Notts Outlaws remain on course for a second Lord’s one-day final in three years but must face a tough Royal London One-Day Cup semi final against Surrey first, the county coming off the back of a comprehensive innings victory over Derbyshire to earn promotion from Division Two of the LV= County Championship. The Outlaws head to the Oval on Monday, with the winners facing either Yorkshire Vikings or Gloucestershire in the final on Saturday 19 September.
The Outlaws have reached the last four after finishing top of their qualifying group and then defeating Durham in the quarters. Surrey topped their group as well and then beat Kent Spitfires in their home match at the last eight stage.
This will be the third consecutive year that the Outlaws have reached the last four and they will be hoping to emulate their success over Somerset in 2013, rather than the disappointing outcome against Durham twelve months ago.
Head To Head
In all List A cricket (ranging from 40 to 60 over matches) Nottinghamshire and Surrey have been scheduled to play each other on 47 occasions.
The overall advantage lies in favour of Notts, with 22 wins to Surrey’s 17, with two other matches being declared ‘no results’, after starting and not finishing and six other contests being abandoned completely.
Notts have travelled south of the river on 23 occasions in one-day cricket, with 16 of the matches being staged at the Oval, five at Guildford and two at Byfleet.
The travelling side have had the better of the results, with Notts winning 11 times and Surrey winning nine.
At the Oval it is seven – six in Nottinghamshire’s favour, with the last two meetings there both being way back in 2001, with Notts triumphing in a Norwich Union League match and Surrey taking the spoils in the B & H Cup semi-final.
Last Time
It is 14 years since Notts went to the Oval to face Surrey in a one-day match and it was also a major domestic semi-final on that occasion, with a place in the Benson and Hedges Cup Final at stake.
Notts will be hoping for a different outcome this year though, with Surrey handing out a heavy defeat after winning the toss and batting.
Mark Butcher and Ian Ward are perhaps best known as Sky Sports’ commentators nowadays but the England internationals rattled up an opening stand of 112 to set the tone for the day.
Butcher made 84 and received solid support from Alec Stewart (67), Ward (58), Ali Brown (49) and Ben Hollioake (39 not out) as the home county posted 361 for eight from their 50 overs. Usman Afzaal and Greg Blewett each picked up three wickets for the over-worked Notts attack.
Chances of a record-breaking chase were always slim and when Paul Johnson fell, to leave the visitors on 47 for four, it was all but over. Kevin Pietersen made an unbeaten 78 for the Outlaws but he was left high and dry when the innings ended on just 187 after 31.5 overs, to send Surrey through by a margin of 174 runs.
History
The 1971 John Player League match between the pair couldn’t have had a more fitting venue as it was played on the John Player Sports Ground on Aspley Lane, Nottingham.
Surrey triumphed by three wickets in a low scoring encounter that saw Derek Randall make his List A debut for the home side. Despite Notts only making 146 for seven, the young Randall didn’t even get to the crease!
In 1977 both counties were paired in the same Benson and Hedges qualifying group. Curiously a scheduled one-day match at the Oval didn’t see any play until the second reserve day (day three) and even then the contest was reduced to 35 overs per side.
Notts made 153 for five, with Peter Johnson scoring 51. Surrey fell 11 runs short, being bowled out for 142 with Bill Taylor (now on the Notts CCC committee) taking the man of the match award for figures of five for 37.
Darren Bicknell and Jason Gallian put on 196 for the first wicket against Surrey at Trent Bridge in 2000. Bicknell, against his former county, scored 115, with Gallian adding 84. The partnership was the highest by a Nottinghamshire opening pair in any of the various formats of the Sunday League.
In 2012 the sides met at Guildford in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the game had a sensational start. Batting first, Surrey found themselves reduced to eight for five after just 3.1 overs. Notts were eventually left to chase down 123 and sped to a five-wicket victory.
Played For Them Both
Nottinghamshire fast bowler Luke Fletcher spent a brief spell on loan at Surrey, earlier this season. The 26-year old played in three County Championship matches and took eight wickets, which included a best of four for 58.
Fletcher has taken more than 200 first class wickets for Notts since making his debut in 2008.
Others to have appeared for both counties include: Usman Afzaal, Hashim Amla, Darren Bicknell, Greg Blewett, Alistair Brown, Gary Keedy, Chris Lewis, Dirk Nannes, Scott Newman, Kevin O’Brien, Kevin Pietersen, Roy Swetman, Younis Khan
Previous Semi-Finals
This will be the twelfth time that Nottinghamshire have played in the semi-finals of one of the major domestic one-day competitions.
WON (5)
1982 Benson and Hedges Cup beat Lancashire by four wickets at Trent Bridge
1985 Nat West Bank Trophy beat Worcestershire by four wickets at New Road
1987 Nat West Bank Trophy beat Gloucestershire by 143 runs at Bristol
1989 Benson and Hedges Cup beat Kent by 69 runs at Trent Bridge
2013 Yorkshire Bank 40 beat Somerset by eight wickets at Trent Bridge
LOST (6)
1969 Gillette Cup lost to Yorkshire by 68 runs at Scarborough.
1984 Benson and Hedges Cup lost to Lancashire by six wickets at Trent Bridge
1986 Benson and Hedges Cup lost to Middlesex by five wickets at Lord’s
1990 Benson and Hedges Cup lost to Worcestershire by nine wickets at Trent Bridge
2001 Benson and Hedges Cup lost to Surrey by 174 runs at the Oval.
2014 Royal London One-Day Cup lost to Durham by 83 runs at CLS
ON THIS DAY
Two of Nottinghamshire’s previous one-day finals have been staged on September 7, with contrasting results:
SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 1985
Nottinghamshire lost the final of the NatWest Trophy to Essex by just one run at Lord’s. Seemingly out of it when they began the final over still requiring 18, Derek Randall had other ideas as he hit the first three balls for boundaries and followed that with a brace of twos. Requiring only two from the final delivery, bowled by Derek Pringle, Randall chipped to mid-wicket, where Paul Prichard held the catch to shatter Nottinghamshire’s dreams.
MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 1987
Nottinghamshire won the NatWest Trophy for the only time, defeating
Northamptonshire in the final at Lord’s by three wickets. The match had begun two days earlier, with the opposition making 228 for three from their 50 overs. Rain delays meant that the match was carried over until the Monday, Notts reaching their target thanks to 63 from skipper Clive Rice and an unbeaten 70, from 61 deliveries, by Richard Hadlee.
Stats (for all one-day matches between Notts & Surrey)
Highest Team Total
Notts: 314-7 (Oval 1993)
Surrey: 361-8 (Oval 2001)
Highest Individual Innings
Notts: 126* CL Cairns (Oval 1993)
Surrey: 130 AD Brown (Trent Bridge 2001)
Best Bowling:
Notts: 5-17 RJ Hadlee (Oval 1986)
Surrey: 4-18 RD Jackman (Oval 1970)
Milestones
Samit Patel (147) needs three more wickets to become only the third all-rounder (after Richard Hadlee and Clive Rice) to score more than 2,500 runs and reach 150 wickets for Notts in one-day cricket.
Steven Mullaney (976) needs 24 runs to reach 1,000 in one-day cricket.
Jake Ball (48) needs two wickets to reach 50 in one-day cricket.
Luke Fletcher (45) needs five wickets to reach 50 in one-day cricket.
Samit Patel (49) and Harry Gurney (48) need one/two more wickets to reach 50 for Notts this season in all first team matches (already passed by Jake Ball, 55)
Tickets
Surrey have announced that Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club members will be admitted free for this game, on production of their membership card. For full details of this offer, general admission prices and all other matchday information please see the official Surrey CCC website.
Coverage
BBC Radio Nottingham will be providing on-line commentary of the semi final and there will be regular updates on the radio throughout the day. Access the link via the BBC Sport website or app.
Follow the live scorecard, regular text updates and radio commentary on Monday through your perfect match-day companion Trent Bridge Live.