Notts Outlaws won their second match in this season’s Royal London One Day Cup when they edged past Sussex Sharks with a four-wicket victory at Hove.
Set to score 283, the Outlaws were seen to victory with an unbroken 56 run stand between Steven Mullaney and Chris Read.
Mullaney finished on 42 not out, winning the match with a huge six off Michael Yardy and Read closed on 22 not out.
Earlier, the win had been set up by Brendan Taylor, who made 62 and James Taylor, who scored 51.
The home side had posted 282 for nine, after electing to bat first, with no-one reaching fifty but five batsmen scoring between 30 and 49.
Jake Ball returned the pick of the bowling figures, gathering four for 47, all of them to catches at the wicket by Read.
The Outlaws’ wicketkeeper took six catches in all, becoming the first to achieve the feat for Notts. His second victim, Chris Nash, was also his 300th for the county – another record.
Deryck Murray had twice taken five catches in an innings in the late 1960s and Read, himself, had done it on two occasions, against Gloucs in 2001 and Sussex in 2004.
Read admitted he’d been asked about his performance. “The lads were asking if it was a career best and I said it must be as I couldn’t remember doing it before.
“I thought Jake’s performance in his first spell was really special. It changed the momentum of the innings. He bowled with good pace and aggression and ripped the heart out of their middle order.”
Selecting an unchanged line-up from the weekend, Notts were put under early pressure by an opening stand of 96 between Nash and Luke Wright.
Both batsmen punished early width on a good surface until Wright was cramped for room in Ball’s first over. The right-hander, looking to run to third man, only succeeded in ballooning the ball up to Read to depart for 40.
Ball’s introduction proved timely, as he then proceeded to pick up wickets in each of his next two overs, both courtesy of catches behind the wicket.
Nash was within one of his half century when he fell to a delivery that bounced and took the shoulder of the bat and then Matt Machan pushed outside off for only five.
Australia’s George Bailey made 18 and was just starting to look settled when he clipped Samit Patel to Riki Wessels at midwicket.
Craig Cachopa hit Patel for two sixes over long on but on 18 the New Zealand born batsman nicked Dan Christian behind, straight after drinks. The same combination then accounted for Ed Joyce, down the leg side. Sussex’s skipper was sent on his way by Ian Blackwell, umpiring his first List A match.
With six wickets having fallen for only 76 runs, Sussex were in need of a partnership and Michael Yardy and Will Beer combined in a stand of 45.
Ball’s return, coupled with Read’s sixth catch, ended the stand with Yardy given out for 30, also to a tumbling catch down the leg side.
Will Beer played a delightful cameo after coming in at number eight. He battled his way to 42, which included a pulled six off Luke Fletcher, before slashing Harry Gurney into the hands of Christian at point.
Chris Liddle was run out for five, coming back for a second but failing to beat Christian’s return in to bowler Fletcher.
Alfonso Thomas, on loan from Somerset, gave the innings an explosive finale by blazing his way to 32 not out, hitting Ball’s closing delivery for a flat maximum.
The reply couldn’t have got off to a worse start with Wessels given out lbw to the first ball of the innings, bowled by Thomas.
James Taylor’s first involvement saw him rattled on the hand by a sharply-rising ball from Tymal Mills. Alex Hales seemed to take up the challenge of responding on behalf of his captain by hitting the pace man for four boundaries in the next over.
The fifty was brought up in just the sixth over but then Hales fell, miscuing Mills to Bailey for 23.
Taylor battled his way to an excellent fifty, reaching the milestone from 41 balls with eight fours and a huge six off Thomas, then played on, to be bowled by Liddle for 51.
Brendan Taylor and Samit Patel enjoyed the introduction of spin, with both players hitting Beer over the marquee at wide long on.
The former Zimbabwe international reached his half century from 48 balls, with seven fours and a six.
Having barely played a false shot, it was a surprise to everyone in the ground when he drilled the ball back to Liddle and the bowler celebrated a low caught and bowled offering.
Patel hit two sixes in his 38 but was then cleaned up by Mills and Christian was sixth out, propelling Beer into the hands of Nash at long on.
At that stage more than fifty were still required but with plenty of overs on offer Mullaney and Read milked the bowling, before racing to the finishing line in style.
Notts remain unbeaten in Group B with a fixture against Essex Eagles up next, at Chelmsford on Sunday.
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