Notts Outlaws completed their fourth successful run chase of the competition to remain unbeaten and strengthen their position at the top of Group B in the Royal London One Day Cup.

Set to score 217, the Outlaws got home to win by four wickets, with 20 balls to spare. James Taylor made 56 but when he fell, at 146 for six, a further 71 were still required.

Thankfully, Chris Read and Brett Hutton ensured there were no further alarms as they saw off the winning runs in an unbroken partnership that spanned 12 overs.

Lancs made 216 for eight after being invited to bat first on a cloudy morning, with Karl Brown scoring 77 and Samit Patel returning figures of three for 31.

The bowling unit were again impressive, a factor that pleased Andy Pick. “They are all bowling well at the moment,” he said. “There seems to be a simplicity to what they are doing; one that we were looking for at the early part of the season and struggling to find, but it all seems to have clicked into place now.”

The bowling coach added, “We’re perhaps bowling straighter now than we did at the start of the season, with less width and we’re conceding less runs as a result.”

Pick paid tribute to Hutton, who took a major stride forward in his career development with an innings of composure and quality.

“Brett is a good all-round cricketer and he has bided his time, but now he’s got a chance and has taken it with both hands, initially with the ball but now, today, with the bat as well.”

The Notts reply was one of fits and starts with Riki Wessels and Brendan Taylor both missing out. Wessels hit Gavin Griffiths to deep midwicket for only six and Taylor picked up his second straight duck after hitting the same bowler to mid off.

Alex Hales had been dropped on 16, nicking James Faulkner through to the diving ‘keeper but couldn’t make the most of his reprieve as Griffiths clung on to a sharp caught and bowled. With figures of three for 41 Griffiths was the stand-out performer, although he was in action as Notts crossed the finishing line with Read hitting him for a four and a six to complete the victory.

Samit Patel made 29 before picking out Brown on the deep midwicket fence and Steven Mullaney was caught at leg slip for six, from the spin of Aaron Lilley.

Hutton’s first opportunity to bat in this competition brought him a career best one-day score of 33 not out, made in an assured manner from only 41 balls.

Read closed on 47 not out, scoring his runs from 45 deliveries with four fours and that timely six at the end.

Earlier,  Brown survived two dropped chances on his way to a 77 that included three fours and three sixes from his 114 deliveries. He was put down at third slip by Hales on 5 and then in the covers by Patel on 39, but the visitors weren’t unduly troubled by those mishaps, with wickets falling regularly at the other end.

Ashwell Prince only made five against one of his previous employers before hoisting Hutton high to mid off, where Jake Ball judged a tough swirler very competently.

A sharp bit of work by Chris Read ended Alviro Petersen’s stay 28. The stumping, off Mullaney, was one of four victims for the Notts’ ‘keeper, who took a dropping skier to remove the dangerous Australian, James Faulkner, then anticipated brilliantly to take a fine deflection off Alex Davies, who had gone for the switch hit.

Read’s other dismissal was another stumping, this time to see off Brown, who gambled against Patel towards the end of the innings and was stranded well out of his ground.

Steven Croft made 38 before slogging Patel to Imran Tahir in the deep and the fielders celebrated joyfully as Brendan Taylor took a clean catch at mid off to end Aaron Lilley’s brief stay.

Tahir got the other wicket to fall, inducing Paul Horton to chop onto his stumps for 13.

Notts now head to Lord’s on Thursday, to face Middlesex, with a quarter final berth virtually guaranteed.

 

Royal London One-Day Cup at Trent Bridge: Fixtures & Ticket Information

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