Friday night cricket has an added edge this week as Notts Outlaws travel to face local rivals Derbyshire Falcons at the 3aaa County Ground.
Derbyshire have won two of their eight games so far this year and currently sit bottom of the table on four points.
For the Outlaws however Friday’s match has particular importance, as the team needs to overcome last week’s defeat to the Yorkshire Vikings at Headingley.
Head-To-Head
In the domestic T20 tournament Notts and Derbyshire have played each other more than any other team. From their 22 games against the Falcons, the Outlaws have been successful on 15 occasions, both at home and away.
In series past, the odds favoured the Outlaws who qualified for the quarter-finals for four successive years from 2010-2014, whereas the Falcons have been to the knockout stages once, in 2005.
Despite a less than perfect start to their campaign, Notts will be hoping that their success in this fixture last time round, together with the confidence earned from previous tournaments will guarantee them a victory over their neighbours.
Last Time
For the second evening running Riki Wessels was the batting hero for Notts Outlaws as they defeated Derbyshire Falcons by 27 runs in their NatWest T20 Blast match at Trent Bridge on June 20 2014.
Wessels, who scored 66 in the victory over Leicestershire Foxes just 24 hours earlier, made an unbeaten 95 from just 51 deliveries, hitting 10 fours and four sixes.
The Outlaws posted 206-5, their seventh highest T20 total of all-time, with James Taylor making 29, Alex Hales 23 and Steven Mullaney remaining unbeaten on 24. Mark Footitt, with three for 50 was the most successful Derbyshire bowler.
In front of a gate of 9,383 the Falcons could only muster 179-7 in reply, with Wayne Madsen making 65 and Gareth Cross adding 54. Luke Fletcher returned the pick of the figures, ending with two for 29.
The Outlaws retained the same starting eleven that had defeated Leicestershire Foxes 24 hours earlier, meaning that Chris Read was lined up for his 100th T20 appearance for Nottinghamshire.
Two former Outlaws, Scott Elstone, along with Footitt, were included in a Falcons side that was missing Wes Durston with a leg injury.
Alex Hales and Phil Jaques opened up for the home side, with the Australian working Mark Turner to the midwicket fence for the first runs of the evening.
Hales got his innings up and running, with an effortless push through the offside for four, from the bowling of Tony Palladino.
The third over brought a wicket for the visitors, with Jaques (11) inside-edging Footitt back onto his stumps. That brought Riki Wessels to the crease and he was quickly away with a boundary, followed by a pull for six off Turner – from a waist-high no-ball.
Wessels, who bludgeoned 66 the previous evening, scored 16 from his first six deliveries as the team 50 came up in just 5.4 overs.
Hales (23) unloaded with an enormous six off Chesney Hughes, the ball landing in the Vice-Presidents seating on top of the pavilion. An attempted repeat from the next ball wasn’t as cleanly struck and Palladino took a well-judged catch in front of the dug outs.
Samit Patel (7) followed in exactly the same fashion, finding Palladino again, to the bowling of Marcus North.
Wessels pushed a couple off David Wainwright to bring up the team 100 and take himself to another half-century (29 balls 7x4 1x6).
The start of the 13th over saw Alex Hughes introduced as the seventh different Falcons’ bowler. James Taylor immediately tickled him away fine for his first boundary.
Wainwright was cut away for a powerful four by Wessels at the start of the 14th but worse was to come for the slow left-armer as a huge heave over long on for six was followed by another off side four as the over ended with Notts on 131-3.
The 50 partnership was brought up in only 32 deliveries but the acceleration was yet to come.
An erratic 18th over from Footitt brought 23 runs, plus a wicket from the eighth ball sent down. After a couple of early wides Wessels hit consecutive sixes to move into the nineties for the first time in his career, then Taylor (29) holed out to Turner.
The catcher then grabbed his first wicket with the ball, bowling Chris Read (2), who perished in the search for quick runs.
Wessels was on 94 at the start of the final over – and added a single - but only faced the one ball as Mullaney (24 not out, from just 9 balls) teed off with some big hitting of his own, ending the innings with six, four, six.
The innings rounded off an exceptional week for Wessels. Capped, he then scored 77 and 71 not out in the championship win over Middlesex, followed by scores of 66 and 95 not out in successive short-format fixtures.
His final score was just one run behind the county T20 record, the 96 scored by Michael Lumb at Durham last year.
The dangerous Chesney Hughes began the reply in style, putting Ajmal Shahzad into the New Stand in the second over.
Hughes then pushed into the off side, set off but then stopped. Moore (13) was easily run out as Taylor lobbed the ball back to bowler Harry Gurney.
Luke Fletcher flattened Hughes’ middle stump, the left-hander falling for 17 and Patel had North (6) caught at long off, from the bowling of Patel.
Wayne Madsen and Gareth Cross bravely put together a stand of 103 in 8.5 overs, each hitting maximums – but the run-rate continued to rise rapidly, with more than 14 an over needed from the final five overs.
Madsen reached his 50 (27 balls 5x4 2x6) just a couple of balls ahead of Cross (36 balls 4x4 1x6) as the century partnership came up from 55 deliveries.
Taylor swooped low to end the stand, catching Cross (54) off Fletcher. Madesn’s fine innings came to an end as he picked out Jaques, off Gurney and then Alex Hughes (1) was run out by a fine return from Patel.
Shahzad got amongst the wicket-takers by bowling Palladino (0) from the final ball of the match, leaving Notts to celebrate their second win over East Midlands opposition in successive evening.
Played For Them Both
The Outlaws may come up against some familiar faces at the other end of the A52. Both Mark Footitt and Scott Elstone are in line to appear for the Falcons against the side where they began their careers.
AJ Harris is another to have spent time on the staff at Trent Bridge is currently part of the coaching staff at Derby.
Amongst other players to have appeared for both counties are: Brian Bolus, Wayne Dessaur, Matt Dowman, Richard Hodgkinson, John Morris, Akhil Patel, Harold Rhodes, Mark Saxelby and Pat Vaulkhard.
Stats (in all domestic T20 fixtures between Notts and Derbyshire)
Highest Score
Derbys 192-6 (2010) Trent Bridge
Notts 206-5 (2014) Trent Bridge
Lowest Score
Derbys 114-8 (2008) County Ground, Derby
Notts 94 all out in 19.1 overs (2003) County Ground, Derby
Highest Individual Score
Derbys 111 WJ Durston (2010) Trent Bridge
Notts 95* R Wessels (2014) Trent Bridge
Best Bowling
Derbys 4-13 T Lungley (2003) County Ground, Derby
Notts 4-20 A Carter (2011) Trent Bridge
Debuts
Derbys PMR Havell (2004), TJ Friend (2005), GM Smith (2007), WL Madsen (2010), TC Knight (2011)
Notts DJ Bicknell, PJ McMahon, MHA Footitt (all 2005)
Coverage
BBC Radio Nottingham will be providing full match commentary and there will also be on-line coverage via the BBC Sport website.
Follow the live scorecard, regular text updates and radio commentary through your perfect match-day companion Trent Bridge Live.
Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast Fixtures & Ticket Information
v Northants Steelbacks – Saturday 27 June 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Worcestershire Rapids – Friday 3 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Derbyshire Falcons – Friday 10 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
Need more information? Call our ticket office on 0844 8118711.