Pacemen Harry Gurney and Jake Ball shared five wickets to peg Worcestershire back to 173 all out but, despite a quick-fire cameo from Alex Hales, the Notts Outlaws fell 20 runs short.

A format-best 75 from Tom Kohler-Cadmore had the visitors eying a mammoth total before they lost seven wickets for 56, including their last five for ten runs in eleven balls, to be 173 all out.

Gurney was the main beneficiary as he returned figures of 3-25, while fellow seamer Ball (2-42) narrowly missed out on a hat-trick after consecutively bowling Joe Leach and Ed Barnard in the penultimate over of the innings.

A home crowd of 10,123 anticipated a match-winning turn from Alex Hales but, after the England opener departed for 47, Worcestershire’s slow bowlers strangled the life out of a Notts innings that ended at 153 for nine.

Worcestershire captain Daryl Mitchell won the toss but was lbw on the sweep to Samit Patel off the fifth ball of the match, bringing Kohler-Cadmore to the crease.

The 20-year-old raced to a 26-ball half century, featuring six fours and three sixes. A partnership of 86 with Richard Oliver ended when the opener was bowled by Steven Mullaney for 31.

The visitors were handsomely placed on 94 for two at the midway point and Kohler-Cadmore continued to make merry, planting Dan Christian and Mullaney over midwicket and long-on respectively for two more towering maximums.

After another four through backward point, Christian got his man - caught on the long-on boundary.

Brett D’Oliveira (14) was brilliantly caught in the deep by Greg Smith off Patel and Hales recovered from a fumble to run out Colin Munroe (16), before Ball and Gurney's impressive death bowling took centre stage. 

Notts opener Michael Lumb dragged Barnard’s first ball onto his stumps in the fourth over of the reply, while three lusty on-side sixes showed Hales to be in typically imposing form.

He was, however, caught on the long-off boundary by Kohler-Cadmore, handing Mitchell the sole scalp of his game changing four overs that cost just 18.

Having added 53 with Hales, Riki Wessels was the next man to go - bowled by D’Oliveira's leg-spin for 24 - as the required rate moved beyond ten runs-per-over.

Christian (26) threatened to break the shackles in the 15th over, pumping a D’Oliveira full-toss high over midwicket and striking four more through cover.

However, a decisive double blow followed, with Saeed Ajmal (2-33) bowling an advancing Christian through the gate, the ball after dismissing Patel for nine.

Exemplary catching in the deep saw the subsequent five wickets fall for the addition of 37 runs as the Outlaws fell comfortably short, despite an enterprising 20 from Smith.

Mick Newell's men, who remain two points away from a top four position with four games to go, are next in NatWest T20 Blast action with a visit from the Derbyshire Falcons on Friday 10 July.

 

Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast Ticket Information

v Derbyshire Falcons – Friday 10 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS

Need more information? Call our ticket office on 0844 8118711.