ended on 59 as he picked out Joe Denly on the midwicket fence from the penultimate ball of Coles’ ninth over.
Having crossed, James Taylor then drilled the next delivery straight back into the bowler’s midriff for a reflex caught and bowled.
The 49th over began with Steven Mullaney top-edging his first ball to Daniel Bell-Drummond at short third and two balls later Mitch Claydon clean-bowled Brett Hutton, for his first ball.
Luke Fletcher was on strike at the start of the final over and was bowled first up, giving Coles his three in three. Jake Ball then set off for a non-existent run to the next delivery, allowing Coles to run him out.
Hutton’s opening burst rocked Kent’s chances as he had Denly caught behind and then bowled Northeast, all inside the first eight overs.
Bell-Drummond and Fabian Cowdrey restored the equilibrium with a stand of 78, with the latter playing a delightfully attacking knock, which brought him a half century from 46 balls.
He only made one more run before tamely chipping Patel into the hands of James Taylor at extra cover.
Bell-Drummond played beautifully for his half century from 60 balls but chopped on as soon as Hutton returned for a second spell. Stevens only made 9 before gloving an attempted hook behind off Christian, the catch being Chris Read’s 300th for the county in one-day cricket.
Sam Billings and Alex Blake then gave the contest an unexpected twist as they blitzed their way to an unbroken stand of 122 to keep the Spitfires qualification hopes alive.
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